vieja zonatus

[jaws7777]

Just got these guys today from COA. Came in pretty beat up but i dont think its anything that some wc's cant fix. They were listed as rio jaltepec zonatus. What the diff between RJ zonatus and non RJ zonatus (appearence wise)

To me it doesnt matter im really happy to finally keep some zo's. He sent me 11 of them 8 look to be in decent shape 2 are a little worse off and 1 of em doesnt look like he will last long been at the top of the tank hiding in the corner.
Started them on Parasite gaurd and may do a round of levamisole in a few weeks.

You guys think i should dose them with tetracycline after the pg or leave it be and just let the clean water do its job.

 

[duanes]

They look in pretty decent shape to me, and I don't treat for anything unless I know what it is I'm treating for, and know they need treatment.
I have received 2 shipments of 3 different species from COA, and never needed to treat.
Were they all in the same bag? Most fish are pretty nippy with each other cramed into a bag. Here are cichlids I've received from them after they've been in my tanks a while.

 

[jaws7777]

thanks duanes I think I they are gonna be fine ...except for the ones that beat on a little to hard.

Any idea about the rio jaltepec stuff ?


I always treat with PG long story but a bad experience.


yuup all in the same bag

 

[duanes]

Sorry, no idea about the difference in location variants.

 

[CANAMONSTER]

Mine Is ordered from Cichlid Connection and came in with red fins. I don't know if it is from a diff location or not. We thought maybe it is a bifa but I have my doubts. Maybe guttulata which is just also a zonatus with diff name. So I'm interested to see what your make out to look like as I have yet seen a fish that resembles mine!

I absolutely love this fish with such a great personality and blue eyes!

Good luck with your growouts!

 

[duanes]

A normal zonatus at the size and age of yours Canamonster, would have a dark, horizontal stripe running from the eye , all the way back though the body of the fish into the caudal. That stripe would also run as an obtuse angle in front of the eye (from the eye up), and across the forehead.
Hard to tell if yours has an overbite in the pic (looks like it to me), if so it looks more like a hartwegi, and a beautiful, healthy specimen at that.

 

[jaws7777]

Interesting cuz i do notice some reds in the larger growouts. Im gonna take a better vid later. Just checked on them and they look like they are settling in nicely. A couple of the smaller ones seem to be struggling while others are competing for food with the bigger ones.

Some questions
1 does the redish color on them mean they may not develope the classic zonatus blues ?

2. At what size does pairing behavior start ?


On a side note their be havior is really interesting. I never kept this amount of grow outs in an attempt to get a pair. There seems to already be some sort of social order forming a 7 or 8 of them school together while the same 3 or 4 look to not be accepted.

 

[duanes]

Mine all had red borders on the fins, especially when young, the borders did shrink with age a bit.
But most cichlids have chameleon like abilities, so many colors and patterns are very plastic, and change with mood, season, decor, and age.
Compare how my micropthalmus have changed drastically in only 5 months
Feb

July

 

[xraycer]

A normal zonatus at the size and age of yours Canamonster, would have a dark, horizontal stripe running from the eye , all the way back though the body of the fish into the caudal. That stripe would also run as an obtuse angle in front of the eye (from the eye up), and across the forehead.
Hard to tell if yours has an overbite in the pic (looks like it to me), if so it looks more like a hartwegi, and a beautiful, healthy specimen at that.

+1 I have two 12" hartwegi that looks exactly like Canamonster's pic. Here's a recent vid of one of my males protecting his nest with his fenestratus mate

 

[duanes]

Mine started spawning about 7".
It should be interesting to watch your group Jaws, because it is a fairly large shoal, you may avoid some of the more common aggression issues that appear with pairs or trios.
Of course if a pair does form, and prepares to spawn, that will be the time to quickly either pull out the others, or divide the tank.
Sometimes its best to leave the others in the tank, but separated.
If the male (or female, if dominant) has something to divert his/her aggression toward, he/she is less likely to kill his/her mate.