# What is this fish?



## bstuver

I am posting these for a friend of mine that is trying to figure out for sure what fish he has. He is thinking Labidochromis exasperatus or Labidochromis textillis are these two seperate species?
Here are the pics:

Dad:

















The two females:

















Fry:









Thanks for the help in advance


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## mr_cichlid2004

http://www.malawimayhem.com/profile_show.php?id=279

Dave


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## laserblue16

Agreed, melanachromis joanjonsonae.


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## timstone

hormoned as well.....


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## bstuver

timstone said:


> hormoned as well.....


Not likely he has had them for a long time.


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## 24Tropheus

"He is thinking Labidochromis exasperatus or Labidochromis textillis are these two seperate species?"

You know (maybe because of the quantity of miss selling here) I have not sorted this question myself. Though they sell fish as Melanochromis exasperatus here as well!

joanjohnsonae is the one and only good name I think.
I guess it does not fall nicely into either Labidochromis or Melanochromis.


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## timstone

bstuver said:


> timstone said:
> 
> 
> 
> hormoned as well.....
> 
> 
> 
> Not likely he has had them for a long time.
Click to expand...

i was talking about the fry.......its got a lot of color for being so small


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## bstuver

timstone said:


> bstuver said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> timstone said:
> 
> 
> 
> hormoned as well.....
> 
> 
> 
> Not likely he has had them for a long time.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> i was talking about the fry.......its got a lot of color for being so small
Click to expand...

They were born in his tank so no not hormoned


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## laserblue16

My fry are that colour at about 1 month, and they are definately not hoemoned, just well looked after.


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## Fogelhund

The colour of the fry is just how they look. Many Melanochromis fry look great as individuals, which of course helps them sell in the pet store.


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## straitjacketstar

24Tropheus said:


> "He is thinking Labidochromis exasperatus or Labidochromis textillis are these two seperate species?"
> 
> You know (maybe because of the quantity of miss selling here) I have not sorted this question myself. Though they sell fish as Melanochromis exasperatus here as well!
> 
> joanjohnsonae is the one and only good name I think.
> I guess it does not fall nicely into either Labidochromis or Melanochromis.


_Melanochromis joanjohnsonae_ and _Labidochromis textili_s are two different and separate *valid* species.
Most of the confusion stems from _M. joanjohnsonae_ who has also been known as Lab. exasperatus and Mel. exasperatus before it was settled into _Melanochromis joanjohnsonae_. Doesn't help that they're often sold as the very uncommon _Labidochromis textilis_.


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## 24Tropheus

Thanks that would expane it nicely that I see both being sold but clearly the same fish.
Just the real Labidochromis textilis is not in these shops.


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## mojeb21

wow i was wondering what kind of fish i picked up from pets mart and it looks like a female one

it is still a baby though


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## mepeterser2451

yah either joanjohnsonae or textilis


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## Fogelhund

It is Melanochromis joanjohnsonae.


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## mr_cichlid2004

Thats what I said :wink:


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## Tiapan

now what i find interesting is that i cant find textillis anywhere for sale, and from this sites profiles as wel they say that textillis used to be called labidachromis exaperatus, and then it had its name changed. and from what else i find online i cant fint any textillis available to anyone. which seems odd to me, as well as pictures of either fish being identified as the other. unless i can see a real textillis in person and it be largely different (because the only difference i saw that was written between them is a jaw structure) i think they are the same but with a different color varient. too much confusion leads me to think that is just a bunch of squabaling scientists causing problems with naming.


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## etcbrown

M. joanjohnsonae and L. textillus are two different species. The most obvious difference is that M. joanjohnsonae has approximately 6 horizontal orange stripes and L. textillus has approximately 9 of the horizontal orange stripes. And of course male M. joanjohnsonae turn blue similar to a socolofi when mature.


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