Pet Forum / Aquaria / Cichlids / May 2006

Howdy all,

New member here. I've been reading quite a bit in the last few weeks
and have found a lot of valuable information. I've had a lot of
experience with aquariums, but I've been reading through the FAQ to
refresh my knowledge.

I am in the process of setting up my tank again after a long haitus. I
used to have 3 cichlids that were donated to me by a friend who was
moving away and couldn't keep them. They were great fish and I had them
for almost 5 years before I had to move myself and I gave them to
someone who could provide a good home.

Now, years later, I'm ready to re-establish my tank. I would really
like to get the same fish, however I have no idea what kind of cichlid
they were. I'll describe them as best I can (it *has* been several
years) and if any experts here can shed any light and steer me in a
general direction I would appreciate it.

Here goes:

They were about 7-8" long, bluish, indigo-colored fish - the most
striking thing about them was their ability to change the intensity of
their color very quickly. While they were alone, they were a more pale
color of light blue and very subdued, but if you walked by the tank,
they would begin begging for a feeding and instantly change to a
beautiful deep blue color. They had irridescent spots on their tail
that also grew in intensity as they deepened their color for this
feeding ritual. Incredibly beautiful fish.

They could open their mouths VERY wide; I'd describe it as almost a
telescopic action. Cichlids that I've read that feed in this manner do
this to literally vacuum in their food. They would meticulously
rearrange the gravel in the bottom of the tank. Some mornings I would
awaken to find that they had moved an enormous quantity of gravel
overnight. They would also scoop a few pieces of gravel in their mouths
and spit it at the front of the tank with great force as if to say "pay
attention to me!" They were extremely gregarious and entertaining fish
to say the least.

So, that's about all I can remember off the top of my head. If anyone
has any specific questions I might be able to remember more details. I
would appreciate even being told a few possibilities if anyone knows;
there are several sites that have lots of pictures of cichlids, but
there are so many kinds I don't even know where to start looking. South
American, African? I'm at a loss.

Thanks a bunch!