# Dragons blood or sunburst?



## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

They both look so close int he description I can hardly tell. I can't seem to get a pic with his fins up.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Dunno. I thought Sunburst, Dragons Blood, Firefish etc were all just trade names for http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1315

All the best James


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

24Tropheus said:


> Dunno. I thought Sunburst, Dragons Blood, Firefish etc were all just trade names for http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1315
> 
> All the best James


I agree, they are all trade names for a hybrid. And like any manmade thing, they are variable, so each person can change them to their personal preferences given enough attention and generations. Then they can invent a new name for their version of the thing.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Other names I've heard for the same fish are strawberry and ruby crystal. You may get one particular breeder that claims his strain is the "true" Dragonsblood or the "true" Firefish, but they are all really the same thing - a man made hybrid that does not occur in the wild.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

nmcichlid-aholic said:


> Other names I've heard for the same fish are strawberry and ruby crystal. You may get one particular breeder that claims his strain is the "true" Dragonsblood or the "true" Firefish, but they are all really the same thing - a man made hybrid that does not occur in the wild.


Thing is we have no way of knowing if the various lines are all from the same Genus, species or variants.
The secret of thier making (the original Genus, species and variants) is still even now a secret as far as I know
Breeders get em in from where ever (anyone know for sure?) and do what they like and call them what they like.

I have even seen F1s for sale. No idea what that means in this case. First generation from a cross of two hybrid lines or the first generation from stuff from another breeder?

Very murky world. And no way I have managed to find out the truth. Though always wanting to learn more. They are pretty much the most common "Malawi" sold in the UK and I guess world wide.

All the best James


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

As has been said, there is no real way to define these fish, unless there is one breeder who claims a consistent hybrid "recipe". And once the fish are sold and bred by others the definition becomes more an more vague.

Now a F1 hybrid of known fish, as in breeding one species or fixed line of male to another species or fixed line of female on purpose... then the hybrid offspring would be F1 hybrid. This is very common terminology in the gardening trade, as with Peppers and Tomatoes for example.

Call him what you want. Sunburst sounds good since he is orange not pink. 
Atomic Sunshine? 
Orange Crusher? (if mean)
Orange Starburst?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Thanks guys....Good info


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## nismo_sky28 (Oct 5, 2011)

*** seen the same exact or slight variant of fish sold as different names by different breeders and lfs around here. More orange is sunburst, pink is strawberry, red with whitish pearl is dragonblood and bright red is firefish. Just depends what they want to call them. Even fry from the same two parents can vary greatly until that bloodline is bred deep enough.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

here that'd be sold as a strawberry


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