# Metriaclima Estherae Fry



## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

Hi, I am new to the hobby. Anyways I just noticed that one of my Metriaclima estherae (Red) was holding. I am assuming she spawned with one of my Metriaclima estherae (Blue) males. Will the fry be pure bred or are they a mix?...does the color matter?...or should blues only spawn with blues and reds with reds etc... 
Thanks.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

reds with reds...blues with blues


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## BIG BWALZ (Feb 28, 2008)

I have a friend who had a male OB spawn with a female O zebra and they had some of each, OB's, O's Blue's, and Blue Blotched so I don't know?


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

may look ok but hybrids nonetheless in terms of disposition, slight barring etc


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

steelers fan said:


> reds with reds...blues with blues


That is incorrect if you have the blue male/red female variant of Met estherae (Minos Reef).

In the case of the Minos Reef, then a red x blue combo is the correct pairing.

Now if the OP doesn not specifically have the Minos Reef variant of Met estherae, then the blues are likely Met callainos which is a completely different species and all the fry would be hybrids. This is why is it highly recommend not to keep more than one speces of a genus together. Ther chances of hybridization go up greatly.


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## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

Thanks for the info...I have been trying to add photos so that maybe someone would be able to tell me if the male is a Blue Met estherae or a Met callainos. What are the differences between the two?


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

It can be very hard to tell. There has been a good bit of interbreeding in the fish store strains.

Technically a good qaulity _Met. callainos_ should not have any bars (at any time) as an adult, while the blue _Met. estherae_ show them quite often (even when relaxed they show faint shadow bars). Of course if it a female and its blue, they you definitely have a _callainos_ as only the male BluexRed estherae are blue.

Have you been able to determine the sex of your blue one? Has it bred with anyone?


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## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

My Blue one is definitely male...he is the dominate one in my tank and he always puts on such a show for the girls. He does have faint bars...I am pretty sure he was the one that bred with my female red zebra. She had babies the about a week and a half ago...they all seem to have her light orange/pinkish colour and most have some dark blotches on their head and around their tail.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

Kimmy said:


> My Blue one is definitely male...he is the dominate one in my tank and he always puts on such a show for the girls. He does have faint bars...I am pretty sure he was the one that bred with my female red zebra. She had babies the about a week and a half ago...*they all seem to have her light orange/pinkish colour and most have some dark blotches on their head and around their tail*.


This would definitely lead me to believe the blue male is a Met callainos, and not an estherae. Pure BlueXRed estherae have their gender colors from spitting (male fry are solid grey/blue, female fry are solid orange).


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2009)

Just to add to what MalawiLover has said, M. estherae (blue) males will also commonly have some orange spotting/ scribbling at the back of the dorsal.

Here is a pic of my male-










And here is a pic of some of the fry-










Looking forward to the pics of your male. opcorn:


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

Great pictures *Crowned*

This adult male really shows the slight differences of the Blue _estherae_ has to the _callainos_.

For comparison here is one of the profile pics of a male _Met callainos_


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Here is a couple pictures of one of my males, estherae that is.


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## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

Yes very nice pictures Crowned and Fogelhund!!!

I don't know how to add pictures so, I wasn't able to post...but they do look like the estherae that are shown, just not as pretty...are the ones posted not very old? I think mine are around 3yrs and almost seem more blue...darker. The fry look like the ones shown as well only there was no dark ones...the blotching I had mentioned is really just a dark patch on the top of their head...I noticed the same thing on some of the fry shown in the picture...not all of mine have it just some...and the spot around the tail. They are probably a mix of some sort or poor strain.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

Kimmy said:


> I don't know how to add pictures so, I wasn't able to post...


As long as you have 5 or more posts on the whole forum you are allowed to add pictures. Here's how:
1. Sign up for a free account with a one of these web sites: 
www.freewebspace.net 
www.photobucket.com

2. Upload the pictures from your PC to that online site. Pictures will be stored on their server and then accessible anywhere on the WWW.

3. After the upload is complete, view the photo you wish to post here. Right-click on the picture and then select Properties. Copy the Address (URL).

4. On this forum, Write in your post the following:

Code: 









5. THEN, before you SUBMIT your post, be sure to PREVIEW it first. You should see the image. If not, double check your code.



> The fry look like the ones shown as well only there was no dark ones


It is very improbably that you would have an entire spawn of a single sex, so I think that pretty much confirms that the male is a Met. callainos.


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## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

Hope this worked...when I previewed it the photos looked so small

Thanks for letting me know how to post the pictures, I really appreciate it.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Those look like thumbnails. Are the pictures really that small? The blue fish in the first picture doesn't look like an estherae to me.


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## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

Now the pictures look super-huge to me...but whatever helps to figure them out...I hope no-one with a slow internet connections opens this post!

Fogglehund...the first blue is also in the second picture...I only have 2 blue...compaired to your picture, I think they look different to, but only because of the stripes was I leading towards estherae.


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## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

The pics seem to have shrunk once actually posted.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

The blue fish are either low quality Labeotropheus fuelleborni, or hybrids of the same. They are not Metriaclima estherae. If they spawned with your estherae, you have hybrids. I don't mean to be rude, but if that is the female they fry came from, she isn't of very good quality either. The females colour is poor, and the body shape isn't what we hope to see in estherae.










Note the difference in mouth shape between your "fuelleborni" and your "estherae" and the ones pictured above and this female?

How many "estherae" do you have, as the one pictured is more of what I'd expect a male to look like.


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## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

Well...I wasn't even close then...I was just trying to figure out from pictures. The 2 blue males came with a tank that I had purchased 2nd hand...but I did get my answer... the offspring will be Hybrids.

Thank you all for your help with helping me find out what type of fish I have.

Fogelhund...I didn't find that rude, just honest...I don't even know types of fish so I wouldn't be able to tell the "norm" for the breed enough to judge quality...I just bought her because I liked her color, she was the only one in the tank that colour....now I know why.


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