# Multiple IDs Please



## siklidkid (Aug 12, 2009)

I recently bought 4 juvie groups of 6: Polits, Msobos, Rustys, and a C. Mara Lion (That is what they were sold to me as.)

*1. *When he arrived, he looked nothing like the others. I can't remember who he was grouped with. My first thought is C. Mara Lion...

When I first got him.









Current pic.









*2.* But as these guys are maturing, some are barring and others are not, which leads me to believe that THESE are the C. Mara Lions

















*3. *This female is holding. From the searches I have done, she could be a female Rusty OR Polit









*4. *Then these two guys which are similar, I'm just not sure what they are because of the barring both vertical and horizontal, which I guess are female Polits...


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## straitjacketstar (Mar 8, 2004)

The first fish is M. lombardoi.
The second set does look like C. sp. Lion, however I'm not sure if they would be the Mara Point/Mara Rocks population. I had a group of WC's and they were much lighter in color and their faces rounded in comparison. The barring also seems different. Your male fish's bands are darker and more narrow than the lighter and thicker bands of the sp. Lion Mara Rocks I kept.








other images of C. sp. Lion from the Mara Rocks population.
http://i80.servimg.com/u/f80/09/00/62/09/220.jpg
http://www.abysse-cichlides.com/images/ ... 0Rocks.jpg
http://www.malawi-dream.info/Cynotilapi ... a_Rock.htm

As for the last fish IMO bears a great resemblance to P. williamsi, but I've never kept them or seen them in person to know how they'd actually look apart from search engine pictures of colored adult specimens.


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## siklidkid (Aug 12, 2009)

*#1* I think your right on that 1st one being a _M. Lombardoi_, strange thing is, the place where I got him doesn't even offer those.

He does kind of look like the last few photos of the link you posted. 
http://www.malawi-dream.info/Cynotilapi ... a_Rock.htm

If he is an _M. Lombardoi_ as you suggest, I need to get him out of there pretty quick as he will start raising some kind of **** being the only male of his species. So nice of the retailer to add an extra fish that is one of the most aggressive male mbunas out there.

What about *#3*?

*#4.*I did find _P. Williamsi_ shot that looks like them a little, but again the retailer doesn't even offer them. 
Anyone have anymore thoughts on *#4.*


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## Hthundar (Apr 10, 2009)

*#4

Looks like a female Polit to me :thumb: *


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## straitjacketstar (Mar 8, 2004)

I don't think any place has to offer anything to be able to give you something other than what you thought you were buying. I bought my group of wild C. sp. Lion Mara Rocks as C. mbweca. I had to get the collection info from my seller and figure out what they where. When I ordered wild C. mbweca a second time from the same person they were actualy C. mbweca.
Another time I purchased a wild C. afra Cobue that turned out to be C. afra from Minos Reef. Different seller, same ID mish mash.
And there are plenty of times a place will order something and get something completely different. They have two choices. Figure out what it is and sell it with a proper ID or sell it as what it came in as. The latter is of course easier and usually what they do.
Your first fish is M. lombardoi without a doubt.
The second two are sp. Lions just not the Mara variant. Possibly Lion's Cove.
And I'm looking at pics of P. polit and it looks Hthundar has got it. Not sure of the sex but the last fish looking more and more like P. polit, after finding some pic of them in juvie coloration.
Not sure of #3 as it looks like it could be either to me as well.


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## siklidkid (Aug 12, 2009)

I think *#3* and *#4* are both female _P. Polits_, *#3* might simply more mature, thus no stripes. Hard to distinguish the Rusties and the female Polits.

I found a good link here from 2006 (Polit Pics), last post in thread.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... male+polit

Thanks for your help guys :thumb:


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

siklidkid said:


>


These look a lot like _C._ sp. "Lion" Lion's Cove/Sanga females to me.


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## siklidkid (Aug 12, 2009)

Hey Why,

Any chance that top one is a male, sometimes I can see some faint blues and yellows coming through.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

The top fish looks like a _Met. lombardoi_ to me - the barring shape (triangular) is definitely reminds me of them (possibly a male changing color?). Doesn't look like a _C._ sp. "Lion" Mara Rocks or any of the other three species. (Polits, Msobos, Rusty's)


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## nfrost (Mar 10, 2009)

brian, i think that he is talking about the top photo of the two that are sp. 'lion'. My thoughts are that the only way to tell at this size/color would be to vent them.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

nfrost said:


> My thoughts are that the only way to tell at this size/color would be to vent them.


Nick, that would be my thoughts as well. That photo looks just like one or two of the females I have, and so did the photo below it. It isn't unusual to see females with both patterns - all depends on their mood IMO. If it is a male, he's surely getting dominated by someone. Venting would be the fastest way to find out.


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