What's your favorite cichlid?

[Iamtechno13]

Mine are still fairly small as well, but recently they've began to get there blue to them.

 

[Venom_]

My Apisto viejitas

 

[Iamtechno13]

Are you sure it's not a Macmasteri? It's hard to say for sure but 99.99% of all "Viejita's are actually Macmasteri's. Looks identical to my wild Macmasteri's. Where did you buy them?

 

[Venom_]

Are you sure it's not a Macmasteri? It's hard to say for sure but 99.99% of all "Viejita's are actually Macmasteri's. Looks identical to my wild Macmasteri's. Where did you buy them?

Yea they are probably macmasteri, how can you tell the difference? I bought them at my LFS they were labeled as viejita.

 

[bribo12]

I don't think viejeta are imported anymore. A lfs near me got some "viejeta" but they were macmasteri

 

[Iamtechno13]

Yeah they look like Macmasteri to me. I have a wild pair that is identical to them. If it is anything past wild or F1 it can be almost impossible to tell for sure as they have been bred out to have the red coloration on the chest and shoulders. Some Macmasteri's may even be hybridized with true Viejita's but most likely they are line bred to have that color. The Macmasteri Complex, which the Viejita falls under, will have black spots under the dorsal fin. A true Viejita I belive has black markings on the ventral area but every Viejita that has been positively identified as A. Viejita has reddish tips on the dorsal spines and a round to slightly squared off tail.

 

[Iamtechno13]

You can find true Viejita from time to time. Sometimes they are a little pricey and they aren't always around but. I know from time to time Tedsfishroom.com will have true viejita's and tjudy could be trusted with Apisto's more than most.

 

[Brookster123]

My lfs has a tank with a bunch of juvenile wild caught Viejita. I'm not convinced they are truly so.. what's the best way to tell? Noon question I know. .

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[ddiienno]

Fire mouths!!!!

 

[Iamtechno13]

Well just based on the fact that 99.99% of all Viejita's are really Macmasteri and, it is at this point exceptionally rare to see them in most any lfs. You'd have to be an expert to really positively identify it. I've seen some real Viejita before and the one thing I noticed is how skinny they are compared to most any other Apisto. Also, the caudal fin (tail fin) will be rounded and not extended at the top and bottom and the dorsal and anal fins are normally extended past the caudal fin. But the one thing that has been true of all positively identified Viejita is a red band across the top of the dorsal fin. But you can almost guarantee that you have a Macmasteri as thats what they all are but they're sold as "Viejita" as they are rarer and more exotic so they can ask more money for them.