L. dorsigera ... pair or no?

[Rhaethe]

Hey there ... From all the reading I've done, I -think- I have 2 L. dorsigera. I'm not terribly sure which fish is which sex. I managed to distract them long enough with my other hand to get some pictures snapped. They are very much like puppies in that regard

I have noticed that these fish change colors fairly quickly. The smaller one has been really yellow the past couple days.

I would really appreciate some help in getting these identified and sexed. I had purchased therm as a pair of L. curviceps ... but the horizontal bar stops midway just like a dorsigera ... but they don't have the red belly/throat. If they end of as two males, as I suspect, then I'll need to start the hunt for a mate for him.

 

[Jeff72]

I am not sure how to sex this species, but I definitely would like to get them at some point.

I am just curious... who sold them to you as L. curviceps?

Whichever species, they are certainly beautiful cichlids. What else do you have in the tank with them, if I may ask?

 

[briztoon]

Dorsigera are commonly sold as Curviceps in the States. The vast majority of Curviceps photos I have seen on C-F are actually Dorsigera.

Even the C-F Curviceps profile has an image of a Dorsigera as it's main photo. And yes I have emailed mods and admin there many times about this.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=140

 

[Rhaethe]

briztoon -- Well, that explains a lot I have noted from the reading that I've done, that while dorsigera and curviceps are quite similar, dorsigera does tend to be more boisterous and leans more to the carnivorous than omnivorous in eating preferences. Which certainly seems to be the case with the fish I have. Although I have noticed the smaller of the two picking the plants clean of any algae quite regularly.

Jeff72 -- Currently, they are in the tank with some white cloud minnows. I keep the temp at 78F, so its a touch warmer than white clouds might normally like, but they are working great as active, attractive dithers. Anything smaller than them gets hunted ... and eaten if I'm not quick enough to get it out.

They are very responsive and attentive little fish, never hiding, even though they have caves and hidey spots available to them.