New Fish but never seen this coloration

I'm terrible with ID'ing fish, however, my guess is a Taiwan Reef!

I searched for Taiwan Reef Cichlids and sure enough it does looks like a Taiwan Reef. Great guess JChild and the best thing about these little guys was the measly $3.99 price of these.

They are beautiful as adults! You got a great price - I purchased a juvenile (without any color yet) for $8. I was going to grow him out but lost him when an illness ripped through my tank.

I hope to find another. I would love to see more pics as this guys continue to color up.

Hormoned Taiwan Reef Steveni.

Fogelhund said:

Hormoned Taiwan Reef Steveni.

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Yes, juvenile Hap given hormones for temporary artificial color. Also explains the long fins. The breeders do it to make them more sell-able, but the fish may never look this good again, as the color wears off Be wary of hormoned fish, it is not a reputable practice. If male the fish may color up again when older.

Is a Malawi cichlid but Taiwan Reef may not do that well in a rough Mbuna tank.

i would say a hormoned tiawan reed also. from my experience it takes them forever to get that kind of color and that appears to be a small fish.

There is also a fairly high mortality rate with hormoned fish...

james1983 said:

i would say a hormoned tiawan reed also. from my experience it takes them forever to get that kind of color and that appears to be a small fish.

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Yeah these guys are about 2 1/2 inches but very attractive coloring. :thumb:

Fogelhund said:

There is also a fairly high mortality rate with hormoned fish...

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I understand that is common with fish which I see alot of wierd looking and overly colorful fish. I saw some freshwater fish which the LFS claimed they inject coloring and homone induced foods to them which seems cruel. I'm hoping these little guys make it and I don't lose them....

i just picked up a male and two females of them same! i have never heard of them as taiwan reef, they were sold to me as fenestratus haps

beccam said:

i just picked up a male and two females of them same! i have never heard of them as taiwan reef, they were sold to me as fenestratus haps

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Hmmm I looked up Taiwan Reef and some pictures I did find had a striking resemblance to the ones in my tank. How are your cichlids holding up so far? These two little guys have become some of my favorites so far. The fish are really colorful and stand out among my other fish.

beccam said:

i just picked up a male and two females of them same! i have never heard of them as taiwan reef, they were sold to me as fenestratus haps

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"Fenestratus" is just an old trade name for the same fish. Yes, it is confusing, because different breeders use different names.

They are holding up way better then I thought. Mine are about 1 inch and have been getting along fine with full grown venestus, red fins, kenyi. I was concerned about adding them in ( I was sure they would get eaten) but every meal they are right up in there! My lfs was charging 18 a piece for them... You got a great deal!

beccam said:

They are holding up way better then I thought. Mine are about 1 inch and have been getting along fine with full grown venestus, red fins, kenyi. I was concerned about adding them in ( I was sure they would get eaten) but every meal they are right up in there! My lfs was charging 18 a piece for them... You got a great deal!

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Seems like I did get a good deal on these compared to what others paid. I'm upgrading from a 56 gallon to a 110 gallon as we speak and I'm really thinking about getting one more.

$4 for a fish that's been hormoned and, as others have said, will never have that striking of colors again and is MUCH more likely to die

vs.

$10-20 for a fish that will be much stronger and color up naturally.

I'd say the latter is the better deal, especially if they're a good line.

yes, hormoned Malawi cichlids are pretty much a rip off. Some hormoned fish never get any color back, and some say the health of the fish may be damaged long term.

It case it isn't clear, the color will fade with hormoned fish. Only adult males normally show color. If you buy more than one, they will not stay that color. You may end up with no pretty fish at all. It is short term color to make them sell fast.

Well any fish you buy can die regardless of how much you paid $3.99 or $23.99. I'd rather lose a 4 dollar fish than a twenty dollar one and if it does die I can get another one if I need to. Yeah it's a 50/50 chance of dieing but so are any of my cichlids due to any reason. I do agree inducing hormones can be cruel but so it neutering my dog. Whether these will survive remains to be seen but I will be keeping an eye on them. Lucky for me my LFS owner is a good friend outside of the shop but I will ask him about this species and report back and also on how long these little guys survive. Also if they color does fade wont the color return normally when they reach adulthood? I'm not planning on inducing any additives to keep the color as I have not with my other fish.

...Neutering your dog is CRUEL? The rescue center I work with and my veterinarian brother would beg to differ... But alas, this isn't a dog forum.

There will likely be residual health problems due to the hormoning, and it may negatively affect their eventual coloration.

i would if i were you, they will grow so quickly in a 110!!!