# Red Top Lwanda or Lemon Jake?



## R6RaVeN37 (Aug 10, 2012)

I am working on finalizing my stock list for my new 150 gal Hap/Peacock tank, and I am trying to decide between the Lwanda or the Lemon Jake. I was going to do Usisya Flavescent, but some of the site sponsors advised me that I would be better off with the Lwanda or Lemon Jake with the Haps that I am going to be stocking.

So my question is, which would you go with? They are both beautiful fish and I am having a hard time choosing between them. Would either of these look to similar to Yellow Blaze Lithobates and cause problems?


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## Graffiti (Aug 17, 2013)

Lwanda all day for me, shouldnt have an issue with the lithobates.


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## Allan01230 (May 23, 2013)

Lemon Jake for me


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Both are cool. The Lemon Jake can be more colorful but the Lwanda is distinctive, some are darker than others.

If you already have a yellow stuartgranti type, maybe go for Lwanda.

Really, just whichever one you can get quality fish.


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## R6RaVeN37 (Aug 10, 2012)

noki said:


> Both are cool. The Lemon Jake can be more colorful but the Lwanda is distinctive, some are darker than others.
> 
> If you already have a yellow stuartgranti type, maybe go for Lwanda.
> 
> Really, just whichever one you can get quality fish.


Whichever Peacock I pick, it will be the only one in the tank. I am doing males and females of all the fish I am stocking, so I dont want to have crossbreeding issues. I was looking for something with some yellow, thats why I was debating between these two, but I think I am leaning towards the Lwanda. I have a place where I can get some F1's of either fish.


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## papasmurf (May 21, 2003)

You will still likely have cross breeding issues with a mixed hap/peacock setup as they can readily hybridize. Lwanda's and Jakes (I think the lwanda's are actually a jake variant even though they are not really named as such) are more territorial than most of the stuartgranti type peacocks so the males should be able to hold their own but that does not mean the dominant male in the tank will not mate with the other females. I know alot of people like to keep pairs of each species and I did too when I was first starting out, but in the end IMO it seems to cause more problems than anything else...I would look to keep two or three species tops if you are wanting to do pairs...perhaps a peacock type, and one or two types of haps that are as different as possible (ex: phenochilus and buccochromis...just examples as they get big) to avoid hybridization.


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## EBJD keeper (Jun 29, 2010)

papasmurf said:


> You will still likely have cross breeding issues with a mixed hap/peacock setup as they can readily hybridize. Lwanda's and Jakes (I think the lwanda's are actually a jake variant even though they are not really named as such) are more territorial than most of the stuartgranti type peacocks so the males should be able to hold their own but that does not mean the dominant male in the tank will not mate with the other females. I know alot of people like to keep pairs of each species and I did too when I was first starting out, but in the end IMO it seems to cause more problems than anything else...I would look to keep two or three species tops if you are wanting to do pairs...perhaps a peacock type, and one or two types of haps that are as different as possible (ex: phenochilus and buccochromis...just examples as they get big) to avoid hybridization.


I agree


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## R6RaVeN37 (Aug 10, 2012)

papasmurf said:


> You will still likely have cross breeding issues with a mixed hap/peacock setup as they can readily hybridize. Lwanda's and Jakes (I think the lwanda's are actually a jake variant even though they are not really named as such) are more territorial than most of the stuartgranti type peacocks so the males should be able to hold their own but that does not mean the dominant male in the tank will not mate with the other females. I know alot of people like to keep pairs of each species and I did too when I was first starting out, but in the end IMO it seems to cause more problems than anything else...I would look to keep two or three species tops if you are wanting to do pairs...perhaps a peacock type, and one or two types of haps that are as different as possible (ex: phenochilus and buccochromis...just examples as they get big) to avoid hybridization.


Here is what I was planning on stocking:

Yellow Blaze Lithobates

Super VC10

Green Face Intermedius

Tangerine Tiger

Red Top Lwanda or Lemon Jake

I tried to pick fish that didn't look similar, and that had females that looked different. Two of the reputable site sponsors both told me that these fish should work together with minimal possibility of hybridization. They both also said to stock each species as 1m to 5f or 2m to 6f. They also both mentioned that more than one male of each species would help the dominant male of that species color up better and breed stronger, as well as keep some of the attention off the females. Was this all bad advice? I don't want to do an all male tank.


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## Graffiti (Aug 17, 2013)

Sounds about right, it's a good rule of thumb you may have to take some fish out depending on there habits they don't always act together like planned, so don't get to attached. Just watch em for a while and you'll figure out what works,.


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## NestoJR (Sep 13, 2012)

I'd get a Lemon Jake over the Lwanda. Over both of them, I'd get an Otter Point Jake, I miss that guy !!

Also, I find Lethrinops (or Tramitichromis as they go by now) are hard to color up in a community. I had 2 males, first separately then together and they never showed their green color, just some pink/red in their fins.


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## R6RaVeN37 (Aug 10, 2012)

NestoJR said:


> I'd get a Lemon Jake over the Lwanda. Over both of them, I'd get an Otter Point Jake, I miss that guy !!
> 
> Also, I find Lethrinops (or Tramitichromis as they go by now) are hard to color up in a community. I had 2 males, first separately then together and they never showed their green color, just some pink/red in their fins.


I like the Otter Points, but I want something with a little more yellow in it.

What size tank were the Tramitichromis in and what else were in there with them? I have heard some people say they can be pretty timid, and then others say they can get pretty aggressive. I guess like all other cichlids, it just boils down to the individual fish.


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## papasmurf (May 21, 2003)

If it is a true lethrinops species (albus, intungi, etc.) then the males will not hold color in a mixed tank. They are very, very, timid fish...tried it (male was bigger than any other fish in the tank) and it did not work. If you are speaking of the tramitichromis intermedius (sometimes goes by lethrinops intermedius by mistake) then it will likely do okay with a mixed tank as they can hold their own a lot better than the true lethrinops species.


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## testeve (Sep 17, 2012)

I don't think you can go wrong with either the Lwanda or the Lemon Jake. I prefer the Lemon Jake myself, they have a little more yellow. Honestly with the Haps you are stocking I think you might still be ok with the Usisya?


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