what in the name of hernandez rodriguez fernandez is this thing???

[agez]

how dudes! how ya'all been?
so i got an interesting one down at the lfs-the guy called me at 8am screeming about something he never saw before n to come identify it? so i was all like "yeah its just a common veija species", but its not! (well not that i know of, i NEVER seen it?!?! so i said "you got me out the shower for this?" then i said " ok then how much you want for him" and i got it for 15 bucks..... so here it is, the amazing "what am i?"

[agez]

ill try n get more pics online tonight, just had time to convert the one...but the bach third of his body that you cant see has a yellowy stripe to it, and the lower anal and paired fins have a deep royal blue.....also the head n upper torsoe change from orange-tangerine- and mostly bloody red.

[bevoman]

My bet is a hybrid with Chocolate and Nic.

[agez]

cant be a hybrid since there was 2 of them baught in by a guy who baught them on seperate occasions from a cichlid freak he knew and a store in boronia 2-2.5 years ago, so would this fish be fiully grown? his about 15cm or a bit less?

[entombed]

I'm with Bevo that it looks like a hybrid, Chocolate X

[bevoman]

Is 15cm about 6 inches.
Agez, how can you be sure they were not hybrids just because they were brought in by the same guy?

[punkypuffer]

you said the same guy got two of these on seperate occasions. but, he got them both from the same "breeder". they could very well be hybrids.

looks like it has choc in it to me, the redish eyes tell me that. and that stripe dowm the center, with that big black spot on the side... definately choc characteristics.

[Rex Karr]

Can anyone say "Multispinosa"? The shape is dead on, the size is dead on, the vertical pattern is dead on, as well as the horizontal stripe, the mid lateral blotch, etc. etc. Really there's no reason to think its not a Multispinosa.

[Rudy]

I agree. Definatley Rainbow cichlid. Good looking one at that.

[punkypuffer]

sorry :/

[agez]

in response to punky and bevo;
'2 of them baught in by a guy (to the lfs i got one in) who baught them on seperate occassions from a cichlid freak AND a store in boronia!!!' 2 different sorces on 2 different occassions, so i doubt it. plus as far as the chocolate theory goes- it has a TOTAL different structure and is best sized by comparing from the 'q' on your keybaord to the 'i' (including finnage) so his and it is a he, not big enough at two years old to be any sort of choc. also the color is WAY to intense with reds and blues and STRIPE patterns in yellows near the belly and rear fin which is nowhere on a choc.
but multi??? rainbow huh? this bright??? and the blue? it also goes blood red! i see the shape you mean, but im still not 100% on it.....that was also my initial thought but when compared to others i see i just cant rule out other species??

Originally posted by agez
cant be a hybrid since there was 2 of them baught in by a guy who baught them on seperate occasions from a cichlid freak he knew and a store in boronia 2-2.5 years ago, so would this fish be fiully grown? his about 15cm or a bit less?

[punkypuffer]

ah, my bad. i thought the source got them from the same guy. it looked like a flashy choc with a wierd head structure to me, and the rainbow cichs that i have seen look no where near as cool as that one.

at least you found out what it was....

[punkypuffer]

this is the multispinosa that i know.. you must have a really nice specimen!

[entombed]

comparing the agez fish and the picture produced by punky I'm still not convinced. Things that don't look right to me are the dorsal, eye and body colour...hmmm

[agez]

im with you, although im thinking more along the lines of well, like the frontosa- there are five bars six bars, blue ones, and even aparently now found a purple in the wild which i havent seen just heard of maybe my fish is a varient of the rainbow from a different river system? or again maybe its a close cousin thats so close as a juvi that they get the same name, but when they grow n color up people just think they got a 'nice one'?

[bevoman]

Sorry. I think I might try to stop Iding fish!

[Rex Karr]

The photo on the right of this page is more like your fish http://www.cichlidae.be/c_archocentrus_multispinosus.htm

Multispinosa can vary a lot in regard to coloration. Some of it is due to various geographical variants that have been imported, but a lot of it is just on an individual basis. You have a real nice Multi.

[z rock]

Multispinosa rainbow cichlid is what first come's to mind. They are fairly common in the US and breed like convicts!