# Opinions on this 'firefish' peacock?



## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

I am considering buying a firefish from this seller here is an example of a grow out. I think everything looks about right.

Thoughts? I like to get good fish.


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## repeter (Dec 11, 2011)

I always thought that was commonly known as the dragon blood cichlid. From all the propaganda on forums, it is a hybrid. Nice fish i have a few in my tank. But not reccommended for breeding.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

repeter said:


> I always thought that was commonly known as the dragon blood cichlid.


 Dragonblood, firefish, sunburst, starfire, bananarama... common names. :lol:



repeter said:


> But not reccommended for breeding.


I see no reason not to breed it. It is a common man-made breed, easy to recognize. :thumb:


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Looks good.

When my firefish was a juvenile he was more orange than red'ish / orange but thats the color I wanted. I dont know what hes mixed with but he grew like a weed! When I got him all of my other fish were around 3", he was about an 1". 7-8 months later hes just as big if not a little bigger than most of my males. Hes a cool looking fish and mine is very peaceful while others say they can be very aggressive...lets hope the one youre looking at will be peaceful.

*** been following several of your threads and man youre stocking some nice looking fish, I can wait to see your tank when its fully stocked. :thumb:


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## mokujin22 (Jan 19, 2010)

It sure is red.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Sub-Mariner said:


> Looks good.
> 
> When my firefish was a juvenile he was more orange than red'ish / orange but thats the color I wanted. I dont know what hes mixed with but he grew like a weed! When I got him all of my other fish were around 3", he was about an 1". 7-8 months later hes just as big if not a little bigger than most of my males. Hes a cool looking fish and mine is very peaceful while others say they can be very aggressive...lets hope the one youre looking at will be peaceful.
> 
> I've been following several of your threads and man youre stocking some nice looking fish, I can wait to see your tank when its fully stocked. :thumb:


Thanks man I'm picking it up from him this week I'm trying to get most fish from private breeders or collectors. The Dolphins were growouts that a guy breeds in his basement then brings to his store. The Borleyi and lithobates were someone's tradeins but they were in great shape and I got a good deal so I took them. They are really doing well. The lithobates has colored and now the Borleyi is coloring well too getting irridescence on the mouth and more red and a lovely sort of soft color on the caudal fin.

This guy who runs the store has everything seperate on sponge and all his fish are in excellent condition and many he breeds himself in his basement then brings in to sell. They were definitely all in good shape. The color of the dolphins for their size is brilliant really. It's hard to get across in a photo. It's as good as I've seen on dolphins double their size. He only sells Tang/Malawi and some plecos but that's about it Tang/Malawi/catfish store. It's good I like it.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

*aquariam*
that wouldn't be my old buddy Jason's store would it? Just curious... basement breeder specializing in those three and owns a store has to be a short list in the GTA


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Yep...nice fish. I have a sunburst/strawberry that is about 4" long. They are VERY nice fish...mine has a lot of fluorescent pink on body and nice purple on head with orange all over. I love this fish.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

I am off to buy it. Hopefully can get a pic with the lights on.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Number6 said:


> *aquariam*
> that wouldn't be my old buddy Jason's store would it? Just curious... basement breeder specializing in those three and owns a store has to be a short list in the GTA


Nope opcorn:


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Ok got it. Fish was less impressive than pictured... perhaps an off day. Anyways he lost color in the bag so tommorow pics.


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## des (Mar 30, 2011)

Don't worry all fish have their off days. Here's my blood dragon on an off day 










I'm confident yours will be just fine.

Other common name includes "strawberry peacock"


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Here are a few pics of mine. I just snapped them right quick...hard to get this one to display fins.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

des said:


> Don't worry all fish have their off days. Here's my blood dragon on an off day
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's a different fish here the strawb


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

13razorbackfan said:


> Here are a few pics of mine. I just snapped them right quick...hard to get this one to display fins.


There now your firefish is nicer than mine. We're square over the lithobates lol.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

aquariam said:


> There now your firefish is nicer than mine. We're square over the lithobates lol.


LOL...maybe...we will see... 

It does take a while though for them to really color. If you are buying from the same breeder where you got your sunshine and your lithobates then you are getting a good fish I am sure.

I have been interested to see before and after pics so maybe in a few months you can post the after pics to go with the before? I started a similar thread for this purpose as well.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Since we're showing firefish, heres mine.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Sub-Mariner said:


> Since we're showing firefish, heres mine.


Great pic. That is what mine looks like in real life. I have a cheap camera that adjusts to my bright tank lights. Maybe I should ask santa for a better camera?


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## cichlid_baby (Jan 28, 2003)

Here's an older video of my albino firefishes.

http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/ ... I_2566.mp4

Here is a picture of the same fish only older.. excuse the wash on the side of the fish.. that is from the flash of the camera.. in reality and in the tank.. you only see the deep red on the fish.. no sheen on it's scales. Much like the video above.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

I got jooked and ripped off for mine something was wrong with it and I acclimated properly just like all my fish. It is now dying.






Kid later admitted it was from an uncycled tank. **** unscrupulous sellers.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I could be wrong....but it looks to me like that sunshine peacock is REALLY stressing it out. You need to turn off all the lights asap and black out the room or cover with a sheet. You need to give the fish 24hrs or so to acclimate without being harassed. He is obviously scared and hiding.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Do you have an extra tank you can put him in or a breeders net / box you can put on the side of your main tank to keep him in? He might just be scared but I see him breathing heavily too. Dont give up on him, he might be able to make a comeback. Poor little guy.


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## al7601 (May 10, 2011)

cichlid_baby said:


> Here's an older video of my albino firefishes.
> 
> http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/ ... I_2566.mp4
> 
> Here is a picture of the same fish only older.. excuse the wash on the side of the fish.. that is from the flash of the camera.. in reality and in the tank.. you only see the deep red on the fish.. no sheen on it's scales. Much like the video above.


looks great!


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Sub-Mariner said:


> Do you have an extra tank you can put him in or a breeders net / box you can put on the side of your main tank to keep him in? He might just be scared but I see him breathing heavily too. Dont give up on him, he might be able to make a comeback. Poor little guy.


I don't think I would chance moving him right now. He looks really stressed and scared. I would just black out the tank for at least 24hrs then maybe move him after that. He does look very scared. That is why he is hiding next to that rock and probably because the sunshine is harassing him. Whenever I add new fish I will leave light on for a bit to see how they react to each other then it is lights off for 24hrs to help them acclimate. I added a few fish last night....turned lights of at midnight and they will stay off till midnight tonight where I will turn on for about an hour to observe and feed. This has always worked for me.

New..probably much larger tank
Bigger new tank mates checking him out and maybe even harassing
Bright lights
etc...


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

13razorbackfan said:


> I could be wrong....but it looks to me like that sunshine peacock is REALLY stressing it out. You need to turn off all the lights asap and black out the room or cover with a sheet. You need to give the fish 24hrs or so to acclimate without being harassed. He is obviously scared and hiding.


No he just checked up on him that one time. Lights were off 24 hrs. Still same issue. The sunshine was not 'i hurt you' he was 'wth is wrong with this guy' and that was the only time. He has not been touched since. By any fish.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

aquariam said:


> 13razorbackfan said:
> 
> 
> > I could be wrong....but it looks to me like that sunshine peacock is REALLY stressing it out. You need to turn off all the lights asap and black out the room or cover with a sheet. You need to give the fish 24hrs or so to acclimate without being harassed. He is obviously scared and hiding.
> ...


Just got back from basketball game....how is this fish doing?


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Update:
Well, when I first put him in, in the dark for 24 hours, he swam normally at all levels looking for food acting like a firefish. the lights came on he started hyperventilating. I figured out why. The borleyi was sleeping beside his rock and out of view, as was the lithobates. Lights come on, they come out, he goes "AH THEY'RE GONNA EAT ME" and this starts. Took me this long to put together.

He's fine now but has dug a burrow under a rock and only comes out for food. Breathing, swimming normal color normal.

He is affraid of the (much) larger borleyi and lithobates. This makes me ROFL because he's scared of teddybears. The sunshine was barely 1/2" larger and he accepted them immediately. Then again he came from an older, very skilled breeder. This fish, did not.

So, basically, its fine, it's just the biggest coward I've seen in about the last 6 to 7 years of fish keeping.

The fish should also not have been sold. The seller later admitted the following aquacrimes:

Fish sold from uncycled tank.

Was just moved from a 90 to a 55 because the 90 cracked and was spilling water. Stupid kid doesn't know about cloning over a biofilter. The fish was already in stress "WTH" mode and he didn't tell me because he was a greedy little ____.

I'm in search of another firefish. Once Rambo here normalizes for a couple weeks he's going somewhere else to be with other substandard specimens. I'm not cruel, but I won't keep substandard fish in personality or appearance. I was stupid for buying it. Never buy fish stressed or tired at the end of the day.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Too bad youre not in the states, Id take him.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

You want "Rambo"? :roll:

Horrible perosnality traits on this one. Total predator fodder if it were a wild fish with this attitude. Complete lack of any sort of guts whatsoever. That means it'll never color up nice. What a joke.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Yep...he looked scared from the video I saw and since the only fish around him was the sunshine I figured he was scared of him. I thought he looked pretty normal to me.

Give him time to toughen up. Also..when I have a chicken fish(lol...chicken fish) they stay chicken as they are the low man on the totem pole. Once you add a new fish that is same size or smaller then he will move up the pecking order. Once he is established in your tank and after you add some new fish I would bet the house he becomes more confident.

Give him time. He will be ok.

What is funny is every pet store in my area has these fish. I have a hard time finding nice males of other species I want but there are MANY of these fish around this area. Some more pink, some more purple, some more orange and some more white.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

I would give him some time, im sure he'll toughen up. Hes just scared to death being in a new tank with new big fish all up in his grille. :lol:


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Sub-Mariner said:


> I would give him some time, im sure he'll toughen up. Hes just scared to death being in a new tank with new big fish all up in his grille. :lol:


Agreed

Also...how many other fish in the tank and what size? I forgot. If you only have a few fish in there and it is a decent size tank he is probably scared to go out in open waters. Adding more fish will help with this for sure.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

Although they vary in color from one strain to another, all the ones I have seen look pretty good even on an off day. And when they are good, they really pop. Mine is a bright salmon with ice blue highlights.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Vann yours is on a whole other level of 'great'. Great fish man. Perfect Avatar fish I'd love to see you post a nice fullsize of that gorgeous male you have.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

13razorbackfan said:


> Yep...he looked scared from the video I saw and since the only fish around him was the sunshine I figured he was scared of him. I thought he looked pretty normal to me.
> 
> Give him time to toughen up. Also..when I have a chicken fish(lol...chicken fish) they stay chicken as they are the low man on the totem pole.


Never happen. I'm adding a nice Ngara and the Sunshine is already bigger and is from such good stock it'll grow like someone's blowing a balloon up.

Not to mention the Borleyi is like a T-Rex to a human size wise. It'll never work. If a fish is a coward, it stays a coward. If a fish is a survivor, it retains that. If an animal is born flighty that's very difficult to remove unless the ideal 'therapeutic' ie keep him just with females of his species smaller than him, conditions are found. I'm not willing to do that. If it were a perfect fish, I would. But no. Rambo go bye bye live somewhere else new firefish for me.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

aquariam said:


> Vann yours is on a whole other level of 'great'. Great fish man. Perfect Avatar fish I'd love to see you post a nice fullsize of that gorgeous male you have.


Thanks, I've got to get better at my photography before I can get any really good pics. And it will probably require an SLR camera.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

SLR or no SLR that is a quality fish and you can tell its well cared for. :thumb:
I'm rocking the rock bottom Ronny camera man. Don't worry about it. You can get pretty good shots if you're willing to take 1000 and find the one that came out right :lol:


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

aquariam said:


> You can get pretty good shots if you're willing to take 1000 and find the one that came out right :lol:


He speaks the truth!! :lol:


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## crisquet (Jun 26, 2017)

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39 ... %20007.jpg

I love this guys


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