Cichlasoma Ornatum Journal

[mattlee]

Mine are not skittash at all actually but really always at the front looking at what is happening outside. I try to take pictures when they just go about doing their stuff but as soon as I get closer with the camera they move towards me begging for food I assume!

Otherwise I agree mine are also eating just about anything some other guys in Sweden have some issues with getting them to eat, not sure why.

i wonder why mine have been so skittish then... they have from day 1 really. adding the colombian tetras helped a bit but they wont come out if im stood in front of the tank i have to be sat on the floor to get a pic!

as soon as anyone goes near the tank they shoot off to the back and slowly creep out into view again when im out of the way. i would have thought after a year they wouldnt see me as a threat.... maybe im just a scary person

feeding wise they were hard to get onto dry foods to begin with as wild caught juvis as was to be expected but they will eat everything offered now.

 

[DRE]

Some stuff is just not possible to understand. I have a arther crowded tank right now with 9 Geophagus red heads, a Heros sp red shoulder couple and a Aequidens sp Janero herrera couple. And 4 of these beauties. Perhaps they trigger each other, who knows.

 

[mattlee]

over the last couple of weeks i have been finding large pits dug in the sand. ive just been watching my biggest ornatum digging away as if he may be preparing for something....

 

[minnnt]

You're in the money... You're in the money...

Fingers crossed for you matey.

 

[mattlee]

You're in the money... You're in the money...

Fingers crossed for you matey.

lets not get too carried away just yet Dave..... i also dont have a spare tank anymore for fry/eggs etc and am pretty sure they wouldnt last long in the tanks current stocking

 

[minnnt]

***Rushes down to Broughton Astley with spare tank***

 

[DRE]

over the last couple of weeks i have been finding large pits dug in the sand. ive just been watching my biggest ornatum digging away as if he may be preparing for something....

Great. Keep us updated if they actually spawn. Any coloring differencies?

 

[mattlee]

over the last couple of weeks i have been finding large pits dug in the sand. ive just been watching my biggest ornatum digging away as if he may be preparing for something....

Great. Keep us updated if they actually spawn. Any coloring differencies?

Hi mate.

no colour changes that are noticable yet. but plenty of digging and pits being made.... ill keep you updated if anything progresses

 

[mattlee]

the pit digging has come to an end.... i think!

i noticed nothing else different in behaviour or colour etc so im not sure what was going on to be honest.

the fish have bulked up quite a bit recently and seem to have had a bit of a growth spurt especially the bigger ones from the group.

they also seem a bit more aggressive towards each other now too which is a bit of a worry as i dont want to find another one thats been battered to death lets hope the target and dither fish can do their job and distract the ornatums from each other.

ill try and get some pics up soom to show the size of these now

 

[Big_Sal]

Hi there!
Have read the whole thread and I must say great job! I keep these fish as well and I believe they are from the same shipment as DRE's fish. (I'm from Sweden)

My dominant individual became aggressive against the rest so I bought two pairs of convicts as target fish... This helped a lot. Anyway the reason I post this is because my dominant fish has changed its coloration and is now striped (Yellow and black) just as this Video shows... Have you experienced this as well?

 

[mattlee]

Hi there!
Have read the whole thread and I must say great job! I keep these fish as well and I believe they are from the same shipment as DRE's fish. (I'm from Sweden)

My dominant individual became aggressive against the rest so I bought two pairs of convicts as target fish... This helped a lot. Anyway the reason I post this is because my dominant fish has changed its coloration and is now striped (Yellow and black) just as this Video shows... Have you experienced this as well?

Hi and welcome to the forum Big_Sal

ive not noticed and colour changes other than the gradual change with age. i think i saw this video or one very similar on another forum, possibly the Sweedish one that DRE linked me too once.

have you had any other signs of breeding or pairing up at all?

i hate how everyone else who has these fish says theirs are really out going and not worried about human interaction. the reason being mine are still very skittish and as soon as im near the tank they hide! they come out again in time but even when i add food they hide and the rest get the best of it all....... yours also seem totaly not bothered that you are there... gutted even more now

 

[Big_Sal]

Hi again!
thanks for the warm welcome... could be my video you saw although it has only been up since yesterday... Im not really sure about pairing, as you can see my tank suffers from a lot of algae on the glass, It doesnt really bother me as it is home to a lot of really tiny crustaceans that are pretty cool to watch... My ancistrus cathish I bought too clean it up are too small and to afraid to come out (they get harrassed by the ornatums). I have seen my second biggest ornatum fight with one of the convicts over territory, could be something goin on, but could just as well just be a regular fight... I have trouble sexing these fish as they all look the same except for size...

I'm sorry to say that my fish are not skittish at all, i wish they could ignore me more, as soon as there is movement in the livingroom all fish gather at the feeding corner and beg for food.

It would be nice to see an pic/vid update of your fish...

Good luck and keep posting!!

regards Sal

 

[mattlee]

ive also been trying to find out how to sex these fish with no luck. all i can seem to find out is that the males will be more marked on the face/head and will in time develop fin extensions.

as you also have found they do all look the same and mine do to..... i do have 1 that is an inch or so smaller than the others which does hold its weight against the bigger fish but apart from this i cant see any differences at all!

it couldnt have been your video that i saw then if its only just been made. i have seen either a video or pics of the yellow and striped colouration somewhere else which was thought to be a breeding colour but not 100% on that.

i really wish mine would grow out of their skittish manor. if i sit on the floor they will come out and be happy but if im stood next or near to the tank they all dart behind the wood in the tank. its really anoying as they are so stunning fish, ive had them over a year as well now so would have thought they have got use to me by now. maybe they just dont like me..... ha ha

ill get some updated pics soon mate

 

[mattlee]

Big_Sal here is a picture from jeff rapps website showing an ornatum in the colours yours turned. it also atates its a female.........

 

[Big_Sal]

Hi I've seen that pic as well... I remember reading its a female as well but since its my biggest fish i doubt mine is... but you never know...

About the skittishness, is your tank placed low, close to the floor? I read somewhere that people having their tanks low can experience skittish fish as their natural insticts tell them danger comes from above... I think this would apply even more in wild caught fish...

Just something that came to mind...

By the way, sorry if my grammar is a bit off, but english is not my first language...