# difference between kenyi, demasoni & dogtooth??



## nichiyasei (Jun 13, 2008)

I've been searching all over this site to answer this question, and looking over profiles... yet I still have no clue. How can one tell the difference between a kenyi, a demasoni, and a dogtooth cichlid?

Pseudotropheus lombardoi (kenyi)
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pcatid=920

Cynotilapia afra (dogtooth)
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1734

Pseudotropheus demasoni
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1321


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

Note the faces of the kenyi and dogtooth. Note that the demasoni is darker. The kenyi gets much larger, The dorsal fins of the afra are completely different colored, and the demasoni is the smallest of the bunch.

If you are looking at the same pics I am I'm not sure what you're not seeing.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

nichiyasei said:


> I've been searching all over this site to answer this question, and looking over profiles... yet I still have no clue. How can one tell the difference between a kenyi, a demasoni, and a dogtooth cichlid?


_Metriaclima lombardoi_ (Male is yellow, Females is blue)









_Pseudotropheus demasoni_ (Male and Female look very much the same)









and for the "Dogtooth Cichlid" - that's a generic trade name for any of the many species of _Cynotilapia_ genus.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You would not want to try to do this visually...for example don't look at an assorted cichlid tank and try to choose a male Saulosi.

Buy only from tanks labeled with the correct latin species name and ideally also the collection point.


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## nichiyasei (Jun 13, 2008)

> Buy only from tanks labeled with the correct latin species name and ideally also the collection point


I do not have that option unless I want a zebra, a red devil, a green terror, a krib, or a jack dempsey. These are the only breeds I have seen in their own separate tanks, and I do not want these breeds. Although my lfs can order specific species, they lump them all together in one tank to save space. When I went there today, I had him look up the site they order from and point out which fish was which. Their site lists fish by species, and their site (and the store owner) identified the one I purchased as Cynotilapia afra. However, the head shape looks like a kenyi. Which is why I asked this... so I can confirm my suspicions and decide what to do within the return timeframe. I'm about to give up on cichlids altogether because it's so frustratingly difficult to find one that isn't a hybrid or a vicious fish-killing monster.



> If you are looking at the same pics I am I'm not sure what you're not seeing


from the profile:


> Cynotilapia has a very wide distribution with a wide array of coloration.


I am new to cichlids, just corrected a big mistake with the last ones the pet store told me were ok, and I'm still learning what characteristics to look for.
Hence me asking others who have experience. Many kinds of Cynotilapia afra can also have very dark coloration.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

There are dozens of _Cynotilapia _that have dark coloration. Many of the "afra-group" and pretty much all of the "mbamba-group" have dark coloration.

I think the most common _Cynotilapia _species that are encountered in fish stores would be:

_Cynotilapia _afra Cobwe
_Cynotilapia _afra Jalo Reef
_Cynotilapia _afra Chitande Island ("Chitande/Chitende Frost")

There may be a few others, but those are the only ones that come to mind at this moment. The Cobwe and Jalo Reef aren't very dark in coloration, but the Chitande location can be.


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

You could also use the striping pattern to identify the fish but this is not a 100% method. The stripes on the lombardoi are thicker and taper away as they approach the bottom (ventral) part of the fish. Stripes on cynotilapia tend to taper away towards the back of the fish, and stripes on the demasoni are more very even.

If you could get ahold of a picture of the fish in question I'm sure some members will be able to provide a lot of help.

Don't give up on cichlids, it may be hard to find what you are looking for but they are exceptionally rewarding pets.

If you still can't identify the fish and are the local store is still creating a problem for you then you may well be better off looking for another store, an online mail order distributor, or placing an ad on the forum's trading post: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/tradingpost/

A store that throws your order in with similar looking fish seems to be pleading if not begging for you to take your business elsewhere.


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

DJRansome said:


> You would not want to try to do this visually...for example don't look at an assorted cichlid tank and try to choose a male Saulosi.
> 
> Buy only from tanks labeled with the correct latin species name and ideally also the collection point.


yeah the collection point.... lol your lucky to get the right name at a store around here. I wouldn't be surprised to see guppy or gourami on a tank. :?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

nichiyasea, order online. If your LFS keeps most of its cichlids in an "assorted" tank, then they may not have the best quality fish.


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## nichiyasei (Jun 13, 2008)

yeah.... I'm going to another lfs I found tomorrow when they get their shipment in to see what they have, and if they can't help me out then I'll be shopping online.

Thanks to the pictures and all the help I am about 98% sure that my fish is a kenyi female. Although I've heard they can be violent, this isn't a problem currently, as I traded off all of my other "assorted african cichlids aka fish soup" at a lfs.

I'm thinking if I can just get a few females, and one male, and all the same species, then I'll be good. I just don't want to get the wrong kind of fish, since their females are blue, and many other species the females are yellow.


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

let me know what online store you go with and how they work out for you if thats what you do


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

nichiyasei, you are in Atlanta, and the American Cichlid Association show/auction will be there in a couple of weeks. Get your fish there!


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

DJRansome said:


> nichiyasei, you are in Atlanta, and the American Cichlid Association show/auction will be there in a couple of weeks. Get your fish there!


Definitely a great suggestion! :thumb: What better place to get some fish....


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## nichiyasei (Jun 13, 2008)

that's a great idea. I kept avoiding thinking of that, because I expect it to be super expensive... but with shipping for online orders, it will probably balance out. And I won't have to worry about fish death in transit.

edit:
ACK! It will cost 50$ for me to walk in the door, plus you have to have a membership.... and its the weekend before I leave on a trip to NY. I'll have to think about it.

from their brochure:


> REGISTRATION
> $40 by 5/31; $50 by 6/30; $60 as of 7/1
> Membership in either American Cichlid Association or
> Atlanta Area Aquarium Association is required
> Membership: ACA - $25/year; AAAA - $15/year


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Ouch! I bet it's a really big group there though and probably worth the membership fee if you're really interested in getting involved or aquireing more and more fish. I thought about joining one but the nearest is close 100 miles away so with gas being so high I'm not joining. Yet, anyway. Maybe if gas comes back down.


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