Cichlasoma Ornatum Journal

[mattlee]

its not great but these fish just do not like the camera sorry ill try again at some point

 

[star4]

1 pic!!!!!!! ONE PIC !!!!!!

I dont care if its cold, booga off in that garage and get some more .

 

[mattlee]

1 pic!!!!!!! ONE PIC !!!!!!

I dont care if its cold, booga off in that garage and get some more .

i have been sat in there for about 20+ minutes and this is the best i could get...... they swim about all happy and stuff but as soon as i hold the camera up they all shoot off behind the plants

ill try again soon i promise

 

[star4]

I do understand, I have killed 4 batteries today trying to take a decent pic of the t-bars, every one is blurred or they hide. I did catch them both together and they were still lined up pushed the button and Vinny swam straight in front of the camera.

 

[markandhisfish]

I do understand, I have killed 4 batteries today trying to take a decent pic of the t-bars, every one is blurred or they hide. I did catch them both together and they were still lined up pushed the button and Vinny swam straight in front of the camera.

familiar....... all too familiar

 

[mattlee]

ok just for star i have tried to get a few more pics. they are not the best but please understand the position i had to get in while holding the camera still so the ornatums didnt see me

 

[star4]

They look great, it is spooky how alike they are to little JD's but more grey. These are going to be great to watch grow.

 

[mattlee]

the largest of the group has started to develop the yellow colouration accross the back and green spots along his/hers side now

ill try and get a pic

 

[star4]

Looking forward to that.

 

[mattlee]

just tried to get a pic of the colouration thats now coming through on these fish. im not sure its that obvious on the pics but here it is.

 

[mattlee]

ive now had 2 of these fish for about 3 weeks now, the other 4 i got after, and im very pleased to say they are all very much alive and kicking they are now eating pretty much anything i feed them and are much happier in the bigger group.
i honestly didnt know what to expect as i read that they are quite sensitive to water conditions but so far so good. they are still quite skittish and hide as soon as they have clocked me approaching the tank but im putting this down mainly to them being in the garage and not having that much human interaction....

 

[markandhisfish]

youre probably spot on there matt . fish in tanks which are in areas that get less "human traffic" are never as bold as thos that are say for example in your living room where they get more used to people moving around the tank. . its great that they are feeding well , no doubt being juveniles the increase in numbers within the group has helped them to feel more secure . will be interesting to see how the group dynamics change as they mature . i cant wait to see these guys colour up as they grow mate . youre obviously doing something right mate , it sounds like yours are thriving . i wouldnt worry too much about the sensitivity to conditions , just make sure you keep good clean water ( which i know you do ) and things should progress along nicely .

all in all a really interesting thread on some rarely seen fish which im really enjoying following . oh by theway cant wait for the next lot of pics

 

[mattlee]

im feedinga combination of prima, bloodworm, brineshrimp with garlic, hikari gold sinking pellets, hikari floating pellets, the odd broken up algae wafer 2X a day and trying to vary it both times and every day so they never get the same thing twice for at least 3 days. they seem to be eating everything a put in there now which is great news they are getting 2X 30% water changes a week to compensate for the extra feeds. they have all grown and quite a bit but the colours havnt changed that much recently. the yellow is startibg to come through and the green spots along the body are starting to appear also.
ill try and get some pics soon but they really dont show the colouration that well, they are much better when viewing in the tank as with all fish. the pics may not look that much different but ill get some anyway

one thing they do that makes me laugh when im near the tank is they all hide away and start edging out of the plants etc. they get so far then almost like push each other to try and get one of them out to see if im a danger or not. once one has emerged or been pushed out they all follow shortly and quite happily eat the food. maybe its me but its quite funny to watch almost like they are dareing one another to go out from the hide!

 

[mattlee]

just another quick update, sorry no pics still yet they are all still eating well and seem happy together with just the usual cichlid bout now and then.... they will hopefully being moved into a 4ft tank within the next week and kept there until they outgrow it so shouldnt be too soon i hope
colouration wise they are pretty much the same as described before and i promise to get some pics up before and after i transfer them into their new tank

 

[snowflake311]

Sorry I did not read it all but enjoyed the photos. Looks like you have a EBJD showing off in many of the photos. Can I ask did you get him from a breeder?