# Fish Identification



## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

Hey, a few years ago I purchased a cichlid that was sold to me as a Salvini Cichlid from a local pet store, but as time went on I eventually realized there was no way the store sold me a Salvini Cichlid. I was doing some research and the closest thing I found to my cichlid was the Parachromis Friedrichsthalii. My fish has always been a dull brown, aside from the few times I've tried introducing other fish to him/her, and a time where I held a mirror up to the glass. During those periods of time my cichlid would get bright yellows/blues and overall less dull/brown. (Still no where near the amount of yellow I've seen in most freddys) Even after 4 years of owning this fish I am still fairly inexperienced, my cichlid has always been active and appears to be happy, so I never bothered looking too much further into things. I'll upload a few pictures and a short video, he/she moves a lot so it's hard to get decent pictures.

Note: The tank is a standard 55 gallon










































I'm looking for general input/opinions on what kind of cichlid I may have, I appreciate any feedback.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

I believe you need a certain number of posts on Cichlid-forum (something like 6, though not certain) before your pictures will show up. It's a precaution against spam.
But based on your video, I can definitely say it's Parachromis or has Parachromis in it. Could be _Parachromis fredrichstahlii_......though I think it more likely to be _Parachromis motaguense_(though probably not RTM strain). The mouth/snout, as well as the lack of large prominent spots/stripes seems more consistent with this species. _P. frdrichstahalii_, _P. loisellei_ and _P. motaguense_ can often be very difficult to distinguish. Your video is not of sufficient resolution to see detail and be too certain on an I.D., though I can definitely say it is neither _P. dovii_ nor _P. managuense_. 
With more posts, you should be able to post the pictures, and that might give a better idea.


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## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

Thanks for the reply, the 3 parachromis variants you listed were my 3 suspicions on what he/she could be. I've pasted links to a few photos, although after reading your post I realized trying to identify the fish may be a lost cause. :?

When my fish was younger, the line of black spots was much more visible, and he/she had multiple very visible teeth. He/she is also around 10-11 inches and has been at this for at least a year or two.



http://imgur.com/vZgBs




http://imgur.com/vk1Oo




http://imgur.com/drU4U




http://imgur.com/2URRF


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## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

Also, I just found an old video of the fish from 4 years ago, not so good quality but I figured anything helps.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

ZJP98 said:


> I've pasted links to a few photos, although after reading your post I realized trying to identify the fish may be a lost cause.


No, it's not a lost cause at all. Your pictures are much better for the purposes of I.D. 
While it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish these 3 species of Parachromis, it certainly is possible to distinguish these species. It's actually easier on older fish, as it's typical of Motoguense to loose larger markings and have a more spotted or even 'honeycomb' pattern. Also the mouth/jaw and body shape tend to be somewhat different.
IMO, your fish is clearly _P. motoguense_. 
The markings (or lack of markings, such as losing the spot on the gill plate) are really not consistent with _P. fredrichstahlii_ at all.
Even your video of the fish when younger looks to be _P. motoguense_ .


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## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

I did a little research on P. motoguense and I think you're most definitely correct, the only thing that makes me think differently would be the fact that my fish has never had orange coloration. I appreciate you answering the question I've been wondering for years.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

ZJP98 said:


> the only thing that makes me think differently would be the fact that my fish has never had orange coloration.


Well the red/orange is a trait of a particular regional variant called the "Red Tiger motaguense" (RTM). Even with this type, the coloration is prominent on females, and often not so much or even non-existent on males, at least over time. RTM has certainly become the more common type of motaguense in the trade today, though less colorful strains are still around.
Your fish has the markings/pattern of a male. Sometimes, older female CA can take on more of the look of a male, though I think it rather unlikely your fish is female.


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## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

In retrospect I am now wondering if my fish could be p. la ceiba. Does anyone know how to distinguish between "normal" p. motaguense and p. la ceiba? I've tried looking into the "normal" variant of p. motaguense and the few photos I see of them are very similar to my fish at times, although there are times where he looks like what I see when I look up p. la ceiba. Any input is appreciated.

Edit: After further speculation I'm starting to think that I may have a hybrid, any thoughts?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

A la ceiba is a regional variant of _Parachromis fredrichstahlii_. It differs from other strains of freddies by being even more yellow. Not only markings, but coloration is not a match with your fish, IMO. Some aquarists think a la ceiba is an undescribed species of Parachromis, though this is not generally widely accepted nor currently supported by science. 


ZJP98 said:


> any thoughts?


Well, I think I have made it clear what I think it is. You may still have doubt, but I do not.


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## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

The similarity between these 2 pictures and how my fish has had varied appearance is what makes me doubt whether or not my fish is p. motaguense. I can see why (from the pictures) it seems clear that he's p. motaguense, but there's been multiple times where his black bar will become much more visible, and he'll light up in yellow. His colors/shades have changed to the point where he's looked 100% identical to the male in the photo below. I'll try to get some more pics when I'm home.



http://imgur.com/RQJaN


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Look at the scale pattern. Not the same at all, on a freddy.
I know of no other fish (other then _Nandopsis haitiensis _ which your fish is clearly not) that develops that kind of honeycomb pattern with a spot in the middle of the scale, like _Parachromis motaguense_. It's clearly visible in all your pictures, especially the 3rd. Just one of many traits that points to _Parachromis motaguense _.
As P. motaguense gets much older, it's even possible for it to loose all it's larger markings .....and end up with a pattern that actually resembles _N. haitiensis _ moreso then other species of Parachromis.


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## ZJP98 (Aug 6, 2016)

I see, I just keep thinking of how my fish resembled a Freddy so much when he was younger. It makes sense that he hasn't had as much yellow as well as the black bar fading as time has passed, if he's a mota. Do you know of any sites/forums that contain a good amount of info on the normal variant of p. motaguense? Anytime I try looking into them all I see is red tiger this, red tiger that.


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