these were found living together in someones rainwater tank

[rex82]

can anyone ID these fish.....hard to tell from the pics but i thought someone may just recognise them off the cuff

[xrboy_85]

Hey Ross

That is awesome!! im no help with the id but that leads to some unusual questions how did they get there??. and that big sukka is a fat lookin fish!!!

[mcloughlin2]

Any more information on these? Surely they are from up north somewhere? I'd imagine it would get too cold around you for them to last the winter?

[ILLUSN]

they are sime kind of cichlid, off hand i believe they are a kind of geo

[TW]

Amazing. How would they get in the rainwater tank. Our rainwater tank feeds off our roof.

[ILLUSN]

me thinks they were put there or eggs transfered by birds (not likely though)

[mcloughlin2]

The smaller fish in the top of the picture I'd say are silver perch - a side on shot of them would help though. I wonder what they would feed on during extended times with no rain to wash bugs, leaf etc into the tank for food?

[Proteus]

The smaller fish in the top of the picture I'd say are silver perch - a side on shot of them would help though. I wonder what they would feed on during extended times with no rain to wash bugs, leaf etc into the tank for food?

Insects, larvae, etc, even algae

[rex82]

a friend of mine volunteers for rspca and she found them in an abandoned house......these pics she sent to me askin Q's

[Topogigio82]

they look like mozambique tilapia.

[jannie_s]

Big one looks a lot like blue tilapia common in South Africa , a sideview would be better for id as a lot of tilapia look very similar

[taksan]

Tilapia ...

[Reillin]

Guesses,

Smaller one Tilapia mariae.
Larger Oreochromis mossambicus.

Interestingly enough, T. mariae will go totally golden if place in a darken container (from personal experience). I'm sure they outgrew or got too boisterous for someone's tanks and was dumped there.

Cheers,
Vien.