What Am I?

[PondCometer]

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/uploads/post-1276-1110165672.jpg

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/uploads/post-1276-1110165704.jpg

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/uploads/post-1276-1110165729.jpg

http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/uploads/post-1276-1110165763.jpg

Thanks :ok:

[djfungus]

Looks like a Firemouth to me.

[josh_shilling]

I second that opinion.

[cich1]

the flecks under the eye make me think it could be thorichthys maculipinnis,but the black splotches on the flanks look firemouthish to me too.:confused:

one of our more knowledgable members like rex or jason s would be able to give you a more definite answer i'm sure.

[Chewy]

firemouth meeki without question. excellent coloring obviously in good condition male if I was to hazard a guess

[RedParrotBubbles85]

It does look like a firemouth.

[agez]

firemouth X some kind of other thorich. like maybe mextico? (i say this cause of spots and coloration)

[josh_shilling]

If I didn't speak forcefully the first time, firemouth, without any question.

[punkypuffer]

definately a firemouth... why would ya'll think that it's a hybrid? looks just like every other firemouth out there....

[cich1]

the thing that threw me off was the fact that it had flecks of blue under the eye.the firemouth i had didn't have them and i haven't seen a firemouth with them.this doesn't mean i'm right about it not being a firemouth, just that i haven't seen one like that before.just an unedjucated guess on my part.:D

[Rudy]

Red devil....

Just kidding it is a fire mouth.

[Jason_S]

I really don't think this fish is a firemouth. I think it's either a maculipinnis or a hybrid. Here is a pic (http://www.tangledupincichlids.com/images/maculip.jpg) from Jeff Rapp's of a maculipinnis. I'm linking this pic to show how red the abdomen of a mac can be and also that the red can extend to the gill area. The mystery fish here looks very similar, imo, to Jeff's maculipinnis pic. The main thing to notice is the shorter snout of this mystery fish compared to a firemouth. Here's a side pic of one of my fm's and you can see that the snout/mouth is longer than that of the mystery fish.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/Jason_R_S/03-08-05firemouth16.jpg

There are 2 different groups of Thorichthys...the meeki group and the helleri group. The meeki group (meeki, pasionis and affinis) have a longer mouth/snout and can tolerate warmer temps. The helleri group (the other 8 Thorichthys species) have a shorter snout and don't do well in temps above 76F. There are other differences but the main point is that the firemouth is in the group which is distinguished in at least one way by a longer, more pronounced mouth/snout. :)

also, especially in the last 2 of Pond's pics the base body color appears to be more of a yellowish or tan color as opposed to the grey background of a firemouth. granted this could be due to flash but either way the base color doesn't look right for a fm either imo. :)

[PondCometer]

No Flash in any of my fish pictures, just flourescent lighting..let the IDing continue :P

[josh_shilling]

Jason,

That's definitely not a maculipinnis. Its a young firemouth- it does not have any characteristics that aren't seen on tankfuls of juvenile firemouth across the U.S.- I can't find an image of a young mac to show you the difference. Since firemouth have been in the hobby a long time, there is a lot of variability- like many other species, there are many variants depending on collection locale. The hobby 'common' firemouth farmed in Florida or imported from the Far East is a combination of many of these variants and is quite variable. I'd say have PondCometer take another photo sometime around mid-April, it should be pretty clear what it is then.

[Jason_S]

Josh, I agree and disagree with you. I agree that in about 6 months we'll be able to get a much better idea what this fish is, but I disagree that it's a firemouth. :D

I still think there's a good possibility that it's a maculipinnis. For one, there are 3 different locale variants of maculipinnis with one of the differences being the color of the abdominal area. One has a yellow abdomen, one has more of an orangish abdomen and the 3rd has a very red abdomen. The abdomen of this fish is very red, similar to a firemouth but also similar to one of the variants of maculipinnis. In several of the pics of this fish it appears that the red color is most prominent on the abdomen and around the gills with little to no color on the lower jaw. Also, if this were a firemouth the lower jaw should be much more prominent and the lower lip should extend just a little bit past the upper lip and this is not the case with Pond's fish.

Personally, if I were to bet money on this fish I'd say hybrid of maculipinnis and meeki but I wouldn't rule out pure mac. Albeit the possibility is rather remote but there's also the off chance it could be a male Thorichthys sp. 'Mixteco Blue' though this is certainly not probable. :)

[josh_shilling]

alright- we'll agree to disagree and see in a few months. out of curiousity, where did you purchase the fish pondcometer?

[PondCometer]

PetCo

[josh_shilling]

I'd put money on the firemouth/meeki now- it could have something else in it but not in the last 10 generations.

[Jason_S]

not that it means anything, but I've been seeing posts on several sites where people have been finding rarer type cichlids mixed in with batches of common cichlids at Petcos. for instance, one guy found a Cryptoheros cutteri or spilurum in a tank with convicts.

also, here (http://www.cichlidmadness.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10389) is another thread with some interesting thoughts on this fish. :)