Species Help Please

[lilscoots]

I agree that striping looks chilotilapia, but the face is still all wrong for rhodesii, it doesn't have the "roman nose" (the face is too pointed) and the mouth is too high and forward on the face.  I've never raised these from fry, but I have a rhodesii, and I've raised other fry with "different" face structures, and that structure is there from very young, they don't "grow into it" in my experience.  I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, I'll agree with you if his face shapes up in the future.

[PowerCerg One]

I agree that striping looks chilotilapia, but the face is still all wrong for rhodesii, it doesn't have the "roman nose" (the face is too pointed) and the mouth is too high and forward on the face.  I've never raised these from fry, but I have a rhodesii, and I've raised other fry with "different" face structures, and that structure is there from very young, they don't "grow into it" in my experience.  I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, I'll agree with you if his face shapes up in the future.

Dimidiochromis compressiceps don't have the jaw when they are young. They look much more normal.

[Regalblue]

I agree that striping looks chilotilapia, but the face is still all wrong for rhodesii, it doesn't have the "roman nose" (the face is too pointed) and the mouth is too high and forward on the face.  I've never raised these from fry, but I have a rhodesii, and I've raised other fry with "different" face structures, and that structure is there from very young, they don't "grow into it" in my experience.  I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, I'll agree with you if his face shapes up in the future.

Dimidiochromis compressiceps don't have the jaw when they are young. They look much more normal.

you mean their chinpimple ?

[PowerCerg One]

I agree that striping looks chilotilapia, but the face is still all wrong for rhodesii, it doesn't have the "roman nose" (the face is too pointed) and the mouth is too high and forward on the face.  I've never raised these from fry, but I have a rhodesii, and I've raised other fry with "different" face structures, and that structure is there from very young, they don't "grow into it" in my experience.  I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, I'll agree with you if his face shapes up in the future.

Dimidiochromis compressiceps don't have the jaw when they are young. They look much more normal.

you mean their chinpimple ?

That's some acne

[danielratti]

Mines just fat.

[Sean]

in the ones that I've seen the head seems to get more sloped as they grow up. I've noticed the head starting to look normal around 4"

[Sean]

The quickness of so many resorting to calling something they haven't yet seen a hybrid helps illustrate the problem with hybrids even being in the hobby. 

One person here has correctly identified it. CrazyCoolPeacocks, job well done! 

The striping, solid double-stripes high on the body at a slightly angle, screams Chilotilapia. The head-shape gives it away as C. rhoadesii rather than C. euchilus (those are the only 2 Chilotilapia species). The head shape might appear off to some because it's such a young fish. FWIW, the fish pictured is a male and with such early color, he should look really nice as he gets older.

FWIW, if it had stripping on it at the time you bought it, that would have given it away as not being a peacock of any kind. It could have been a tank labeling error, and obviously the staff didn't know any better, but perhaps we can't expect everyone to know everything so I'm not sure how much I'd fault them unless they'd argued the fact that fish was a eureka jake.

Thanks Ron

[Ron]

Dimidiochromis compressiceps don't have the jaw when they are young. They look much more normal.

you mean their chinpimple ?

No, he means that they start out skinny like all other fry, then get their thin, wedge shape as they grow older.

FWIW, I think the "chinpimple" is caused by abrasion. I've raised them without the fish getting that and personally find the chinpimples really ugly.

[four_by_ken]

I think the reason everyone went towards a hybrid is that it was bought as a peacock... so, if there was anything peacock about it... it would have been hybrid.

Now, looking at it again... it does look just like my rhodessi.