Vieja id please

[deep_blue_sea]

hello,
can someone help me to identify this vieja species . one is argentea. but another is synspilum or fenestrus ?
also are they male or female?

 

[Milingu]

It looks like V. melanurus.

 

[duanes]

I agree looks like melanurus at this point.
If however as the fish matures, a strong blotch develops above the lateral line in the mid to posterior region, it could be bifasciata.
Here is what a mean.
First a pic of young melanurus.

now a young bifasciata

and now after it matures, note the more prominent blotch on the bifasciatus

By the way, the name melanurus is now the legit name for synspilla, because DNA testing resulted in them both being the same species (color variants), and because the name melanura was used first in 1862 it takes precedence, whereas the name synspila (not described until 1935) becomes invalid.,

 

[deep_blue_sea]

thanks for identifying.
they are 1.5 years old. brought them total 10, but these two murdered others.
are they male or female?

 

[duanes]

In my experience argentea will assasinate all other similar size, similar looking cichlids in most tanks of 200 gallons or less, and it seems to happen almost over night when the argentea hits true maturity.
Melanura are considerably less aggressive, but its aggression is almost always related to tank size.
I had a group of Vieja growing out in a 150 gallon, when the male argentea hit about 7 inches, he took out about half the other cichlids overnight, and I removed it to a tank by itself, to save the others.
I have heard similar stories from other aquarists.
If yours are acting copasetic to each other, it may be they are a pair.

 

[decoy50]

Going by the steep profile of these fish, I'm inclined to say they are both male, but this is not the most accurate way to tell. During your next water change, net both fish out and take very clear pics of the vents. Post them on here and we can better tell the sex

 

[butchie]

In my experience argentea will assasinate all other similar size, similar looking cichlids in most tanks of 200 gallons or less, and it seems to happen almost over night when the argentea hits true maturity.
Melanura are considerably less aggressive, but its aggression is almost always related to tank size.
I had a group of Vieja growing out in a 150 gallon, when the male argentea hit about 7 inches, he took out about half the other cichlids overnight, and I removed it to a tank by itself, to save the others.
I have heard similar stories from other aquarists.
If yours are acting copasetic to each other, it may be they are a pair.

Thanks for this, I am growing out a group of argenta currently in a 75. They seem comparitively docile, although I lost 3 fish (larger bochortii) in rapid succession and have no idea who the offender is. I seperated out many of the fish to larger tanks but left the argenta in there. They are nowhere near maturity and the largest male is probably 3 inches. But now I will pay closer attention as they get bigger