# Having Trouble IDing these two Blue Malawi cichlids



## pbook4g5 (Nov 24, 2015)

Good evening everyone. Long, long, long time lurker, first time poster. I was into Cichlids some 20 years ago when I was younger and I figured now that I'm older (and that I got back into it), I'd create an account here.

So as the first sentence says, I just got back into the game after a long hiatus. I've got a 60 gallon tank with 19 mbuna in it. Got some yellow labs (9), some powder blues (3), some Melanchromis Auratus (5), and then two blue ones that I can't figure out what they are.

One is male and one is female (they've reproduced already). Slender, torpedo-like body, light blue body with dark blue/black horizontal stripes. I thought at first they might be Johanni Blues, but the female isn't orange. Its just lighter than the male.

The female is on the left in this photo (*I'm a photographer by trade, and these are terrible photos from my iphone)









This is the best I have of the male, and its blurry










Here's a video for a better view






Here's a view of the whole tank, for those who are interested. Still waiting on my other half of lava rock that will be going in to go more vertical for them.










Does anyone have any ideas what the two blue striped ones are?

Thanks in advance!


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## pbook4g5 (Nov 24, 2015)

Could they be Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos? That would be my only guess. They were sold to me as Electric Blues and while I know they shouldn't be kept with my Auratus, the LPS was cleaning out their old tanks and were going to get rid of them and asked if I had wanted them. 6 months later and still no aggression issues with the Auratus (although he's taken care of his fellow male friends when they've matured).


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

They are Electric Blue Johanni which are usually Cyaneorhabdos hybrids. These are a common mass market fish, and can vary a lot, pretty inconsistent. Some fish can get rather pale, some more black and blue. Real Cyaneorhabdos should stay black and blue and do not show vertical markings breaking up their horizontal lines.


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## pbook4g5 (Nov 24, 2015)

So even though they aren't orange or golden when they were young they still could be johannis? The fry I have right now are blue with the black horizontal stripes.

Interesting...


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

"Electric Blue Johanni" is the trade name for this fish, which doesn't seem natural. It is not the actual species of Johanni, which does have yellow-orange fry. "Electric blue Johanni" definitely is related to Cyaneorhabdos (which is closely related to Johanni anyway)... but it is unsure if it is a hybrid or just very poorly bred Cyaneorhabdos after many generations. Many do seem like hybrids, maybe Cyaneorhabdos X Interruptus, but it is hard to know what the fish for sale exactly are.

You could consider them close to Cyaneorhabdos, but I wouldn't consider the fry to be a known fish. Just the vague aquarium trade fish called "Electric Blue Johanni"


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## StructureGuy (Jul 27, 2002)

I bought some Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos awhile ago because the picture a hobbyist posted looked much better than the overbred LFS variety.









Kevin
(They were moved from Melanochromis to Pseudotropheus)


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## pbook4g5 (Nov 24, 2015)

^Yes, that's a gorgeous fish and I wouldn't mind trying to find some for me next tank (as this one is already full).

Here's what the fry look like (4 of them next to my last small yellow lab)... much more uniform striping than their parents.



















Side note: the iPhone 6s really shows its poor quality when using the digital zoom.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Good Cyaneorhabdos (also called trade name Maingano) have very attractive black and blue juveniles, they don't mature into the color. The fry should not look so light, they don't look pure. Are you positive that the father is the Electric Blue Johanni, maybe the Auratus male was the father? If the Auratus male is dominant, it is very possible he is the hybrid parent... unless you actual witnessed the breeding.


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## pbook4g5 (Nov 24, 2015)

While I didn't watch the actual breeding, I did watch the darker blue (what I assume is the male) fish digging a nest, and thats where the lighter blue female ended up hiding while she carried. The darker blue fish was also quite aggressive at fending off unwanted visitors, so I can only assume they were the two that mated.

Who knows, though. The fry are starting to get bigger and they definitely look more like the female than the male (lighter rather than darker).

I'll post some images when they get older and bigger.


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