exCichlasoma ornatum

[seanwelsh1]

Well these are very aggressive on there own kind and also took a little bit of punishment when they first went in the tank but they have found there niche , in fact the largest one (probably male) is now more than standing up to the pikes

Large Dominate Male always in agressive mode !



Others in the tank they are still very shy so pictures are hard to come by









The Hoplicus dont show them much agression and are more of a calming influence

[MEPHISTOCICHLIDS]

Nice fish.

[smitty]

Very nice Ornatum.

[Mark Smith]

The vertical barring is quite prominent. I have noticed some imported specimens that do not have vertical barring as these pictured, particularly in the first image. It makes me wonder if what is being exported as "C". "ornatum" is being collected from more than one river system, and if so, would the collectors even admit where, precisely, they have been collecting them. I shudder to think of the possibility of the Columbian collectors mixing fish collected in different river systems, and calling them all the same species.

[DRE]

I Think this coloring is an affect of a certain mood or maturity level. I have some friends who report that they gave all the same look, but at some date one or two burst into this color pattern. However once this is done they seem to stay in this prominent barring pattern. Mood or maturity level perhaps?!

[Mark Smith]

Good to know. Might you know at what size such a pattern begins to manifest itself? I have several at approx. 20 cm total length, both male and female, that do not show the barring pattern.

[seanwelsh1]

I Think this coloring is an affect of a certain mood or maturity level. I have some friends who report that they gave all the same look, but at some date one or two burst into this color pattern. However once this is done they seem to stay in this prominent barring pattern. Mood or maturity level perhaps?!

I def think the barring is a sign of dominance , the fish in the top picture is always like that and is the most dominate . The others get baring when they are sparring !

[DRE]

Yep it seems to be dominance.

However I have 4 and they are now all aroung 20cm and no one has this barring. The markings I notice are that the largest one has very smooth cheeks. And the 3 smaller ones have very marked spots on the cheeks that now start to merge into longer and longer wiggling lines (like male Heros), still very short line sthough.

Some photos of my cf. ornatum (with smooth cheeks), they are even smoother now this was a couple of months ago:



The ones with more markings, very similar in size, slightly smaller (I'm guessing these are males):

[Mark Smith]

Nice photos Dre. I remember Jeff Rapps posting a photo on his website over a year ago of an individual with very prominent vertical barring. There still seems like much to discover about this interesting species.

[Cichlidfever]

Wow!! Those Ornatums are gorgeous

[Mark Smith]

I have also noticed that on my specimens, the ones that have very little blue markings on the face, also have more red in the unpaired fins, similar to yours.

[DRE]

In my case the speciment with little markings is the largest and first to develop red in the fins, the other ones have just started showing this. So I think it is more related to size/maturity than anything else.

[Mark Smith]

Interesting, thanks DRE. Uncovering/discovering the chromatic changes related to their growth is one reason that makes this undescribed "Cichlasoma" species so interesting. I'm sure there are more surprises to come as they grow larger and larger, not to mention future spawning behavior.

[DRE]

Yep, I love this species and look everyday for changes. Mine have not developped the barred markings at all, not sure why, but possibly they have not yet needed/wanted to dominate the tank. I really hope I have female/male and get to see some spawning.

I have however noticed that they have gotten rather long sharp red teeth and as I realized this I also realized that my set of 20 bleeding heart tetras was,... only one left! Not sure when they were reducing in numbers but I'm pretty sure it was in the last month or so.

[Mark Smith]

Here is a photo of one of my specimens. Approximately 2 years old and approx. 20 cm total length.

[DRE]

Mine are about to spawn now. They were 3-4 cm 1 year ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI--RwBcBN0
Can I embed the video?

I have another video on the way.

Since these videos were shot they have dug quite a bit in the tank and the genital papils is visible on both.

[DRE]

Here is the second one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0wChV5eiXk

[Mark Smith]

Thanks for sharing your videos Dre! Let us know when they spawn. Seems like just a matter of days now!

[fevelasco]

After losing a batch due to an aquarium leak last year, I'm trying again with a trio of 2" juveniles from Dan Ye-Jennings.

YouTube video: http://youtu.be/nOlFPpTTU-c?hd=1

Any updates from others who are keeping this fish? It looks like some of you have sexually mature, adult specimens.

[DRE]

A few newer photos of the ornatums I have...


Some photos of mine:

female:




Male:



The glass was a bit dirty on the last but I still couldn't resist taking a photo

The pair:


I still haven't seen any spawning. Digging? Yes Showing off? Yes? But that's about it. For the second time now the female is showing the egg laying tube. Fingers crossed...