# Please help ID this african cichlid



## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

I rescued from a friend, who got it at walmart. Please help me ID it.


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## Mr.Dempsey (Jan 4, 2012)

Looks like a Lethrinops sp. Red cap to me but *** been wrong before.


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

Its probably some kind of mutt seeing as its from assorted tanks, but yeah Lethrinops seems about right.

Can you tell the gender?


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## Mr.Dempsey (Jan 4, 2012)

I would say male just cuase most females dont have much color and this one seems to have some BTW how big is it?


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

its about 3 inch. when its dark out/its sleeping it is incredibly dark almost black. i dont know if that helps..


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Not a Lethrinops - they have spots instead of stripes. The stripes are dead giveaway for "Red Empress", Protomelas taeniolatus. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1369. That's a nice looking young male, and as he matures the stripes will fade. I gotta say that's a pretty incredible find from Walmart!


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

nmcichlid-aholic said:


> Not a Lethrinops - they have spots instead of stripes. The stripes are dead giveaway for "Red Empress", Protomelas taeniolatus. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1369. That's a nice looking young male, and as he matures the stripes will fade. I gotta say that's a pretty incredible find from Walmart!


+1 except these are very easy to breed in large numbers (farm bred) so its about the first Hap a LFS will stock (except they are quite timmid when young and slow to colour without hormones).
Sadly they are often popped in Mbuna tanks or mixed Malawi tanks where they rarely do well enough to grow well and show full colour.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/p_taeniolatus.php

They are quite tough for Protomelas but even these are not up to a full rough and tumble Mbuna set up. More peaceful Mbuna only plus open water and 75g-100g needed.


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

yup a quick image search for Protomelas taeniolatus did the trick wow thanks so much.

You mentioned hormones to get the full coloration? *** never heard of this, is it something that I can do?


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

I have one more fish that needs to be identified. here it is, its a small one probably 1.5 inch.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Now at 11/2" that one is almost for sure hormone treated. Some feed them food with steriods in (its even paintented) to make em colour up early and sell quickly. Sadly it can turn females into male colouration too. Its illegal in many countries (eg the UK) (though rarely inforced) as it damages fish but the sale of hormone treated (imported) fish is not illegal.
Looks like a hormoned young http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1311 to me. Just how much colour it will lose kind of depends on how much and how long it was treated for.
If you want to hormone treat/feed your fish you need to find out if its legaly for sale in your state/country.
I sure recommend against it. Its a pretty shady practice.

All the best James


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

**** that sucks, does the color ever come back once it matures on its own?


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Yep the colour should come back at the age and size normal for the type if it is a male. Thats one prob with it, they all look male.
About 21/2"-3" for these guys if I rember right.
Originaly used to ID wild fish (get them to show breeding colours) but sadly now very much abused.


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

that makes me feel better at least.. Thanks for all the great help.

I have one last fish to ID before I let this thread go away.. I think that it is an albino yellow lab. here it is..


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

I should mention the fish i just posted is about 3 inch.. also what gender do you think it is?


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Not sure at all on that one.
Not your usual yellow lab albino. Its more hypomelanistic than full albino (note the normal coloured eyes) and a different species of Lab than caeruleus I think.

Maybe someone else has seen these. Sorry not me.

All the best James


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

My guess is not an albino yellow lab. I think it's an albino Auratus crossed with something. I'm looking at the tail and visible horizontal bars....looks like Melanochromis to me, and albino Auratus are available.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Yep good points. Why does it have to be a hybrid?


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

so about the very first one i posted, up at the top of the thread. I found this online and thought it looked a lot like it. what do you think? http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/af ... 100083.asp


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

about the yellow/albino one..

I think it is a hybrid because I got it from another buddy of mine who has a huge mixed african tank and a bunch of babies popped up and this was one. It is unknown who the parents are. and yeah i believe youre right nice thank you guys.


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

http://www.cichlidlovers.com/m_auratus_albino.htm

see that one looks alot like mine, except mine has black eyes not red..


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

DigitalBuddha said:


> so about the very first one i posted, up at the top of the thread. I found this online and thought it looked a lot like it. what do you think? http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/af ... 100083.asp


The first one you posted is definitely a Protomelas taeniolatus and not C. rhoadesii. The coloration is similar, but the mouth, head and body is definitely shaped like a Red Empress.

I can't positively ID the second fish (the peacock), but I would agree that it has been hormoned. The problem with hormone treated fish is that it even makes females look like males, and it can leave the fish sterile if strong enough doses are used. It's just not good for the fish - they do it to make otherwise unremarkable fish (which many juvenile African cichlids are) more marketable.

The last fish may have some albino auratus in it, but as was mentioned before, it's not a true albino (black eyes). I think it could also have some Labidochromis in it due to the shape of the mouth.


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## dtune21 (Dec 16, 2003)

I am 100% certain that first fish is not a lethrinops and not a red empress either. The third fish looks like an albino Melanochromis Exasperatus.


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## cichbilly (Jun 7, 2012)

first one looks like a protomelas marginatus cross... the second one. doesnt look hormoned to me. my peacocks color up at 1" sometimes. id say its a male peacock starting to color. number 3 i have no clue! still cool tho!


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

update on the peacock with the coloring, its been about 2 weeks since i brought him home and still no sign of the color going away.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

DigitalBuddha said:


> update on the peacock with the coloring, its been about 2 weeks since i brought him home and still no sign of the color going away.


Erm hormoning effects may last for months in dealers or the buyers tank. Kind of the reason they are used. :wink:
Yep a single guy may colour up naturaly at even just an inch or so, if the dominant male in a tank but all of em? No chance. opcorn:


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## Guest (Jun 14, 2012)

i was going to say the first one looks like a protomelas marginatus more than a taeniolatus


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## Anthraxx8500 (Feb 11, 2011)

that half tail coloration pattern and the horizontal stripe pattern (tho faint r still there) lead me to believe its a melanochromis auratus.. with albino or odd coloration patterns its gonna be hard but thats my opinion. id dump the last two fish shown in photos if it was my tank. hormoned males have NEVER gotten their color back for me. they just live a dull drab life, so id dump it now while its still pretty. anyways GL in your choice that first fish is a beaut


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

m1ke715m said:


> i was going to say the first one looks like a protomelas marginatus more than a taeniolatus


Yep looking at it again that top stripe seems rather unbroken for typical P.taeniolatus (Red).  
Maybe a less common variant or a different Protomelas species?

All the best James


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

DigitalBuddha said:


> so about the very first one i posted, up at the top of the thread. I found this online and thought it looked a lot like it. what do you think? http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/af ... 100083.asp


fish #1 ... Chilotilapia rhoadesii was my first guess. Doesn't look like a Protomelas to me in shape. Who knows, maybe a hybrid.

fish #2 ... Aulonocara that looks hormoned to me. The color is very unnatural looking, with the noticeable odd barring. Very weird.


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## DigitalBuddha (Jun 2, 2012)

OP here with an update, the little fish who youve all suspected of hormone stuff has died. it came out of no where he didnt seemed stressed or anything. bummer..


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