Texas or jack?

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Hunter94

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Feb 17, 2023
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Bought this as a texas cichlid but the lfs has fish mixed in there tanks. Wanted to be sure

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fishorama

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Jun 28, 2006
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Welcome to AC!
It looks very small. How big is it? I can't tell the species sorry. My first guess was Dempsey probably just because I've kept them. There are a few color varieties of Texas. I think Jacks only are "electric blue" or regular. There are also hybrids...

It looks like it's showing blue in the bottom fins or is that a trick of lighting? Also the anal fin in the first pic looks more rounded (girly); the second more pointed (boyish). Maybe too small to tell but I don't think it can change that fast! Must be camera angle. What is the "other" fish in the first pic? Also juvenile cichlid of some kind...that's as far as I'm guessing, lol

There are some very poorly labeled fish online, I tried googling as I'm sure you did too.
 
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Hunter94

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Feb 17, 2023
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Yes there is blue at the fins. He is super small. Only about a inch if that. the fish in the first picture is a firemouth cichlid. The pet store is horrible about it as well. The camera angle is probably messing with the picture, he would stay still up until the time I was about to snap the shot 🤣
 

fishorama

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Jun 28, 2006
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SF Bay area, CA
I don't think I've heard of blue firemouth but there several more species of them now than back in my CA cichlid breeding days 40 years ago. I googled & they do look pretty, but not like Hunter94's fish he wants help with ID.

I think, from long ago, that big eyes seem like Dempseys too...but again, I never kept Texas...

All I can say is post more pics in a month or 2, maybe we can tell better then...But beware! any type of firemouth is is going to have trouble against much larger cichlids like either Jacks or TX. We kept firemouths with blue acaras, much smaller & more mellow CA cichlids...but still the acaras took 2/3 of a 4ft tank...you're going to need to separarte them eventually I'm betting. I forget what, if any other fish, we kept with Dempseys. I'll ask my husband what he remembers. We may have had to move before there were serious issues...
 
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