# What is visiting my tank?



## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I posted this in unidentified but thought I would post it here too.... ETA: They are about 3 1/2 inches long....

My sister went out and decided her 7 inch Jack Dempsey needed a friend :roll: .... people at the pet store told her these would be fine with him....he wasn't. Best part, they won't take them back because they don't guarantee compatibility!! Grr... I think my LPS might take them if they won't work in my tank... if they will, I wouldn't mind keeping them, they are a little bland (the 2nd two) but I don't mind, it is just some contrast against the flashier fish lol.
So now I have them in my tank(no where else to put them at the moment) and have to figure out what they are and whether or not they will be okay. It has been two days and everyone is getting along great... surprised me really. Actually, I think my tank seems even more calm and docile than prior but if it is extreme 'no' in keeping them together, I would like to know.

Here is the first one which I believe is a red top ice blue(correct name?)










The second one which I am thinking is either a female red top ice blue or maybe subdominant male?










These last two I have no idea but I am guessing lighter is female and darker is male?


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## maximus1006 (Feb 23, 2009)

I know im going to spell this wrong but the ice blue is grashiki and the 2 bottem pixs are female pecocks if im not mistaken the grashiki will dominate the tank mine dois.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

Will they be okay with the rest of my fish?? I have 
8 yellow labs, 
6 acei, 
6 clown loaches 
and a alhi(if you read the unidentified cichlids - you will see it appears I got a once hormoned one, so it is probably a female... or was)

Right now everyone is doing fine. We have a 75 gallon with lots of places to hide and will hopefully, within a year or two, be upgrading to a 125, or 150.....

Oh, and still planning on getting a BN pleco soon.


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## Brandrcm (Feb 25, 2008)

Definitely look like Metriaclima greshakei. I would say the top two are male, the bottom two are female. There is a slight chance the second pic may be female, my females have no blue, and very little orange they are pretty colorless and grey with ocaisonal stripes. From the looks for your pictures you would have a pretty similar stock list with me. I have 6 Acei, 6 labs, 4 greshakei 1m3f. What size of tank do you have?

greshakei are pretty aggresive and the male does dominate my tank, but they have great color IMO.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I have a 75 gallon


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

So.... The top two are greshakei..... but are the bottoms also or are they peacocks?


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## Gibbs (Apr 21, 2008)

The peacock second from the bottom looks to be a male. Pointed fins with some pattern and a little blue sheen in it's gill plates. Can you get a close up, side view?


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

just a sec.... I will try!


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

Okay, here is the 3rd fish again:










And here is a better pic of the last fishthe fish in front is an Ahli and they look SO similar)


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

the head shape on the lastfish definitely look Sc. fryeri. The fish before it does have a peacock head shape but there is still something not quite right for a pure peacock (could just be the quality level, not nessisarily implying hybrid though that is still a possibility.

How big are the last two fish?


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## Brandrcm (Feb 25, 2008)

They look very similar to my female greshakei and to others I've seen. If they were sold together it would probably be more reasonable to assume they are the same species, but it is never a given. I guess the ultimate way to tell is if they breed. My greshakei breed like crazy. At this stage I would say they look like female greshakei.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

Brandrcm said:


> I guess the ultimate way to tell is if they breed.


That means nothing. Any mouthbrooding cichlid species can breed with any other and have viable offspring. The same goes for sustrate spawners. Thats why we have such a problem with hybrids


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

All of the fish I posted are around 3 to 3 1/2 inches....


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

MalawiLover said:


> the head shape on the lastfish definitely look Sc. fryeri. The fish before it does have a peacock head shape but there is still something not quite right for a pure peacock (could just be the quality level, not nessisarily implying hybrid though that is still a possibility.
> 
> How big are the last two fish?


The one that you said looks like a Fryeri and the one that looks like a peacock were in the same tank at the crappy pet store my sister got them.... So it is probably a hybrid.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

MCKP said:


> The one that you said looks like a Fryeri and the one that looks like a peacock were in the same tank at the crappy pet store my sister got them.... So it is probably a hybrid.


Unfortunately that is most likey the case. The tank was probably marked "mixed Africans" While i might be a crappy store, it could also just be a case of uninformed store. I have seen the "product" lists from some distributors, often they just list blue cichlid, yellow cichlid, etc. The distributor may not even really know the species.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

Any way for me to know which are male or female out of this group?? I am pretty certain the first guy is a male, but the rest I am uncertain....


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

You can vent them at that size, and there is also the tried and true, wait until somebody is holding...that one would definitely be female


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

LOL, I can't seem to tell when one is holding. I have seen pics but still can't tell very well..... I will have to get better at this. Now to see if I can learn to vent from pictures......


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