# Chitande? or Ethelwynnae? or neither?



## sevmeera (Aug 8, 2009)

Hi everyone, I was wondering about the identity of my mystery fish, I have been told either one of the above species, but I cant really tell. I also was wondering about this particular fish's behavior, he never, ever stops swimming, constantly back and forth, up and down, he does however eat flake food off of your finger, which is really funny. Can this behavior indicate whether a fish is wild or tank raised? Thanks for the input. Happy Turkey Day!


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## sevmeera (Aug 8, 2009)




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## Rift485 (Dec 3, 2004)

That is identical to the Chitande "Nkhata Bay" male I used to have. However, I do believe they were mislabeled and are more similar to other Chitande species or a Lethrinops or something similar. There is a large lack of information regarding those but I can tell you it is not an Ethelwynnae.


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## sevmeera (Aug 8, 2009)

cool! any other info about the Chitande? Does the behavior I mentioned sound familiar, or is that something unique to this guy? I was hoping it was a Chitande, did yours end up with a yellow face? Thanks for the input!


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## Rift485 (Dec 3, 2004)

There was a big commotion about a year and a half ago with people looking for the Type North Nkhata Bay Chitande's. One of the breeders got a hold of a supposed group and had a spawn and sold a bunch of the fry, some to me. When mine grew up they started to resemble one of the Lethrinops species more than the Type North based on the amount of coloration and the dorsal fin colors. The Type North's dorsal has the black strip on top, which it looks like yours does, but mine had it below and the yellow on top. These species are so similar that I believe further classification is necessary and they'll probably end up being different variants of the same species.

This was mine:










Which is very similar to other Lethrinops "Yellow Collar" posted online:










Whereas the Type North, as you probably know, is supposed to look like this:










Notice the different amount of yellow in the head, the head shape, and the different dorsal fins.

I know myself and some other people were unhappy with the fish we got and after that point I gave up on the search for the true Nkhata Bays. Yours could really be either one but without a clearer picture (try using the flash) it would be hard to know. Even with a good shot it would be near impossible to know for sure unless you talked to a true "expert".

Anyway, the behavior is normal and he should settle into the tank within a few weeks. How long have you had him? He is definitely a nice looking fish!


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## sevmeera (Aug 8, 2009)

It does look very similar to the pics you posted, mine is starting to show a little yellow in the face, which makes me wonder if it is a true Chitande, I think he is still maturing and hasnt reached his true color yet. He has a steely blue sheen coming in on his sides, and some blue on his face along with a little yellow. here are a couple more pics, hopefully better quality. Thanks for your input, I really appreciate the help! :thumb:


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