New fish

[Madness]

OMG someone get those fish some chapstick! How cool is that?!! They look so much better with the big lips. Kinda reminds me of my own Mick Jagger lips. How come we don't see this type in local stores?

I answered that question in a different thread. Sort of.

 

[fishman09]

OMG someone get those fish some chapstick! How cool is that?!! They look so much better with the big lips. Kinda reminds me of my own Mick Jagger lips. How come we don't see this type in local stores?

Why they get the lips is what I believe as an adaptation that occurs in the life of the fish due to the specialized way wild red devils feed. In the wild they feed in crevices of rocks on crustaceans and snails and what not. When they do this what happens is there lips become calloused and inflamed which is where the big lips come from and when that happens it actually makes them more efficient at the specialized way of feeding due to the gasket-like effect the lips have of the rocks. That is why they have the lips.

We don't see these in local stores for a few reasons.
1. the amphilophus we see in local stores are mostly inbred mutts that are impossible to trace lineage back to the wild.
2. tank bred fish (even f1) don't have the necessity to feed as wild fish do so the lip development doesn't happen as the lips are an adaptation and not a genetic trait passed from parent to offspring.

 

[DMD123]

Im glad the lips are not a genetic thing, imagine what the flowerhorn guys would do with that....

 

[lloyd378]

thanks for the info, I think i may have to add some large rocks with crevices and some freshwater crustaceans.... then all of my fish will have those big beautiful lips :

 

[Madness]

Update time. Here is a video of one of the new guys. Actually, I think this one is the female.

[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/CS1Q8wUha2g" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true[/flash]

 

[lloyd378]

damn, I hope that red devil keeps that color for you. that's super dark orange!

 

[Madness]

Got 2 more today. I think that I am done with that species.

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[Anonymous]

RDs?

 

[Madness]

RDs?

Yes, 2 more WC Red Devils. :cheers:

 

[Madness]

Here it is only 11 days later and 3 of the four RD's are already pellet trained, and come over to greet me when I enter the fish room. Cant wait to get them out of quarantine and into their new home. 3-4 more weeks. :cheers:

Right now I have each one of them in a separate 40 gal quarantine tank. Except the brightest red of the 4 is sharing its tank with a spastic and horny female Carpintis Vontahillo. And believe it or not, the RD must be a male, cause the Carp is wanting to spawn. (It really must be the water) Even in quarantine, I may have some Carpintis x bright red/orange WC RD fry soon. Those might produce some nice looking red Texas (carpintis)