that would be cool. I have a few spots I can can show you around there too.I caught the 11 in my pic not too far away. and I have caught several over 8 since the beginning of the fall semester.

that would be cool. I have a few spots I can can show you around there too.I caught the 11 in my pic not too far away. and I have caught several over 8 since the beginning of the fall semester.

omg... that's crazy. def hit me up then. heres my number 770-3327. my name is JC

haha thanks and please dont take this the wrong way, just as a hobbyist I have to win this one because allthough how bad of a picture you took body shape does not lie, oscars have a more rounded body and does not display a sloping head like a mayan which is an amphilopus species btw

Another is the fully wrapped tail that the oscars have

a mayans rarely fully wrap

I worked in the tropical fish importing business for about 2 years and was an active hobbyist (really a specialist in Discus) and I have been catching Oscars and Mayans for many years now in S. Florida and even though you have posted low quality pictures I can absolutely be certain that the they are pictures of................drum roll please....... Astronotus ocellatus not Cichlasoma urophthalmu. The most apparent give aways along with the points Thai mentioned previously is the red outline of the "fake eye or dot" also referred to as an ocelli, plural for fake eye. These fake eyes are theorized to help evade predation and/or help predators when pursuing prey. 

Knowledge resources:

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Mayancichlid/Mayancichlid.html

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/oscar/oscar.html

haha thanks and please dont take this the wrong way, just as a hobbyist I have to win this one because allthough how bad of a picture you took body shape does not lie, oscars have a more rounded body and does not display a sloping head like a mayan which is an amphilopus species btw

Another is the fully wrapped tail that the oscars have

a mayans rarely fully wrap

I worked in the tropical fish importing business for about 2 years and was an active hobbyist (really a specialist in Discus) and I have been catching Oscars and Mayans for many years now in S. Florida and even though you have posted low quality pictures I can absolutely be certain that the they are pictures of................drum roll please....... Astronotus ocellatus not Cichlasoma urophthalmu.

Thank you sir! Are Mayans still lob into Cichlasoma? I swore they were reclassified under Amphilophus much like The Jack Dmepsey went from archocentrus to Nandopsis and then finally Rocio..

But again thank you sir for helping me prove my point that those in fact are Oscars not mayans

Can give you an exact answer, but according to the provide links here is what I found:

"At present, the taxonomy of the Mayan cichlid exists in something of a state of flux, as the evolutionary relationships of many cichlids remain poorly understood. Recently proposed combinations for the Mayan cichlid include but are not limited to, Herichthys urophthalmus, Parapetenia urophthalma, and Astrontous urophthalmus. Nandopsis urophthalma, is currently accepted as valid by some authors."

In my opinion scientific names are a crap shoot at times, but until some university starts genetic testing of "cichlids" to reclassify them accordingly its more of an art than a science.

I have both of you beat, LOL...but the undulate operculum is a dead giveaway that the first two are "Oscars." 

Can give you an exact answer, but according to the provide links here is what I found:

"At present, the taxonomy of the Mayan cichlid exists in something of a state of flux, as the evolutionary relationships of many cichlids remain poorly understood. Recently proposed combinations for the Mayan cichlid include but are not limited to, Herichthys urophthalmus, Parapetenia urophthalma, and Astrontous urophthalmus. Nandopsis urophthalma, is currently accepted as valid by some authors."

In my opinion scientific names are a crap shoot at times, but until some university starts genetic testing of "cichlids" to reclassify them accordingly its more of an art than a science.

...those authors need a slap in the face if they think that... ahah but i hear you on the whole crap shoot thing...

I have both of you beat, LOL...but the undulate operculum is a dead giveaway that the first two are "Oscars."

You sure its not Parachromis Managuensis? ahahah no but thats what I think of when you mention the undulating operculum, theirs are very pronouced

heres mine about to put the smackdown on my Oscar

Last I knew Parapetenia or Cichlasoma was valid.  It'll always be Heros to me, LOL.  But I am old.

I have both of you beat, LOL...but the undulate operculum is a dead giveaway that the first two are "Oscars."

You sure its not Parachromis Managuensis? ahahah no but thats what I think of when you mention the undulating operculum, theirs are very pronouced

heres mine about to put the smackdown on my Oscar

Who the hack really knows, probably inbred/cross breeds anyway - note the missing spot on the caudal peduncle

Nice tank., BTW.  And congrats on keeping discus,a rewarding fish.  I was able to spawn a few captive strains,and some wild browns.  Wild Heckels along with Altum angels were eventually my big heartbreakers.  Raised several to adulthood, only to fail.  Badly.

My forte was shell dwelling Tanganyikans, various Centrarchids, and some other oddball/difficult to keep mouthbrooders.  My favorite spawning were a pair of bushy nose plecos, though.  You think cichlids are violent....

Last I knew Parapetenia or Cichlasoma was valid. It'll always be Heros to me, LOL. But I am old.

Im too young for this but they were classified with Severums? Blasphemy!

I have both of you beat, LOL...but the undulate operculum is a dead giveaway that the first two are "Oscars."

You sure its not Parachromis Managuensis? ahahah no but thats what I think of when you mention the undulating operculum, theirs are very pronouced

heres mine about to put the smackdown on my Oscar

Who the hack really knows, probably inbred/cross breeds anyway - note the missing spot on the caudal peduncle

Nice tank., BTW. And congrats on keeping discus,a rewarding fish. I was able to spawn a few captive strains,and some wild browns. Wild Heckels along with Altum angels were eventually my big heartbreakers. Raised several to adulthood, only to fail. Badly.

My forte was shell dwelling Tanganyikans, various Centrarchids, and some other oddball/difficult to keep mouthbrooders. My favorite spawning were a pair of bushy nose plecos, though. You think cichlids are violent....

Glad to hear you were succesful in breeding with the Heckles but might as asked what happened into adulthood that went so bad? I breed myself, mostly hybrids, heres one of my projects not too long ago

Male F1 Citrinellum and a BP

Parrots are an ABOMINATION!!!  ;D

Everything "south of border" was dumped into Heros.

Nice to see a fellow "genus splitter" here, LOL.  Want to get into Psuedotropheus spp.?  Poor Ad Konings.

Sorry for going OT, here.

Thai, we could probably talk fishroom shop for days.  I don't keep fish anymore, but at one point, I had 1500 gals. worth of tanks in my hatchery, and another 1200 gals.of display tanks.  I had the privilege of meeting many of the industry movers and shakers, big names, and some guys that will never be recognized for their contributions to modern aquarists.

Looking back, some of my favorite fish were the pygmy sunfish I collected on an "expedition" to the NJ Pine Barons.

A great hobby for anyone that loves things "fishy."

LOL! The poor mans trophys?! I actually had the honor of meeting Ad Konings, he was a guest speaker at one of our club meeting, (Capital Cichlid Association) great guy and you could clearly see the man was passionate about what he was talking about.

It is infact a great hobby for anyone to get into,from begginers to master waterchangers theres something new to be learned and discovered everyday.

BTW Parrots might be an abomination but they make great breeders for short body's and faders

So....I'm lazy and didn't read all the replies but those fish you caught are Oscars....

Nice cichlids thai!  8-)

ok, I have raised cichlids and love keeping them but hate catching them. DOES IT REALLY MATTER? either way they are non native. Its just not worth hve 3 pages worth of people trying to use facts that do to the picture quality are impossible to prove.

here is the last thing I will say about it, I fish the exact spot he did a few times a week. I have caught many a mayan but never an oscar. not to say they dont live there, I have just never caught them.

here's is a statement that can sum up the past three pages of J Fancho and Thai pitching tents;

You guys are fish nerds.

It matters if you are bored, and want to know the truth.

And I made a living from my fish, which makes me a fish geek.

here's is a statement that can sum up the past three pages of J Fancho and Thai pitching tents;

You guys are fish nerds.

"Thou must know thine enemy if thou art to succeed"

If you must know I wanted to be an Ichthyologist when I was younger.... 

ok, I have raised cichlids and love keeping them but hate catching them. DOES IT REALLY MATTER? either way they are non native. Its just not worth hve 3 pages worth of people trying to use facts that do to the picture quality are impossible to prove.

here is the last thing I will say about it, I fish the exact spot he did a few times a week. I have caught many a mayan but never an oscar. not to say they dont live there, I have just never caught them.

No case closed I believe we proved it ;D

and cmon it was late Jfrancho and I were shooting the breeze

eh either way, it does not matter to me, it just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much reading every time I get on.

ok, I have raised cichlids and love keeping them but hate catching them. DOES IT REALLY MATTER? either way they are non native. Its just not worth hve 3 pages worth of people trying to use facts that do to the picture quality are impossible to prove.

here is the last thing I will say about it, I fish the exact spot he did a few times a week. I have caught many a mayan but never an oscar. not to say they dont live there, I have just never caught them.

Or, is it possible that you have been incorrectly identifying mayans vs. oscars all along?

Please don't take that as an insult because I don't know them as anything other than "not a bass." I just know that sometimes people, including myself, hold incorrect fish identification methods.

ok, I have raised cichlids and love keeping them but hate catching them. DOES IT REALLY MATTER? either way they are non native. Its just not worth hve 3 pages worth of people trying to use facts that do to the picture quality are impossible to prove.

here is the last thing I will say about it, I fish the exact spot he did a few times a week. I have caught many a mayan but never an oscar. not to say they dont live there, I have just never caught them.

Or, is it possible that you have been incorrectly identifying mayans vs. oscars all along?

Please don't take that as an insult because I don't know them as anything other than "not a bass." I just know that sometimes people, including myself, hold incorrect fish identification methods.

I thought warmouths and green sunfish were the same thing....i know you remember that...

and I was right, wasn't I?!?!? for the record, I only knew that for certain because I had the same argument a few months ago so I had already verified it.

and I was right, wasn't I?!?!? for the record, I only knew that for certain because I had the same argument a few months ago so I had already verified it.

You sure were, who knew Burke had warmouth....