December - Hill Country Cichlid Club

13
ter when what we put into their tanks isn't perfect.
The challenge is not in the daily maintenance of I.
hormuzensis , but in matching those conditions
when trying to induce spawning. These waterways
have not been studied as extensively as most leaving
many gaps in regards to addressing their water
quality needs. A large portion of the terrain in
close proximity to these rivers, consist of salt
domes. This can cause to the water to be highly saline.
Consequently, any influx of freshwater into
the system will cause the salinity level to fluctuate.
These are mostly small bodies of water and I would
consider the conditions to be anything but stable. In
addition, the water found in several oasis where this
fish is found, consists of pure fresh water.
If challenging water conditions were not enough,
the area is exposed to extreme temperature changes.
Winter temperatures range from 12-30 C while in
summer this environment can swell up to 44+ C.
Unlike many of the waterways associated with other
cichlids, there is very little vegetation along the
banks to provide any shade. This combined with
the reduced water levels in the summer make for
tough living.
I have had discussions concerning the state of the
fish in its native waterways with several people, including
several prominent ichthyologists. Some
think the fish is in serious peril because farmers are
using the water for irrigation and industrialization of
the region. The other camp maintains that the fish
is not at any greater risk than they previously faced
based on limited distribution and tough environmental
conditions. The thought process is that the
region is so undesirable and desolate that it has escaped
the industrialization found elsewhere. Without
treatment, the water is too salty to be used for
farming. I have not heard much middle ground and
the opinions seem to be far apart.
This is an absolutely stunning fish when it matures.
I. hormuzensis is relatively small at a maximum
length of about 4”. While somewhat undersized, it
processes a very stout body. Juveniles are slightly
elongated and one can clearly see the convex shape
of the head developing early on. At this point, any
hints of future coloration are non existent. The
young maintain a silver-green coloration with no
pigmentation in the fins. The body exhibits 7- 11
vertical bars that become less obvious as the fish
matures. The dorsal fin contains an easily recognizable
tilapia spot. In the description of the species, it
is stated that males can be differentiated from females
by a greater head length, larger pelvic fins,
and greater interorbital width, but frankly I was unable
to accurately sex these fish until they began to
display certain behavior and color changes. When
looking closely, you begin to notice white spots on
the silver fish. Slowly the male begins to exhibit
darkening shades of gray until it appears as a light
black. When in breeding dress, the male is intensely
black with white and turquoise iridescent
spots scattered throughout the body and caudal fin.
There are no spots on either the anal or pelvic fins.
The dorsal contains some spots, and has white banding
that occurs in the otherwise black fin. The
speckling on the body begins behind the gill plate
while the cranial region is black. If you look at
other images and read through the limited material
available, you will find that males also appear with
a black body and a brick-red lower side along with
the bottom portion of the jaw. The species description
mentions both of these variants without further
elaboration on potential reasons for the differences.
It could be diet, water condition, or locale variants,
but all of this is simply speculation on my part.
Hopefully as additional taxonomic work is done
with this cichlid we can fill some of the gaps in our
knowledge. The females maintain the silver coloration
and vertical barring. I have seen them darken
up a little bit, but it is just very light gray without all
the spotting. Unlike the males, the tilapia spot is
easily seen in the females. The differentiation in
hues of the females to a strutting male makes for a
stunning display.