# New Member: Help with SA Cichlid ID



## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

Hi there, glad to find this site, a lot of great info. Was hoping some more knowledgeable members could help ID this SA beauty I just picked up today at a LFS here in Thailand. There are plenty of flowerhorns at shops here but I've been looking for a Texas cichlid (blue or green) for some time without success, it's rare to come across them. But one of my LFS just got in 2 very pearly semi-Texan looking fish and I just had to get one. I think it's a male but not sure on that too; he/she's about 4.5-5 inches long, so I'm guessing about 1 yr old or so.

They speak almost zero English at this shop and my Thai is lame, but I think the guy was saying it was a Texas hybrid, but if that's the case mixed with what I just don't know (and neither did they). I thought at first maybe a flowerhorn, as he's reddish with white/blue pearls but the other Texas-Flowerhorn hybrids I've seen online look kinda different and have less pearl markings around the mouth/head.

Would be thrilled to hear any opinions, Thx in advance.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

That is a Red Texas, and actually one of the nicer looking specimens I've seen. It is a hybrid of a Texas, sometimes with Red Devil to get the red color, sometimes other fish. The little ones you usually see in stores are culls; this guy is no cull.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Wow he's a beautiful fish that's for sure


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## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

Thanks a lot for the quick reply Mr Chromedome. And that's awesome, appreciate the nice comments, guess it was my luck day 

In fact I was wondering also if he might be a Red Texas (or hybrid thereof), but in most of the google images I saw their pearls are generally smaller/more numerous and also he's kind of reddish-brown not super bright red like many I see -- maybe he's stressed from traveling etc. And after looking at more google images I did find some RT's that looked very similar (and 1 on a Thai site that looked like it could almost be related), again appreciate your ID. I'll post some better pix after I get him into his new home in few days, going to get a bigger tank for him tomorrow.


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## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

caldwelldaniel26 said:


> Wow he's a beautiful fish that's for sure


Thanks! It was love at first sight...dude was practically jumping back and forth saying, "Taking me home, take me home!" (well it was either that or "Get the *uck out outta my face!")


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## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

Mr Chromedome said:


> That is a Red Texas, and actually one of the nicer looking specimens I've seen. It is a hybrid of a Texas, sometimes with Red Devil to get the red color, sometimes other fish. The little ones you usually see in stores are culls; this guy is no cull.


Actually he's closer to about 5.5 inches -- any guesstimate on his approx. age?


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## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

Apologies in hindsight I should have posted this on the Central American forum.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

islandguy11 said:


> caldwelldaniel26 said:
> 
> 
> > Wow he's a beautiful fish that's for sure
> ...


I don't blame you, I would have had to set up another tank against the boss' will (aka the wife) had I seen him in a LFS lol.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

islandguy11 said:


> In fact I was wondering also if he might be a Red Texas (or hybrid thereof), but in most of the google images I saw their pearls are generally smaller/more numerous and also he's kind of reddish-brown not super bright red like many I see -- maybe he's stressed from traveling etc. And after looking at more google images I did find some RT's that looked very similar (and 1 on a Thai site that looked like it could almost be related), again appreciate your ID. I'll post some better pix after I get him into his new home in few days, going to get a bigger tank for him tomorrow.


Red Texas are hybrid CA crosses that do not breed true. Only a small % of any batch will have any real resemblance to a Red Texas.
As already mentioned, your specimen is worthy of the name......majority of what is sold at an LFS are what the breeder should have culled, and don't have a lot of resemblance to the quality specimens you may see in pictures. 
Different breeders use some what different crosses to produce similar looking fishes. It is essentially a cross between a Texas cichlid (either _Herichthys cyanoguttatus_ OR _H. carpintis_) with a fish that possesses the "fader" or "peeling" gene of Red Devil or midas cichlid. This "fader" or "peeling" gene of RD/midas is also found in some hybrid CA, such as blood parrot and some types of flowerhorn and these are also fishes that are thought to be used to produce Red Texas. The breeders don't divulge exactly how they produced the fish and it likely involves some line breeding and back crossing as well.


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## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

Appreciate your input BC -- after learning he was an RT I visited lots of sites/forums, and have to say your 2 paragraphs above pretty much better summarize RT's than anything else I came across. Was looking for a Blue or Green Texas but stoked to have come across this guy, will do my best to raise him into a stunner.


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## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

Mr Chromedome said:


> That is a Red Texas, and actually one of the nicer looking specimens I've seen. It is a hybrid of a Texas, sometimes with Red Devil to get the red color, sometimes other fish. The little ones you usually see in stores are culls; this guy is no cull.


Hi Chromedome -- There's a guy over at MFK who's saying my fish is a Kamfa. I think you're right that it's a Red Texas (probably a Kamfa X Texas cross) -- but just to give me some ammunition when I reply to him, what's your rationale for RT designation?


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

The heavy pearling on the body is usually associated with _Herichthys_, and the absence of any significant kok certainly takes it further from most Flowerhorn strains. However, I am not really a Frankenhorn follower, so I'm basically going on what I've seen. And I've not seen anything with _trimaculatus_ in it showing that kind of pearling.


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## islandguy11 (Sep 15, 2017)

Thx for your further reply. In fact I was going by the same rationale as you, but in fact some flowerhorn experts, incl. knowledgeable Thai breeder say it's a Kamfa -- similar to one in pic below. I've also learned that Thai breeders say with Kamfa in particular it takes more specific grooming to really get a male's head to get big, unlike say a ZZ dragon flowerhorn. But yeah with these hybrids it can be a bit tricky given the nature (or un-nature of it all. Again appreciate your input buddy.


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## FireHorn123 (Apr 16, 2017)

Looks like a flower horn to me


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