Cichlid Identification Help

Hi guys,
I bought a couple of fish today in Petmania, Wexford. I believe them to be short bodied Flower Horn Cichlids but I am not 100% sure and any help on their identification would be appreciated.

EDIT:
just to point it out as it is not very clear in the photos, you can see in the first and forth photos, one of the fish has a bright red belly, this fish also has much shorter pelvic fins than the other.

Please introduce yourself in the Introduce yourself section to other members of the Forum, before you start asking questions, like, where you are from and what floats your Boat, It's just normal protocol for new members.

Introduce yourself

Kev.

Oh sorry stretnik, will do

Not a problem mate, this is just the normal start to the Forum for new users, you also have to have 10 constructive posts to allow you to use the Buy/Sell sections of the Forum.... this prevents the Forum from being used as a buy and sell site.

Welcome to the Forum and enjoy your stay, you should find the answers you need .

Kev.

my god yet again they have made a manmade fish WORSE,sorry for this comment JLEP, i know its different fish for different people, what ever rocks your boat i suppose but i detest manmade abominations like this it looks like a flowerhorn and worse a balloon flowerhorn like those ruined balloon mollies. i would expect the lifespan wouldnt be as long as a flowerhorn due to the constricted body which must cause internal problems with the fish and with it being a hybrid god only know what it will do to a fish with a nasty disposition to start with.. just my 2 cents, not trying to be mean but stating my opinion

definitely a ballooned flowerhorn cichlid

I've seen that it is starting to happen to a lot of Cichlids now
I saw a Ballooned Ram recently
couldn't help feeling like it had to be in pain
who knows ?

sorry Man
cool fish but the fact it is ballooned is going to shock one or two folks
I would bring it back and exchange it for a normal flowerhorn...

Des

Ok thanks guys,

I knew when I got them they were man made fish, But personally I have more of a problem with dyed/ tattooed fish which I have seen and will not buy than with fish like these. I have no idea why it's just how I feel for some reason. Someone was going to buy them eventually, may as well be me rather than someone that has no clue about fish.

Anyway the fact that one has a red belly and shorter pelvic fins, could this be a sign of two different sexes? I know the red belly is a sign in other cichlids but see nothing about it with flower horns.

cheers.

Hi again,

You will find that the sentiments already expressed are pretty much the norm here on the Forum, it is the general concensus on the IFK Forum that man-made Fish don't belong and as such there is little support or information on them other than that found as a result of you using your favourite browser. This debate on hybrid Fish has been going on, on and off for a long time and the result is very rarely in their favour.
Judging by your last reply I'm guessing you might want to breed these and if that is the case, there are few here that would be in favour of aiding any attempt to do so.

Kev.

sheag35 wrote:

my god yet again they have made a manmade fish WORSE,sorry for this comment JLEP, i know its different fish for different people, what ever rocks your boat i suppose but i detest manmade abominations like this it looks like a flowerhorn and worse a balloon flowerhorn like those ruined balloon mollies. i would expect the lifespan wouldnt be as long as a flowerhorn due to the constricted body which must cause internal problems with the fish and with it being a hybrid god only know what it will do to a fish with a nasty disposition to start with.. just my 2 cents, not trying to be mean but stating my opinion

+1

bonzo wrote:

sheag35 wrote:

my god yet again they have made a manmade fish WORSE,sorry for this comment JLEP, i know its different fish for different people, what ever rocks your boat i suppose but i detest manmade abominations like this it looks like a flowerhorn and worse a balloon flowerhorn like those ruined balloon mollies. i would expect the lifespan wouldnt be as long as a flowerhorn due to the constricted body which must cause internal problems with the fish and with it being a hybrid god only know what it will do to a fish with a nasty disposition to start with.. just my 2 cents, not trying to be mean but stating my opinion

+1

+1

Hi,
I am not wanting to breed them I was just wondering about their sex. If I were to breed them I know myself it would be difficult to sell them as these were in the store for 6 months before I bought them and at any rate I am not set to breed such large fish.

I was just asking about sex as I really don't want any accidental breeding to occur.

I appreciate your comments and relise hybrid fish are not to everyones taste, personally I think this pair look amazing but I would not want to breed them.

That's fair enough, they both look healthy and my Gut says they do look like M&F but I can't say for sure and you are right, they are a niche Market so selling young would be difficult, Asians have a real penchant for Flowerhorns, that's not stereotyping, by the way, ask any lfs and you'll find that they have a huge following.

Kev.

stretnik wrote:

That's fair enough, they both look healthy and my Gut says they do look like M&F but I can't say for sure and you are right, they are a niche Market so selling young would be difficult, Asians have a real penchant for Flowerhorns, that's not stereotyping, by the way, ask any lfs and you'll find that they have a huge following.

Kev.

certain fish are said to be good for prosperity in Feng Shui and as a result are also popular in asian culture
www.google.ie/search?q=feng+shui+fish&hl...sAQ&biw=1440&bih=719
anamikas.hubpages.com/hub/Arowana-Flower...Good-Luck-Prosperity
www.fengshui-import.com/blog/feng-shui-t...u-need-in-fish-tank/
I was talking to a few different customers about this, it's fairly interesting...

Des

So if this is a male and female, will they breed as readily as Kribensis – Pelvicachromis pulcher? And if so should I separate them or are they hard to breed so I will not have to worry about it?

If you want information on breeding Flowerhorns, check this link
www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/flowerhorn2.php