# Albino Metriaclima Callainos?



## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

I've started having some doubts recently as to the identity of my 6 Albino fish. I can't remember exactly what they were purchased as. I thought they were purchased as albino cobalt zebras, but now I'm starting to think the tank might have said albino zebras and I was the one who assumed cobalts. Anyways, here's the best pic I've got available right now, but I've got some more I can post when I get home (posting as urls instead of imgs in an attempt to avoid the no suitable node error):

My fish (the white one )

You can't see in the pic, but up close you can tell its a zebra type, as you can just barely make out the faint striping across the forhead area. So, they're definitely not socolofi. Another significant marking is that the dominant males show some yellow coloring on the trailing edge of their tails. At times, these fish can almost look like a really soft fluorescent blue.

I haven't found any pics online that really match what my fish look like. The white cobalt pictures I do find online are all mostly of the pearl white variant with black eyes (non-albino). My fish are definitely albino (red eyes). The only claimed albino callainos pics I've found online (bluegrass aquatics) look nothing like my fish. online albino cobalt pics

So I guess I'm just looking for the proper ID for compatability and hybridization risk in my tank, as well as assurance that these are a true species or variant of a species and not a mon-made albino hybrid.

Thanks for the help!


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Impossible to tell.. though just keep them as albino "zebras".


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Fogelhund said:


> Impossible to tell.. though just keep them as albino "zebras".


hmph... frustrating. Would better pics help, or still impossible to tell? Would it get easier to tell when they get older/bigger, or still impossible?

I'm mostly trying to work out hybridazation and territorial compatibility with the 2 metriaclima species in the same tank. Also, I know some zebra's (like estherae, for example) hybridize with the labs as well. I would want to keep some fry from the albinos and the "sp dophin" for sure to work out m:f ratios later on - I can't just pick up more from the LFS like I can with the labs, rusties, and aceis. Well, maybe I could get lucky and snatch up some more sp dolphins since my LFS breeds them, but I'm not sure where he got the albinos, and I can't just buy more if I don't know the species or can't find them online, so raising fry myself would be the only way for me to get more of the same.

Also trying to find out if I can ethically sell, give away, or trade at the LFS if I someday have extra fry or excess males? Well, I already have at least 1 extra male for sure, but the 2 of 'em aren't causing problems in the tank at the moment, only some light liplocking the first day after moving to the big tank. And 1 in iso that may be a 3rd less dominant male. Someday sooner rather than later, I'm going to have to find something to do with the extras.

I should have just got albino socolofi to begin with, but these guys just happened to be in a tank at the LFS when I picked up the rusties and sp dolphin and I impulsively purchased them as well because they were available and I wouldn't have to order online. And they are nice looking fish.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

All mbuna hybridize. Fish of the same genus may be more likely. There are no special exceptions for or against. There is no reason why an Albino Socolofi would not make hybrids while an Albino Zebra would. Zebras get a little bigger, so they tend to be more dominant and more likely to breed, that would be the only reason.

Not sure if they even sell Callainos albino in the hobby. I've seen Estherae albinos and they are still kinda orange tinted. There are Red (dorsal) Top Albino ones which are probably Greshakei. There are basic albino Zebras in which you can see the faint barring easily. Are all pure? Maybe, maybe not. Albinos are a novelty fish.

The Bluegrass pic of Callainos Albino are not Callainos. That site has always had questionable names for some of his pics.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks for the insight noki. Glad to hear that the bluegrass callainos pic are not callainos.

My fish don't really sound like any of the 3 metriaclima albinos you described. They're definitely not greshaki albinos. They're not orange tinted as you've described the estherae albinos - in fact, I would say they're blue tinted if anything. And my fish don't really have any barring as you've described the basic albino zebra - only the very faint watermark of a stripe or 2 across the forehead, and no barring or markins noticeable on their sides.

I'm about to post some new pictures, 1 of which clearly shows the yellow tinting on the end of the tail, and I believe all pics show the general blue tint to the fish very well.

Looking blue:








This pic really shows the yellow I was talking about:








If you look reeeeealy closely, you can make out the ever so faint barring across the forhead and eyes in the next 2 pics:
















Pic from OP link:









I guess another way I can ask the question is, do you see anything in the pics that would cause you to doubt that they are callainos?


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

They look to be quite small, is that the case?

If so, I personally would lean toward greshakei and I would expect more yellow to show up on the tail and dorsal as they get larger.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

They're not full size, but they're not small either. I'm horrible at judging size, but I'd say the bigger ones I took pictures of are approching 3in. I'm pretty confident they're not greshaki, although I wouldn't mind if they were. Greshaki females are salmon colored, and these are all too white... unless the females turn more pink as they get older?

I was doing some more research the other day and found the biggest clue yet. I happened across a seller in the UK advertizing "albino cobalt zebras" for sale. They listed a scientific name of "Maylandia Zebra". I went to the Generic Metriaclima Zebra profile page here at this site and the pic associated with the profile could very well be the non-albino variant of my fish - notice the yellow on the edge of the tail and the tip of the dorsal fin. I would think the yellow on the dorsal fin and tail would have to show up in the standard callainos if these were albino callainos.









So I think I'm just going to start calling them albino zebras. It'll be interesting to see what they grow into and how big and aggressive they'll get. I hope they work out, but if not I guess I'll have to get rid of them for some albino socolofi or maybe even something else entirely.


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

They don't appear to be albino greshakeis. I've bred albino greshakeis and the red tint on the dorsal becomes distinct quite early -- at .5" - 1" or so. The body of the fish also has a pinkish hue to it (or salmon if female or sub-dom male).


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