# Noobie, please id my fish, is she holding eggs?



## GStueyXR (Sep 9, 2008)

Firstly, hello all, forum noobie here.

I am very new to african cichlids and so would appreciate your help. I have had this little lady for just a few weeks and i believe her to be holding eggs in her mouth, do you agree? Can you tell her species?


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## GStueyXR (Sep 9, 2008)

Some more info, she seems to have stopped feeding. She swims quickly to food, and stops and turns away. Her mouth has definately swollen up over the previous few days.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

She is indeed holding. As for an ID, the nose looks to have some resemblance to a _Labeotropheus_ species, but I don't think it's pure. My recommendation would be to let her spit in the main tank and allow the fry to be consumed. The other alternative is to not distribute the fry but be prepared to raise the potentially hybrid fry to adulthood until they die.


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## GStueyXR (Sep 9, 2008)

Are hybrids bad? Suseptable to disease? I get the impression you are not in favour of hybrids!


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## cater20155 (Jun 16, 2008)

Theres nothing wrong with a hybrid that is kept in the tank its bred. The problems with hybrids, is them being sold into the hobby as something they are not.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I'm not sure what the female is, either, but I do see the resemblance to a Labeotropheus trewavasae or fuelleborni. It isn't a pure species, though.

Hybrids are a problem _if_ they are released into the hobby. (What did you buy this fish as? Was it sold to you as a specific species, or did you get it from a mixed tank of unidentified fish? Did you get what you paid for?) This is the main problem.

Now you've got her, and she's spawned with something in your tank. She probably wasn't overly picky about who she spawned with, because her own "identity" is a bit confusing. Adult mbuna can produce 40-60 fry every 6 weeks or so...That's a lot of hybrids to contend with. :wink:

So, then, you have to make the decision as to what to do with them...If you let them leave your tanks, there will be more posts, just like this one, trying to identify a fish that can't be identified as anything other than a hybrid. If you let her spit in the main tank, some will survive, but not all. By the time you actually see the fry moving around the tank, she'll be holding again.

There is also the temperament of the hybrids to consider. You can't follow guidelines for what is normal for a species, so you have no idea whether these guys are going to be overly passive or overly aggressive in a tank.

Ultimately, it all depends on what _you_ want to dedicate _your_ tanks to...

I prefer having pure species - I know what they will look like once they mature, and I know what to expect from them aggression wise (although there can always be an exception to the rule). I know that if I house them properly in good male/female ratios, the fry they produce will be pure, so I can sell them or give them away and not have to worry about it.


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## GStueyXR (Sep 9, 2008)

MAny thanks for the lenthy reply. Now i understand the slight dislike of hybrids 

I bought the fish out of an assorted malawi tank. No species specified.

Anyhow, I play on returning all my fish and stocking 6-7 each of tropheus moori and duboisi.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

What size tank do you have?

Why two groups of Tropheus? If you plan to breed them, you'd fare better with a larger colony of one species. If you want more than one species in the tank (if it's large enough) you could add some Petrochromis or gobies!


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