Vieja ID help please?

[hobo]

I've had this Vieja for over half a year now and STILL have no definitive answer on the strain. I've shown pictures to a bunch of local stores, posted pictures on here, etc... and each time I get at least 3 different answers. I figured I would wait a little bit before asking again until he got bigger.

He's an incredible fish and super friendly. Runs the tank and always hangs out against the glass closest to my desk while I'm working. Honestly I don't really care what strain of vieja he is other than being curious. Hopefully I can find a real answer this time! haha.

Thanks!!

 

[Regalblue]

Easier to tell you what it isn't, than what it is. Until it gets to adult coloration

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[EBJDguy]

Maybe a vieja hartwegi? If you really want to know now, send Jeff Rapps an email. His website is tangledupincichlids.com

 

[Madness]

Rapps wont know any more than we do. He is just going to give his best guess. But I do agree with you in thinking that it is a Hartwegi.

 

[lyc]

my closest guess will be Zonatus .

 

[fug202]

my closest guess will be Zonatus .

That would be my guess as well. I have both a hartwegi and zonatus, and the fish in the OP looks a lot closer to what I bought as a zonatus (or perhaps, sp coatzacoalcos). My hartwegi is still relatively small, but it sports more red on the gill covers and ventral surfaces. Both of my fish are pictured below, the zonatus first.

 

[notho2000]

Looks like a 'zonatus' or 'sp. Coatzacoalcos'. Here's a pic of my 'sp. Coatzacoalcos' and 'hartwegi'. Yours isn't at all like my 'hartwegi'.

 

[lloyd378]

I have 4 F1 zonatus in my 125 right now that are the spitting image of your fish. Mine are around 4.5 inches. Obviously, fish do change a lot as they mature. Good luck with the identification

 

[hobo]

Thanks for all the help!! Definitely would be psyched if he is a Zonatus or Hartwegi! Definitely two of my favorite looking cichlids. The Coatzacoalcos looks awesome as well! He was a total mystery buy at my LFS for $1.00. Somebody brought in a ton of unidentified vieja fry and being that they had no idea what sort of vieja it was they just let them all go for a buck each. Picked him up when he was a half inch in size and at the time I had some pretty aggressive flowerhorns and texas' in the tank with him and none of them even bothered him, and now that the aggressive tank mates have been swapped out for more peaceful cichlids, he's been running the tank. He's about 6-7" in total length now, and keeps my tank super peaceful. Such an awesome fish.

Thanks again guys!

 

[duanes]

Notice the overbite in notho's hartwegi, this is a true defining characteristic of hartwegi, whereas color can vary.