# What Is This Guy?



## kove32

Hey all, found this bad boy at a LFS. I'm really considering getting it.. Any ideas what it could be? Also, it IS as gold as it seems in these pictures! Thanks so much!


----------



## MFNRyan

That is one sick looking fish!!! I would buy it!


----------



## balluupnetme

Looks like a sweet gold diamond go for it bro


----------



## MFNRyan

What do you think about Compressus? Or no chance at that


----------



## ChrisC

S.Rhombeus.


----------



## DiPpY eGgS

I'm no expert, but it looks like a sweet compressus to me

I see bars, and they go past the lateral line, leads me to my conclusion, but I could be wrong


----------



## notaverage

What do they want for it?
If reasonable I'd buy it.


----------



## DiPpY eGgS

They do want too much for him..

Although he is quite large.. he is, at least, a solid 7"


----------



## kove32

Haha Dippy how did you know! And yes, after our conversation I was dead set on getting this guy.. did my research on compressus and was set.. Then I went out and thought.. nah, it has to be a rhom.. it's gold color is what threw me off.. they want $175, I have 60 in store credit.. so realistically it'd be $110.. dippy can you be a little bit more specific on the lines your talking about..?


----------



## DiPpY eGgS

The most I'd pay for him at a LFS is $125, even this beautiful fish.

That's me though. So another $60-65 bucks..

If you look at the areas I circled in red, on top, you can see what appears to be 'bars' instead of round spots, indicating a different sp of serra than rhombeous. (if I'm right about bars being present)

Remember I saw this fish in person-- the red circle on the bottom seems to show irregular spots beyond the lateral line, pointing me further to compressus.

The dorsal fin is also pretty large. This is a great fish, I think he is a beaut.


----------



## kove32

Ahh, I see! Thanks for the clarification.. Damn, had I known that, I would have gotten a way better picture of them..

Regardless, many many thanks for all your help!!!!


----------



## memento

I don't see any bars, just a few spots that are close to each other, but no elongated ones.
So I'm gonna say S.rhombeus.


----------



## Da' Manster!

I don't see any bars either....I'll say gold diamond rhom!...


----------



## JustJoshinYa

Comp


----------



## Grosse Gurke

Look like bars to me...I would say S. compressus.


----------



## DiPpY eGgS

Grosse Gurke said:


> Look like bars to me...I would say S. compressus.


I knew I wasn't crazy









Remember folks, I've seen this fish up close and personal with my own eyes.. There is no doubt in my mind bars on this fish, and they extend beyond the lateral line, plus the dorsal fin is quite large.

I owned a compressus, and this one looks very similar, even the slope on his forehead.


----------



## balluupnetme

at first glance i thought it was rhom, but now I'm convinced it is a comp because of the bars, nice fish


----------



## kove32

So everyone, is it worth it or no? Dippy, you have seen this fish up close and personal.. Your input is very important. I haven't had a piranha that I had a dedicated tank for in almost 4 years. Is this the one to get? If it is around 7", it'd be pretty close to maxed out.. Is the price tag worth the fish?

Btw, thanks again everyone for your ids!


----------



## 425dmv

the fish looks great the markings are similiar to my gold diamond rhom by looking at the picture though... but in person maybe you can see the bars on ya fish like the other member stated... but the profile looks diff then my rhom maybe its angles..i got a pic i took today my gdr is very close to 8inchs so they are close to the same size ive never posted pics b4 though so i dont want to mess up your post if the pic. comes out big on here its a cell phone pic but its aight looking not the worst pic ive seen anyway....but if it turns out to be a gdr aquascape on there site at 8inches got theirs priced at 400..idk if they got deals now but thats what it was..if its a compressus at 7inches i would buy it at the price that you said it was also...


----------



## kove32

Anyone have an ideas on the gold color and deep red eyes? I'm doing research and not finding out much about adult compressus? Anyone have any? Are they hard to come by?


----------



## 425dmv

compressuss arent really rare in the wild it seem like they are becoming rare in the hobby just like alot of other serra..like marg etc i got a altuvei which is probably the closest fish to a compress. mine doesnt display gold etc tho...but im sure folks will tell you body color aint the main thing because of the food and water quality etc which can alter a fish color..i tried to upload a pic of my gold diamond idk if it worked but the fish you have back looks alot higher then mine so it could be a comp..i know for sure mine is a gold diamond rhom..but it could also be my angle n cam quality..im above shooting down on the fish sorry for the smudge by his eye it was a smudge on my tank


----------



## Grosse Gurke

kove32 said:


> So everyone, is it worth it or no? Dippy, you have seen this fish up close and personal.. Your input is very important. I haven't had a piranha that I had a dedicated tank for in almost 4 years. Is this the one to get? If it is around 7", it'd be pretty close to maxed out.. Is the price tag worth the fish?
> 
> Btw, thanks again everyone for your ids!


There is no way to really answer that question. Price on these fish vary depending on so many things....hell....even adding flashy comon name to a fish can raise the value. I think you need to go into any fish purchase knowing that you will most likely never sell it for what you paid....so if you like the fish and he is in your price range....get him. Dont buy him thinking of him as an investment. IMO....the price is very reasonable for any Serrasalmus at that size found in a LFS.


----------



## DiPpY eGgS

I agree with GG, you are going to pay for a nice serra in a pet store.

He is a super nice fish. My compressus had deep red eyes too, very stunning.

About the gold coloration, I think that doesn't mater at all. I think that if you bought him, and took very good care of him, doing lots of water changes, keeping his tank clean, and had some lush plants with him, he would start to look even better, with no doubts.

I have no idea what he would start looking like, but in my experience, every time I bought a serra, it ended up looking 500X better once I started taking great care of him.

Here is my compressus I used to have, certainly worth getting IMHO


----------



## kove32

Excellent! Thanks for the well thought responses. I'm not looking to make a profit off of this fish by any means. I suppose the higher price tag is worth it due to the fact I am able to see the fish in front of me. I have always wanted another brantii for their gold coloration. This compressus may fit the bill just as nicely! Cheers to everyone who took the time to help me out! It is truly appreciated!


----------



## DiPpY eGgS

Are you baggin' this fish??

If so, I want to help! lol

If you ever want to dump him off, let me know first!


----------



## MFNRyan

Did you get him man?


----------



## JustJoshinYa

Dippy your old comp is one of my favorite looking piranhas besides mine of course







oh and Yorkshires Rhom is up there with your comp


----------



## Red Sox Fanatic

That is a nice looking P,i'd get him!!


----------



## MFNRyan

This is the fish I just bought. Kove pointed him out for me. It was tough to not get one of the huge cariba and I still may go back and do that. But for now, I really like this fish an his awsome colors! Alutive or compressus or rhom.. I don't care. he is sick looking. 425dmv your fish just has the spots that most rhoms have. This one has lines.. even on the lower side of his body. In person they are much more define then the cell phone pic that was posted. I know for sure they are lines not spots close together. May be something only the eyeball can catch but none the less if he is a rhom he is a very unique one. When I get him in my tank an home from Pitt I'll post some more pics


----------



## MFNRyan

MFNRyan said:


> I agree with GG, you are going to pay for a nice serra in a pet store.
> 
> He is a super nice fish. My compressus had deep red eyes too, very stunning.
> 
> About the gold coloration, I think that doesn't mater at all. I think that if you bought him, and took very good care of him, doing lots of water changes, keeping his tank clean, and had some lush plants with him, he would start to look even better, with no doubts.
> 
> I have no idea what he would start looking like, but in my experience, every time I bought a serra, it ended up looking 500X better once I started taking great care of him.
> 
> Here is my compressus I used to have, certainly worth getting IMHO


Dippy that first picture is freakin awesome man. What kind of camera did you use and how do you get such a great picture?? I can't ever get good pic's like this.


----------



## Grosse Gurke

spotting or lines below the lateral line = compressus.


----------



## MFNRyan

Thanks GG.. What is the noticeable difference in a compressus and a Alutive (spelling) ? This fish certainly has markings below the lateral line


----------



## memento

MFNRyan said:


> Thanks GG.. What is the noticeable difference in a compressus and a Alutive (spelling) ? This fish certainly has markings below the lateral line


In S.altuvei, there is hardly any spotting below the lateral line.
S.rhombeus and S.compressus do have spotting (or bars) below the lateral line.


----------



## MFNRyan

Ok so what do you have to look for to find the difference in aluvei, compressus, Rhom, an Hastatus as I hear these are all super close an the average fish guy (me) can't tell them apart. When I get the fish home if you guys need specific photos to better determine I can take them. It does not matter to me what he is, but knowing the truth about the fish would be nice just for my sake.


----------



## memento

*S.hastatus:*
-Nearly straight dorsal head profile, the narrowness of the head and the protruding lower jaw present a "spear-headed" shape. 
-Predorsal profile slightly curved, less than in other Serrasalmins 
-Pigmentation of thin, vertically elongated spots and thin stripes 
-Highly compressed and deep body
*S.altuvei:*
-Dorsoventrally extended spots forming short vertical bars, but shorter and much less numerous. 
-Dorsal profile less concave in the supraorbital area and less convex posterior to the supraoccipital spine. 
-Ventral profile of belly ventrally protrudes to a lesser extent anteriorly. 
-Juvenile pigmentation patterns are smaller and less dense and extend less over the ventral area, where spotting is sparse below the lateral line
*S.compressus:*
-The snout is very pointed and slightly bend upwards. 
-The juvenile pattern shows bars, whereas in _S.rhombeus_ these are spots. In very young specimen however, _S.compressus_ can also have only spots, that will later on develop into bars. 
-In juveniles the caudal fin may show a dark "V" at the peduncle with hardly any terminal band. When maturing, the black terminal endband develops. Bodyshape and color are very much like in _S. altuvei_, but the proportions differentiates them:

-The profile in the supra-orbital region is more concave, the profile posterior to the supra-occiptial spine is more convex than in _S.altuvei_. 
-Laterally, the snout is more robust than in _S.altuvei_. 
-The ventral profile of the belly ventrally protrudes more than in _S.altuvei_. According to Fink (2001), all these features are more pronounced in juveniles than adults.


----------



## MFNRyan

Thanks for the info memento. So you think this fish I have is a comp.?


----------



## memento

Read back the topic









I'm not too sure about the bars.... if there are bars, it's S.compressus but in the given pictures I don't see any bars. Could be they are developping.


----------



## 425dmv

@mfnryan yea i said earlier in this post maybe in person that the original poster might see bars but from the pic. provided i dont see real bars..i know my pic has spots my fish is a gdr i already stated that but i have some close spots that my cell didnt pick up .. but the profile of your fish looks diff then mine tho i think yours looks like it has a higher back then mine... but it could be picture angle..i actual have a altuvei also and you can see bars..altuvei can have bars under the lat line just sparse as the opefe description states thats 1 way to tell them from a compressus mine has 1 or 2 bars under the lat line but all the rest are above i cant wait to see your new pictures either way looks like you have a nice healthy fish goodluck with him fam


----------



## MFNRyan

Memento he has mostly all lines on his back and a few on his belly. It is hard to see in these pictures I think due to the light and him reflecting from that light.

425dmv: Thanks for the pic, I knew you stated it was a rhom I was noticing the diff in your rhom an my new fish. He has a higher back then most rhoms I have seen at all angles. He also has mostly lines like I just stated which are easier to see in person. Since he is an older fish a lot of those markings are faint. But like you said I think it is a very cool fish regardless of what he is. I would just like to know his true ID. This is very hard to do this through pictures and without knowing the extraction point. I know Dippy Egg's has seen him in person and stated he thought it was a comp. This is a tricky call on this unusual fish lol


----------



## memento

Id-ing is always easier when you see a fish for real. Spots or bars are not always clear on a picture.
But if you say they are mostly lines and bars, it's a S.compressus


----------



## MFNRyan

Thanks Memento.. I'll try to get better pictures when I get him in my tank an start a new thread so you guys can take another look at him. I'll use my digital cam so its clearer then cell phone pic's


----------



## DiPpY eGgS

MFNRyan said:


> Dippy your old comp is one of my favorite looking piranhas besides mine of course
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> oh and Yorkshires Rhom is up there with your comp


Thank you!!!

I miss this fish soooo much..









Yeah, Yorkie's rhom was super sweet as well..

That fish is dead too


----------

