FISH ID: what kind of cichlid is this?

[exactionfigure]

I bought this under the name of 'blue ram' but the pictures of blue ram cichlids I found look more like this

mine looks like this

and

they look similar but the first one has different fins and more color

will it look different as it gets older or it is a different type of fish? I found another fish that looks more like mine http://www.thecichlidgallery.com/a.thomasi.htm but that doesn't look 100% like it either

what do you guys think?

i

 

[rich311k]

Looks like a blue ram to me. He just needs to settle in and get comfortable then he will color up.

 

[Meredith]

Aww. Yes that looks like a blue ram, but stressed. Give him/her some time like rich said.

 

[malkore]

Females don't have as spikey a front dorsal fin, nor do they get quite as colorful as the males...just a little more subdued...and a vivid pink belly when spawning.

 

[maxwell1295]

I have two that look like that. One less colorful than yours is...

 

[Rocket2001]

hey Exactionfigure,

Hello from Peabody...i just bought two German Blue Rams and one is well marked and the other is somewhat faded...but when the two of them scrap with each other his colors come out.

By the way ...where do you shop for fish down there in Taunton...have you ever ben to Rumsford Pets in E. Providnece..its a great store

 

[Kilgore]

Yes, that is certainly Microgeophagus ramirezi, commonly known as the German blue ram. While the colors of most fish will fade when they are stressed, cichlids also have the ability to alter their coloration to reflect their position in the social hierarchy - that is, dominant fish will show darker, more brilliant colors, while less dominant fish may appear somewhat washed out. Also, males will usually be more colorful than females, but if, for example, you had a dominant mated pair in breeding condition (when the colors become truly spectacular), then the female of the pair would probably be more colorful than a submissive male. Hope that helps to clear up the color issue.

To determine the sex, you will have to wait and see. If the 3rd from front dorsal ray (black pointy one on top) grows much longer than the others, then you have a male - see picture, credits are shown. In a mature female, as Malkore stated, the belly will be pinkish (indicates eggs ready to be fertilized), and the dorsal ray will be only slightly longer than the others. Based on your picture I would guess female but it could be an immature male. Just wait and see!

 

[exactionfigure]

Thanks a bunch guys that helped, I'm sure the blue ram is just really stressed I just bought him yesterday and I'm sure that catching him for the picture didn't help at all either

I shop at underwater world in the Taunton Galleria mall
it's not that great of a store but it's the best one around here, I actually used to work there a few years ago so I know where the fish come from and the tanks are kept relatively clean, I used to keep an 7 gallon Nano reef, fully stocked with fish inverts and corals and I bought everything from there while I worked there and that tank lasted for years before it was finally over run by algae(later on I found it was from not changing the power compact bulbs )

But yea I will check out Rumsford Pets I'm in Providence all the time.

-Matt

 

[aoplayo]

Another good store is in millis. Uncle neds fish factory. I know its a bit of a drive for me [attleboro] but they have a good selection and are very nice.

www.unclenedsfishfactory.com