What is a 2-3" Jack Dempsey supposed to look like? Help!

cgcaver

Medium Fish
Jan 2, 2005
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Most fish stores have the Jack Dempseys and Green Terrors in the same tank... How do you tell them apart (we're talking between 2"-3" here)??? I bought 4 that all had the "semi-circle" of specks around the eyes, so I'm hoping what I got were 4 JDs LOL

I bought 1 from a LFS here, and 3 from PetSmart in a neighboring city - and both look totally different. I wish I could get pics up, but my camera is missing a cable :\ Anyways, the 1 from the LFS is a very pretty greyish-blue color, with the typical flecks around his head area - thats it. He has 2-3 large black dots, and very faint verticle striping. However, the 3 from PetSmart look nothing like that. They are brownish color (hint of green), with red tipped fins, very dark verticle striping (I know this shows up more under stress), and have a dark horizontal line.

They are all the exact same size (so I'd assume same age). Whats up with this? Are some captive, some wild? Or what? Does this give me any clue as to what they will look like as they mature? Or will they totally change coloration regardless?

Any input is MUCH appreciated :)