Aquamojo Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 What a difference a few years makes. Here's the male in August '05: Today: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Obviously he's more impressive as an adult than a juvenile. As an adult he looks like a brick with fins. :thumbs: I'm actually at least as impressed with his coloration as a juvie as I am as an adult. There's no denying he is a spectacular specimen, but I have found I can make most fish look pretty good turning the lights off in the room, shooting without a flash, and moving the overhead T5s in front of the subject. I guess what I am saying is the coloration of the finnage in particular is more impressive in the relatively bright lighting of the juvie pic as compared to what I would consider "ideal" lighting in the adult pics. Having spewed all that, awesome pics of an awesome fish as always Mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slough Shark Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Theres my favorite!! Thanks for posting pics of this guy, if I can't own one, at least I can stare at your pics of this fish. Just wondering what it's genus name is? P. zonatum, but what is the P? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamojo Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 (edited) Theres my favorite!! Thanks for posting pics of this guy, if I can't own one, at least I can stare at your pics of this fish.Just wondering what it's genus name is? P. zonatum, but what is the P? The "P" stand for Paratheraps. Thanks. Dean...I have photos of the fish smaller...still with fairly nice coloration. IMHO most of the Vieja/Paratheraps species is similar in appearance at that sze. Here's two shots of the juveniles...a little smaller than the one poste. Romaine Lettuce leaf for comparison. Hee's the male with a few of his siblings that he eventually killed. That's a Persei on the right. Edited February 10, 2008 by Aquamojo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosionjerry Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Theres my favorite!! Thanks for posting pics of this guy, if I can't own one, at least I can stare at your pics of this fish.Just wondering what it's genus name is? P. zonatum, but what is the P? The "P" stand for Paratheraps. Thanks. Dean...I have photos of the fish smaller...still with fairly nice coloration. IMHO most of the Vieja/Paratheraps species is similar in appearance at that sze. Here's two shots of the juveniles...a little smaller than the one poste. Romaine Lettuce leaf for comparison. Hee's the male with a few of his siblings that he eventually killed. That's a Persei on the right. Great shots / makes me want to purchase a monster fish and an SLR camera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Fantastic looking fish Mo. It would have been interesting to get a picture of the juvies with the lighting you used on the adult. They all have exceptional coloration and I always find that "technique" really makes those colors jump out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slough Shark Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 The "P" stand for Paratheraps. So was this fish Vieja sp. and then got moved to this genus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamojo Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Fantastic looking fish Mo. It would have been interesting to get a picture of the juvies with the lighting you used on the adult. They all have exceptional coloration and I always find that "technique" really makes those colors jump out. Thanks. I have only ever heard them referred to as Paratheraps. But I would imagine that at some point they were lumped into the Vieja moniker. One of the ways I draw the male Zonatum into the area I have lit with photos is by using the silk plants in the tank. He is in constant gardener...moving the foliage back and forth . Mostly I just wait for him to finish and come into the lighting's sweet spot with the foiage in the background. I thought it might make an interesting series of photos showing his obsessive/compulsive when it comes to his tank decor. This predictable behaviour makes it easy to photograph. He generally starts by diving in and surveying the area: Tucking in the corners along the side of the tank: This particular plant always give him the most trouble as it is pushed around by the current. I put my hand in the tank and move it to the other side of the tank and within seconds he is grabbing it and pushing (pulling) it back home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slough Shark Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thats a very interesting behaviour, are most big CA Cichlids like this? What size tank would I need for one of these guys? I doubt I could get one any time soon, but for the future- I'm definitely keeping this fish in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamojo Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thats a very interesting behaviour, are most big CA Cichlids like this?What size tank would I need for one of these guys? I doubt I could get one any time soon, but for the future- I'm definitely keeping this fish in mind. Most that I have owned have some sort of OCD...be it digging gravel, tearing up sponges, tank decor...etc. This one's behaviour of simply moving the pieces around...and I mean he really WORKS IT...is unique to the experience I've had. This lone male is in a 75 gallon tank by himself. Bigger is obviously better...but this works. Thanks. Remember when you get one they are particularly aggressive to conspecifics...ther own kind. Your best chance of getting two is buying 4 or 5 and letting them grow out together. They'll let you know who's going to be around for the long haul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slough Shark Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Sounds good, thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 (edited) Most that I have owned have some sort of OCD...be it digging gravel, tearing up sponges, tank decor...etc. Having seen many of your pictures, I think the reason you see this behaviour in your fish Mo is because your skills at aquascaping rival those of photographing your fish. Because you give them the substrate and plants, wood, etc. to display thier natural behaviour, you are rewarded with being able to observe it. Kudos to you again. Those pictures above of that fish working his mojo (pun intended) are very interesting and such pictures never get old around here. Edited February 11, 2008 by Albertan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamojo Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Most that I have owned have some sort of OCD...be it digging gravel, tearing up sponges, tank decor...etc. Having seen many of your pictures, I think the reason you see this behaviour in your fish Mo is because your skills at aquascaping rival those of photographing your fish. Because you give them the substrate and plants, wood, etc. to display thier natural behaviour, you are rewarded with being able to observe it. Kudos to you again. Those pictures above of that fish working his mojo (pun intended) are very interesting and such pictures never get old around here. Thanks Dean. I had to laugh a little when I read that. I have all kinds of strange things in my tanks. I just never let most of them in the shots. A quick inventory...teapots, coffe mugs, creamers in the shape of a breast, fire bricks, PVC, action figurines, crystal angelfish and of course a variety of pots from ceramic to brick. Several years ago I won an award from my previous employer, NBC. It was for selling two million dollars worth of advertising in a month. Really nice award made of crystal...about ten inches high. It now resides in my P. Bifasciatum tank. Over the years I have made some mistakes with the tank decorations. My wife got a pewter mug that I put into the tank. It unfortunately started to dissolve, leeched something into the water and killed the fish. All of the plastic and silk plants I get from Michaels Arts & Craft store. Same stuff as sold in the LFS...only a fraction of the price. Before they go into a tank they are soaked for two weeks in a bucket of water...changed every other day with hot water. I had dye from one leech into a tank. Didn't kill the fish, but colored the water enough to alert me that long term exposure wouldn't be condusive to good fishy health. That said....thanks for the props. It's nice to catch them doing something other than just swimming around. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 I never thought of Michaels, although the wife and kids have mentioned it before. Most people give up on any sort of aquascaping with these fish. I think a person can do it. You just have to go with the flow and let the fish have their way instead of fighting them for the way you think the tank should look. Thanks for the tip on the silk plants. I'm going to give that some consideration. I think booby cups are gonna be a no-go with the wife though. What a shame... :smokey: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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