What is this goofy fish I just bought?

[purplecandle]

I am having a hard time IDing a new fish. It changes color on me

Went to a new LFS today. I saw a solid black something in a tank full of CA/SA. It was in with convicts and several other aggressive species. It was definitely the lowest fish on the totem pole, was bullied pretty bad.

The LFS said that it had been black for months, but I thought since it was being bullied it might just be black for the moment. Never trust a LFS. So I put it on hold and came back several hours and it was still black. By then I had a soft spot for it and decided to take it home.

But, when it was bagged up..No more black. It had stripes, spots and slight blue flecks here and there.

Now it is in it the tank, has gone back to black and seems pretty happy aside from a ballsy tiger barb's inspection when he first went in. He is eating. But, I must say he is rather goofy. I can see why the fish at the LFS picked on him. He swims goofy, and stares at stuff goofy.

Once it when in my Q tank. I was able to snap a few photos before it went black again. My camera did not want to zoom/focus properly, so most of these are terrible pics. Excuse the ugly tank, it is a Q tank, nothing fancy.

In pictures when he is light colored = stressed out
Light patches = Less stress
Light patch on forehead = startled by the flash
Mostly black = normal??

I want to know what he might be, he might be a convict but I am not sure. Any info on this fish is greatly appreciated!!

 

[dookie]

hybrid

 

[Jason_S]

could be a black belt. gonna need to give it some time to settle in the tank and then try to get some new pics.

 

[BC in SK]

Your fish does seem to have some resemblence to an Australoheros species. Note the first bar after the tail spot: It's shaped like < .....which is very common to many Austroloheros species.
A pic from the internet of a young specimen of one type of Austroloheros species:
http://reocities.com/NapaValley/5491/uru2006/rinconfacetum.jpg

Also a pic from the internet of an Austroloheros "oblongum", a small Austroloheros of unkown origins that is starting to become more common in the hobby:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/jstraz/Small Tanks/Australoheros Oblongum/008-1.jpg

I'd grow the fish out and see what it turns out to be .......then again maybe it's a CA hybrid(?).

 

[Aquamojo]

It's a convict.

 

[krichardson]

It's a convict.

That's what I thought.

 

[komodo182]

reminds me of a convict and a jag
but i am no cichlid expert haha

 

[GhostShrimpMan]

In the fourth pic it just looks like one good ol' convict.

 

[BC in SK]

It's 1st stripe is right on the caudal peduncle........so how could it be a convict, let alone any Cryptoheros species!

 

[Aquamojo]

Convicts of varying shades, colors and stripes:

No stripes on the caudal peduncle

Another Convict with a stripe on the CP.

This is a classic example of what's been said in another thread about the classification of fish. This particular "species" of fish has been in the hobby for many years. So the CORRECT answer is that the fish is likely a hybrid convict species...but I'm certain that it's one or part of any in that mix.