# Post pics of your Laetacara curviceps



## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

hey guys, one of my local sellers just got some of these guys in, and was wondering if they are actually as dull as the pic in the profiles section, or as bright as the pics on google?

anyway, please post some pics if you guys own any.


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

no one owns these guys?


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

I've been searching for them for a while ... Having never owned them, don't quote me on this, but most of the google pics seem to be of them in breeding colors and not their everyday colors. Have been trying to get *Deadfishfloating* to take pics of his in their non-breeding dress for a bit now. :lol:


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Waite till the weekend when I move my pair to thier new tank. Then I should be able to get some decent pics. :thumb:


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

There are some _Laetacara_ at the LFS, using *DFF*'s guide on the dorsal colors, I'll see if the are curviceps or dorsigera, though I don't own a camera yet. But a few weeks of massive overtime lately might allow me to get one soon.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

My curviceps when not breeding look very similar to this, just more spangling around the face and through the fins.

While mu dorsigerus look like this


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

nice, i think they are a good choice for me, easy to breed and not commonly found. PERFECT! hehe


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

oh ya, deadfishfloating, how often do they spawn? i will be getting a group of 4 or 5 to get myself a pair.

also, are they shy like keyholes? will they get used to me?


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## bernreuther (Jan 29, 2007)

Hm, looks like I have dorsigera then. (I hadn't heard of them before!) Mine look pretty much exactly like that photo, though they do color up pretty often. Never anything like that brilliant light blue in the linked photo though or the dark red I see on other sites - more like dark purple or black, with the gold in the fins standing out more.

Guess I'm still searching for l curviceps then... can't complain though, got these ones for 5 apiece at Petsmart and they're still nice fish.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

My 'curviceps' I got from petsmart were dorsigera too *bernreuther* ... which makes sense, they get most of their fish from florida fish farmers, whom becuase of the harder water breed dorsigera while the asian fish farms with their soft water breed curviceps. That's why they seem to be hard to come by in the states, but easy for those aussie-types.


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## Vaulter01 (Nov 28, 2007)




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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Beautiful dorsigera *Vaulter01*!!! :thumb:


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## Vaulter01 (Nov 28, 2007)

Thanks! I wasn't sure if they were curviceps or dorsigera. They were sold as curviceps though. How can tell the difference at an LFS?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Well that red throat is a pretty good indicator.


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

*DFF* explained about the dorsalfin edging ... which seems to work no matter how washed out they are in the LFS. The trailing edge of the dorsalfin is reddish orange in dorsigera, blue in curviceps. I was able to tell that those in the LFS I was in yesterday were dorsigera based on the orange ... the color of the flanks was 100% washed out and looked white.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

gage said:


> oh ya, deadfishfloating, how often do they spawn? i will be getting a group of 4 or 5 to get myself a pair.
> 
> also, are they shy like keyholes? will they get used to me?


My curviceps spawn about every three weeks. They aren't as timid as my Keyholes were, but yes, they are shy. They used to be in a community tank, and set up territories in the planted section of the tank. Only really leaving at feeding times.

I started selling off a lot of my fish, as I plan on going with just the two 50 gallon tanks when I move. Once the curviceps had the run of the 150 gallon, they were more out there. But as soon as I walk into the room, they duck for cover.

Where as my dorsigera are very sociable and rarely duck for cover.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Hey *gage* better late than never on some photos eh!

OK, I moved my dominant pair of curviceps over to one of the 50 gallons on Saturday, and sold my sub-dominant pair. Please remember peoples, that this tank is not set up properly. It is a tempory home untill I move, then I'll set it up properly.

They are still a little washed out, as they are still settling into thier new surroundings. They are showing lots of yellow, which is not normal, usually they have much more blue in them, over a yellow base colour.

It should still be possible to see the colour trim along thier dorsal fins. You should see that the first two thirds of dorsal fin trim is orange/red, with the last third of the dorsal fin trimmed in blue.

Oh these three photos are the best of a bad lot. I only have a cheapish Kodak digital camera and can not zoom in, so quite often the camera decides another object other than my fish is the focus of the photo. :roll: Also, the pair are generally camera shy, and duck for cover under a log when the see me with the camera.

Dominant male









The pair 









Male displaying


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Woot!!! Finally!!! :dancing:

I can see what you mean about the trailing edge of the dorsal fading into blue now *DFF*. The ones at the LFS are deffinately dorsigera then, as the end of the dorsal was orange/red. Hmmmm, camera or pick up some dorsigera and do a planted 20 Long for them. Decisions decisions.


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## mikeingeorgia (Jul 8, 2006)

I was looking at about a half dozen curviceps Monday at Petsmart, but they all had ich  I could go to another Petsmart not too far away and see if they have some that are healthy though. :thumb:


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

A couple more pics today. Slowly settling in. I expect my pair to spawn within the next 24 hours. The female initiates courting, and while she hasn't turned blue/black yet, her breeding tube is fully extended today.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Like I thought, my curviceps spawned yesterday. Here are some pics I took just after I got home from work today.

Male guarding eggs, which were laid on the bottom of the tank.


















Female patrolling the area above the eggs.


















And the hatchetfish they are guarding against... :lol:


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## shef (Oct 3, 2004)

Nice pics!


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Woke up this morning and the wigglers were hatching out. Got home this afternoon, and mum and dad have set up two little pitts in one of the flower pots, and are diligently guarding the fry from everyone and no-one, as the hatchetfish are completely oblivious to the goings on below them.

Oh and now mum dad pop out blue. It's next to impossible for us to see the wigglers in the pits, without taking the lids off the tank, which I'm reluctant to do. But every now and then you can pick out a little mass of movement in the front pit.

Dad guarding front pit.









Mum comes in for a stint.









Mum guarding front pit, dad guarding rear pit.


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