# Rusty Mbuna and Lavender Mbuna



## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

Last weekend I bought a couple mbuna from the fish store called Lavender Mbuna. I have also bought Rusty mbuna from the same store a few months ago. Well reading and searching on the internet I see that these two fish should be the same. Mine arent. The lavenders are actually like a yellow orange. No purple on belly sides. They also look like they have faint vertical stripes as where my rusties dont. Do you think these lavenders I got are something else?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Lavender mbuna is another name for Rusties.... (common names suck).

I have no idea what you really have without seeing a picture.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

I have pics in a folder but have no clue how to get them on here. Ill wait for the Mrs to get home and give it a shot unless someone can provide easy instruction


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

embesh said:


> I have pics in a folder but have no clue how to get them on here. Ill wait for the Mrs to get home and give it a shot unless someone can provide easy instruction


upload them onto www.photobucket.com

after you've uploaded the picture, in photobucket click on it. when you are looking at it on your photobucket account, on the bottom right there will be a list of different format of links for the picture, look for the last link, something like 'forum/message board'. it should start with







. copy and paste that entire link when you post a msg on here, and it comes up as a picture.


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## pkut (Feb 3, 2005)

Could it possibly be a Pseudotropheus Aurora? http://www.aqualot.de/images/malawi/Pse ... aurora.jpg


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## LexBubble (May 21, 2008)

nah, lavenders and rustys are the same thing. Alot of pet stores don't even know what they got and just use the names they buy them as. You have a bunch of rustys but they are really beautiful fish especially when they get the lavender part in them


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=33xikpg&s=5


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2j2x25v&s=5


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

both pics are of the same fish. the other one is the same but more brownish


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## letstalkfish (Dec 25, 2008)

I serious doubt that fish is a rusty. looks more like a msobo.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

believe it or not, this fish is indeed a rusty. It turned color. maybe it was just young. this is a really nice one too :drooling:


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

embesh said:


> believe it or not, this fish is indeed a rusty. It turned color. maybe it was just young. this is a really nice one too :drooling:


no its not a rusty. They dont change to yellow in color. Maybe another species or a hybrid. Whatever it is, its not a rusty.

Its a nice fish, but not a nice rusty.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

I agree with you partially. It may be a hybrid. Ill try to post another pic of this fish. Its definately not that color yellow anymore. Its more like the same color of the rusty now. Ill get the pic up when the wife gets her butt home with my camera.


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

embesh said:


> I agree with you partially. It may be a hybrid. Ill try to post another pic of this fish. Its definately not that color yellow anymore. Its more like the same color of the rusty now. Ill get the pic up when the wife gets her butt home with my camera.


In what ways do you partially agree with me. I know for a fact that isnt a pure rusty.

It may be a another species however.

as long as you arent planning to breed it, what does it matter. If you like it, keep it.


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

embesh said:


> I agree with you partially. It may be a hybrid. Ill try to post another pic of this fish. Its definately not that color yellow anymore. Its more like the same color of the rusty now. Ill get the pic up when the wife gets her butt home with my camera.


In what ways do you partially agree with me. I know for a fact that isnt a pure rusty.

It may be a another species however.

as long as you arent planning to breed it, what does it matter. If you like it, keep it.`


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

so I called the fish store I got these fish from. I also got my rusties from these people. They told me that they are lavender mbuna and if they were rusties, they would label them that way like they have before. The lavender arent the same and are supposedly less aggressive than the rusty and that they are very similar. I told her what is commonly known with this subject as far as the internet, profiles, discussion, and common name and she said they are definately not hybrid. I think that is a little scratchy. Oh well. Ill still get up the pic. Oh, about agreeing with you, I was just a little half sided about it because of the fact that it changed color. I was thinking it could have just been a real bright one cause the other one I got with it from the same batch was much more brownish. Its definately not the same as my rusties. But there is definately a lavender shine comming out of these two whatever they are.


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

The only lavender cichlids, are a common name for Idotropheus sprengerae. (rusties). She is lying to you. Probably not knowingly however.


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## letstalkfish (Dec 25, 2008)

I wonder if it is a Iodotropheus declivitas which is similiar to the rusty's but its on the redlist. Hard to tell cause theres no picture of it and Iodotropheus stuartgranti is more purplish.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

bac3492 said:


> The only lavender cichlids, are a common name for Idotropheus sprengerae. (rusties). She is lying to you. Probably not knowingly however.


 yeah thats what Im thinkin


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## letstalkfish (Dec 25, 2008)

Below A male Iodotropheus sprengerae (the Rusty Cichlid) from Boadzulu Island, the original type locality of the species, in the southeast arm of Lake Malawi.










I. sprengerae from Chinyankwazi Island, Malawi


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## gbleeker (Jul 31, 2007)

Guys - something else to consider.. that fish definitely looks like a Msobo. If it is - and the author is describing it as a "rusty" coloration - it may very well be a male Msobo transitioning - and it could have a similar coloration to that of a rusty. Even yet, it wouldn't be *that* similiar - I guess it is possible.

I wouldn't be surprised if the fish ends up blue and black = Msobo !


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## letstalkfish (Dec 25, 2008)

gbleeker said:


> Guys - something else to consider.. that fish definitely looks like a Msobo. If it is - and the author is describing it as a "rusty" coloration - it may very well be a male Msobo transitioning - and it could have a similar coloration to that of a rusty. Even yet, it wouldn't be *that* similiar - I guess it is possible.
> 
> I wouldn't be surprised if the fish ends up blue and black = Msobo !


thats what i thought.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

definately not msobo. It is turing color a little but not that. It almost has the same exact color coming through just as the color of the rusty belly. Also it is not that yellow as the female msobo.


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## letstalkfish (Dec 25, 2008)

its prolly a Chinyankwazi Island variant of the rusty.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=30msjnb&s=5


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## gbleeker (Jul 31, 2007)

It could still be a male msobo.. the transition takes a long time. It may not be a msobo.... just have to wait and see.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

When this fish colors up, it has very pronounce black vertical bars all down its side like a zebra. maybe its just a hybrid. It also gets pretty aggressive for such a little guy. Notice the darker fish behind it. Thats the other fish I got with it. Same fish


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## Lioncov (Feb 9, 2007)

I live in your area and I recently saw a tank full of ?? "Lavender Mbuna" in a store in Ocean Twp. These fish were placed right next to a tank containing Rustys. The Rustys looked correct but what is a Laverder mbuna ? They looked like a hybrid to me. I think this is probably your fish. I am not suprised at the explanation that you got from the store.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

Tropa quarium?


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## Lioncov (Feb 9, 2007)

You got it!!


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

well there we have it. all good. Homework DONE!!


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

letstalkfish said:


> its prolly a Chinyankwazi Island variant of the rusty.


Lets be serious, who have you heard of that has that variant? I was unaware there was such a thing.

If there is a yellow version of a rusty? Why would it change color? And why would a basic LFS have such a rare fish.


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## MbunaMan25 (Nov 21, 2008)

Maybe it is a Rusty but a poor strain or just poor quality in all. Could possibly be a hybrid as well.


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## embesh (Jun 24, 2008)

The store has both fish labeled rusty, and lavender mbuna. They are both different and the store says they are too. I have both of them and I did think at one point that they were the same. They are definately different. Whatever the story is, either the store is full of it or the person who provided these fish to the store is full of it. Im gona say the store is full of it. I have seen different obliquiden, different, rusty/lavender, and also different peacocks go through there in the last 6 months. They are all nice fish but not what they are supposed to be. Business lives on. Whatever.


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## kfig7 (Nov 24, 2008)

I go to the same fish store in Ocean Twp. I buy a lot of supplies there but I will never buy my fish there.


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