Wild (ex)Cichlasoma Ornatums - Yes or No?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Purchase them, yes or no?

  • Total voters
    20
  • Poll closed .
duanes said:
My biggest fear at temps of 82 or above is the disease ducklips (Flexibactor columnaris) which is most virulent above 82'F.

Cichlids that are endemic to warmer waters, such as Nandopsis haitiensus may have resistance to it, but those endemic to cooler waters may not, such as the beani above, that died during a heat wave 2 summers ago..
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Thanks for the info and sorry for the loss.

jweav said:
I got two of them from Jeff Rapps a little over 2 years ago at 1/2 inch and the one I have left is just over 6 inches. By far the slowest growing cichlid I have ever had. It amazes me Mels have grown to 15 to 16 inches in only 4 years. At the rate mine is growing it should reach that size in a couple decades no problem:ROFL: With that being said they are beautiful cichlids and you should give them a try.
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I did! ;-) From pictures I have seen from others, they are worth the wait!
 
Moved them to the daemon tank. Dropped the temp to 82. Took 20 shots and was only able to get one halfway decent picture. They are way too active and the camera on my phone is horrible. Ill try and get more this week.

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Duck lips is treatable with Furan-2 and Clout but you have to get to it immediately. I had a 12" Beani get this a couple of times and a secondary infection is what killed him off. I DESPISE Duck Lips!

As far as Ornatum go if you have the expertise and patience they are a cool fish. They do grow relatively slow but are worth it. I have a 10" male currently so if anyone has a female for sale hit me up!
 
duanes said:
Those look double the size on mine, very nice.
On average, I take over 100 photos at a crack, if I keep 5 and delete the rest, its a good day.
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As the old adage goes, they look bigger on camera. The biggest one is probably 1.75" and the rest are 1-1.5". They should be the same size as yours. When I got mine, I chose the 2 biggest and then the 4 smallest. Mine are very thick though - little fatties.

NorCaliCichlids said:
Duck lips is treatable with Furan-2 and Clout but you have to get to it immediately. I had a 12" Beani get this a couple of times and a secondary infection is what killed him off. I DESPISE Duck Lips!

As far as Ornatum go if you have the expertise and patience they are a cool fish. They do grow relatively slow but are worth it. I have a 10" male currently so if anyone has a female for sale hit me up!
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10"?! Nice! Pictures! I swear I saw one of the vendors selling a large female, but I can't remember which one. I'll see if I can dig it up.
 
I believe beani are very susceptible to duck lips because they come from the cooler waters (comparatively)of the northern Pacific coast of Mexico, and are kept by many at high temps (80s) where Flexibactor are most virulent. The may not have the resistance to it, that many warmer water species have.
I keep my beani on the cold side, high 60s, low 70s.
 
duanes said:
I believe beani are very susceptible to duck lips because they come from the cooler waters (comparatively)of the northern Pacific coast of Mexico, and are kept by many at high temps (80s) where Flexibactor are most virulent. The may not have the resistance to it, that many warmer water species have.
I keep my beani on the cold side, high 60s, low 70s.
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Yes, the more that I have been reading and prodding, I will have to agree. I will drop the temps to 73-75 and will moved the Daemons out to a warmer tank. Thanks D!
 
duanes said:
I believe beani are very susceptible to duck lips because they come from the cooler waters (comparatively)of the northern Pacific coast of Mexico, and are kept by many at high temps (80s) where Flexibactor are most virulent. The may not have the resistance to it, that many warmer water species have.
I keep my beani on the cold side, high 60s, low 70s.
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So I moved the Ornatums to their own tank with some Buenos Aires Tetras. I dropped the temp to 75.5.

It's been like this for pushing on 2 weeks. They don't seem to be as active compared to when they were in my Leuco tank (80 degrees) and Daemon tank (82-84 degrees). Is this normal for them?

The only other thing that it could be, is the tank I moved them to, is a tiered tank - the bottom one. I think maybe they need to get used to being that low to the ground. They do eat, but not as ravenous as in the hotter temps.

I hate when I over think this stuff. LOL
 
Mine eat like pigs at mid 70s, but they have to compete with the Guianacara which are bigger and even more ravenous. One is outgrowing the rest, but none are growing what I consider fast. In summer they will get more warmth and i expect, have a growth spurt, but I don't try to force growth. And yes a mind is a terrible thing.
Taken this morning
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Thanks for the insights, D. I'll let the tank sit how it is for a few more weeks and see how it goes.

You guys look amazing! What kind of lighting do you use?
 
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