# Diamond?



## shadyshoal (Jul 19, 2010)

hey i just wanted to know...i have a s. rhombeus i just bought a week ago. he has some shiny spots on him that are silver in colour, does that make him/her a diamond s. rhombeus. He is approximately 6-7 inches in length. im just curious about that. I just got him/her so i don't want to take any pics. but i will if i have to. thanks


----------



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

shadyshoal said:


> hey i just wanted to know...i have a s. rhombeus i just bought a week ago. he has some shiny spots on him that are silver in colour, does that make him/her a diamond s. rhombeus. He is approximately 6-7 inches in length. im just curious about that. I just got him/her so i don't want to take any pics. but i will if i have to. thanks


 I think originally "diamonds" came from only select locals where this was a common trait, however it seems now imo people are wrongly claiming any fish with the slightest shine to be a diamond rhom.


----------



## memento (Jun 3, 2009)

It's just a common name. So if you want to call it diamond for some sparkles, or funky disco rhom, it all comes down to the same. Just another rhom with an owner trying to describe the looks


----------



## Davebod89 (May 4, 2010)

CombiChrist said:


> It's just a common name. So if you want to call it diamond for some sparkles, or funky disco rhom, it all comes down to the same. Just another rhom with an owner trying to describe the looks


Like me lol


----------



## shadyshoal (Jul 19, 2010)

cool, i know it doesn't really matter but i just wanted to know what little things you guys look at to distinguish different breeds.


----------



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

shadyshoal said:


> cool, i know it doesn't really matter but i just wanted to know what little things you guys look at to distinguish different breeds.


There are no differnt breeds. A rhom is a rhom. The only real difference is usually just localities (collection point), but this often isnt even known or made be wrong anyways as southamerican fish can be shipped within south america before being sent worldwide.


----------



## shadyshoal (Jul 19, 2010)

if there are no breeds why are diamonds less likely to grow larger than 14 inches?


----------



## Blue Flame (Jan 16, 2006)

There aren't different breeds, so to speak, but different color variations. The most common are the peru rhoms, then there are black diamonds, blue diamonds, purple diamonds, and gold diamonds. Some of the less common colors seen in rhoms are the Guyana, Xingu.

If you look here on this link, you might see a rhom with the coloring like yours. http://www.aquascapeonline.com/prodlist.asp?idcategory=22

good luck,
Blue


----------



## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

CLUSTER ONE said:


> however it seems now imo people are wrongly claiming any fish with the slightest shine to be a diamond rhom.


IMO this is very true. 
Alot of Rhoms show glittery coloration on their flanks when small. Then, with alot of time as they grow to large sizes, their coloration dulls down to a "smokey" gray. Losing most of, if not all the "glittering". 
I'm not saying out of all the rhoms on fury theres only 5% that are true diamonds or anything....Its really not that big of a deal to me. But I do see alot of people immediately jump to a small rhom being one quickly.

I've had many people comment on mine being a diamond because he's shiny. But mine was collected in Guyana and I don't believe diamonds come from there. I very well could be wrong about that though.


----------



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

shadyshoal said:


> if there are no breeds why are diamonds less likely to grow larger than 14 inches?


They can grow to 14" too. The main ones you see growing to 14' are peruvian rhoms as they are dirt cheao to export and common in peru. If you grow the rhom out yourself of any varient you will probably not get it to 14" for a long time if ever.

Understand that a rhom is a rhom. Science recognizes S. rhombeus not diamond variants, highbacks... all these common names names are often used as a marketing tool by vendors and hobbiests to make their rhoms worth more. You can call your rhom whatever you want, but it's still S. rhombeus.


----------



## shadyshoal (Jul 19, 2010)

ok so basically your saying that people are assuming that they dont grow as big because they haven't been caught/recorded at any larger than 14 inches? that makes more sense to me atleast. but anyways thanks guys you cleared a lot of things up for me in one thread i appreciate it.


----------



## Ja'eh (Jan 8, 2007)

CLUSTER ONE said:


> cool, i know it doesn't really matter but i just wanted to know what little things you guys look at to distinguish different breeds.


There are no differnt breeds. A rhom is a rhom. The only real difference is usually just localities (collection point), but this often isnt even known or made be wrong anyways as southamerican fish can be shipped within south america before being sent worldwide.
[/quote]

Yeah the only way you know for sure the locality of any piranha is if you plucked it out of the river your self. When it comes to buying rhoms don't get caught up in the whole diamond or not a diamond thing, a rhom is a rhom so when choosing one just pick the one that looks most appealing to you.


----------



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

shadyshoal said:


> ok so basically your saying that people are assuming that they dont grow as big because they haven't been caught/recorded at any larger than 14 inches? that makes more sense to me atleast. but anyways thanks guys you cleared a lot of things up for me in one thread i appreciate it.


In a way yes. Almost all the 14" fish you see in captivity were probably wild caught at that size and exported for very little. Most "diamond rhoms" that are brought in are only like 6" or less. Id also assume its probably alot easier to catch regular large rhoms then "diamond" ones as large regular rhoms are common all over south america.


----------



## shadyshoal (Jul 19, 2010)

thats really interesting. I was really looking forward to him/her becoming a monster. Am i dreaming or what? i know it will take like 6 years or sommething but are you saying my chances are slim because of the way they grow or the way they are in captivity? also i would just like to say that my rhom just got comfortable in his tank last night which i am very happy to say....he is no longer trying to hide and is constantly chasing my hand or anything that gets in his sights. my rhom is roughly 6 inches long and is in a 55 gallon tank, how long can he be in there or should i get him a bigger tank asap? thanks in advance.


----------



## Johnny_Zanni (Nov 8, 2009)

It will take 15+ years for your rhom to be close to a monster. Stick with it and it may happen.

I would upgrade your rhom to a 75g (48x18x21) As soon as you can then it will be good for quite a few years.


----------



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

shadyshoal said:


> thats really interesting. I was really looking forward to him/her becoming a monster. Am i dreaming or what? i know it will take like 6 years or sommething but are you saying my chances are slim because of the way they grow or the way they are in captivity? also i would just like to say that my rhom just got comfortable in his tank last night which i am very happy to say....he is no longer trying to hide and is constantly chasing my hand or anything that gets in his sights. my rhom is roughly 6 inches long and is in a 55 gallon tank, how long can he be in there or should i get him a bigger tank asap? thanks in advance.


 Its not impossible but nature can grow fish better then us. If your serious you will need quality food, a good tank size (bigger then 55g), good filtration and a ton of time. Rhoms caught at monster sizes are probably all like 8 years old or more depending on their size. At 6" your is probably only 1 year old. After their first year rhoms grow slow. You can give them your best care so they grow a bit faster but at the end of the day you still need alot of time.


----------



## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

good to hear he's chasing you around. Sometimes that alone can take months and months.

Your 55 will be ok for a little while. 
These fish will grow quickly to 6" (usually within a year to 1.5 years) then growth drastically slows to around 1" per year. 
Look at getting him a 48" x 18" tank when he is 8" or so.


----------



## shadyshoal (Jul 19, 2010)

i'm sticking with him for sure! what more can you ask for in a fish? he is amazing looking, has to be alone so you know you can't keep adding new fish (my girlfriend really likes that part), they interact with you, your friends think they are bad-ass, they don't eat too much and it's not costly when they do (exept for vitachem). I'm just very greatful i didn't sell him when i had the chance. Right now i have one of those surface powerheads, should i get a fully submersible one and toss that one or run them both?


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

If he is acting how you described then he is comfortable with the environment you are providing so dont change anything. A lot of people have had fish acting like yours and then they go and change the tank, add a powerhead or make some other change that was designed to improve the environment&#8230;.and the fish is never the same again. I would seriously just leave well enough it alone...and congrats on the fish


----------



## shadyshoal (Jul 19, 2010)

ok..thanks man. i just want him to grow that's all. i know it takes forever but i want to do what i can to help.


----------

