# Hemichromis Cristatus



## Ollie (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi All
I've picked up some Red Jewels from my LFS that were sold as Hemichromis Cristatus. Is there any easy way to confirm this is what the fish are?
I will try to get some pics tonight my camera is pretty rubbish so no promises.
A quick discription: they are quite a deep red-orange with not very many blue spangles and three eye spots one on the gill cover surrounded with a thin ring of gold scales, one mid body and one at the base of the tail.
The guy at the LFS said they get them from a breeder they imported the parent fish fish for orginally.

Thanks

Ollie


----------



## Ollie (Sep 22, 2009)

Here some pics finally, the male has been doing some digging and I got a green water outbreak just got that cleared up and I have found out the reason for the digging I now have fry!
Just found out I cant post pics till I have 5 posts :? 
Regards

Ollie


----------



## Ollie (Sep 22, 2009)

4...


----------



## Ollie (Sep 22, 2009)

5...


----------



## Ollie (Sep 22, 2009)

Now some pics









The Male









The Female









My camera is not very good need to get a new one 

Regards

Ollie


----------



## greggb (Feb 4, 2010)

Those look exactly like mine, except that on mine the spot in the mid-section of the fish isn't nearly as pronounced. And mine don't have the dark spot near the tailfin either. So I guess they don't exactly like mine, but if not for the difference in spots they would. I mean, the same exact color and green spots.

How long are your fish, just out of curiosity?

I got mine believing they were peacocks. When I got home I did some research and found out pretty quickly they weren't peacocks. All I know is that I have jewel cichlids.


----------



## Ollie (Sep 22, 2009)

The big one at the bottom is around 5 inches and the smaller one is 3 inches ish. I also think the sexes may be the othe way around  the photos dont do them justice they look alot better in real life and their colors seem to change fairly regulary a couple of days after the photos they both stared devloping more yellow along their bellies. Now the fry are bigger the larger one goes in and out of breeding colors depending on wether its looking after the fry or not.

Regards

Ollie


----------



## Randall (Jul 2, 2003)

Hello guys,

Ollie, just out of curiosity, do you have or have access to the location from which your Hemichromis sp. was collected? I'd wager that your fish are from the lower Congo drainage and not from Upper Guinea region, where H. cristatus is found.

Randalll Kohn


----------



## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

This is a stretch but they look like to me H. bimaculatus, but I have just been recently told that they are extremely extremely rare in hobby tanks! The reason I say this is b/c the H. bimaculatus have the two black spots on the body hence the Bi in their name and the have the tendency to lack the iridescent spots which yours seem to. Again this is just a stretch but if in fact they are you have found a very rare find and you said you have fry! If they are in fact H. Bimaculatus I would be interested in some! :thumb: Please keep me posted via PM


----------



## GotCichlids? (May 21, 2010)

here's a pic of mine only one spot you can see the difference i was talking about with the iridescent spots as well










you also mention yellow if its around the spots that could indicate that they are H. cristatus but I haven't seen them with two spots on the body like that


----------



## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Age and mood have a lot to do with whether or not the tail spot is being exhibited. Not just species or strain. Virtually any of the species will exhibit the tail spot as a very young fish, but in many individuals the spot fades away with age, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.

The 2 spots of H. bimaculatus are the mid body spot and the spot at the top of the gill plate, and does not refer to the tail spot. A large number of iridiophores (blue spots) on the body means a jewel is not H. bimaculatus, but the reverse does not hold true. Very little, or a lack of iridiophores on the body, doesn't mean your fish is H. bimaculatus as it could still be any number of jewel species.

With out knowing the collection point, it is often very difficult to identify jewels.


----------

