True red terror ?

[Spooner]

Hi everyone I just picked up this red terror i have never seen them in person before today just wondered if anyone could tell me if this is a true festae or false red terror ?

 

[duanes]

It doen't look tome like a pure bred Mesoheros festae, or Mayaheros uropthalmus to me . The term red terror can mean just about anything anybody wants it to mean. To me it looks like its possibly a hybrid.
Below are a couple photos of festae from young to mature.


females above, male below

your photo my be a hybrid uropthalmus, but with hybrids, the mix is anybody's guess.
Below a video of uropthalmus in nature
Azul imovie edit

 

[Spooner]

I was told it was female, il post some more pics when she's grown an inch or two.

 

[bigsea]

One of the most easiest ways to differentiate red terrors from the common Mayan cichlid is the dot on the tail. Red terrors have the same black dot but it should only be on the upper half of the tail. The Mayan cichlid's black tail dot will be larger and cover a larger portiOn of the tail or dead center


In my opinion you have a Mayan cichlid. Beautiful fish. Aggressive. Large. Could be a hybrid too

 

[bigsea]

The annoying part is that when you google red terror or Mayan cichlid, pictures of both will come up.

 

[MP_cichlid]

You certainly don't have a true festae. As to wether it is a pure Mayan or hybrid...nobody can tell for sure if u don't know the parents.

 

[duanes]

Female uropthalmus have a dark blotch in the dorsal (festae females also have a dark area).
In my video you can see the dark spot in the femeles dorsals.
Below is a photo of a female festae, the dark spot is obvious.

The reason the common name Red Terror is used for both, is common names are BS,
and actually the name red terror for uropthalmus, long before it was used for festae.