# please help ID my cichlids



## shaneloots (Apr 1, 2014)

hi everyone

I recently set up a tank with a few Cichlids in it but when i bought them they came from a tank labled assorted Cichlids.
Would someone please tell me what kind of Cichlids these are?

If possibe could someone tell me which are male and which are female?

I have added a link to a picture of each fish and i have also given a short discription of there behaviour.(not sure if this helps)

Fish 1: This fish will not stop chasing fish 2. i am surprised that he sat still long enough to take a pic. he doesnt seem to chase the other fish much at all only fish 2.


Fish 2: when its not being chased this fish minds its own bussiness and this fish never chases any other fish in the tank. (i am hoping this is a female species of fish 1).


Fish 3&4: These two fish also mind there own business and do not try to chase other fish in the tank.


Fish 5: This is the little one in the pic that is silver with a black stripe and he seems very agressive, i have seen him stand his ground and scare off fish 1 which is fairly bigger then him :lol: he chases some of the other fish quite alot but he gives up fairly quickly.


Fish 6: This fish would stay in the rock features every day all day if the other fish dont spook it out.


Thanks in advance for the info and please excuse the slightly green tank i was busy changing the water when i took these pictures.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Welcome to the forum!

Identifying fish 1 & 2 is difficult - they seem familiar for some reason, but aren't matching anything that comes to mind. I would have to assume they are some type of Metriaclima hybrids, maybe a little bit of Met. aurora, Met. sp. zebra "long pelvic", and/or Met. greshakei. Somebody may come along and ID them straight away and I'll kick myself for not getting it, but knowing they came from an "assorted" tank helps reinforce the hybrid conclusion. They do look to be the same mix as one another, though, and both appear to be males, which explains the chasing. This link shows some of the similarly to Met. aurora - http://www.malawi-dream.info/Maylandia_aurora_Mara_Point.htm

Although it's not the best picture, fish 3 & 4 look to be juvenile haplochromines from Lake Malawi, specifically Copadichromis borleyi "Red-fin Kadango". If female, their appearance will remain pretty much as it is now, but if either of them are male they will develop red or reddish orange flanks and a blue head and fins. They get fairly large (6-8" at least). http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1009

Fish 5 is another hap, one of the Protomelas species. Protomelas taeniolatus (common name Red Empress) is most likely, as they're pretty common, but there are several Protomelas species that look very similar when young. Hopefully it's a male and will start to develop some nice red and blue coloration, but if female it will remain silvery. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1369

Fish 6 is going to be impossible to ID correctly without a photo showing it's head and face. Based on the markings, the orange-ish base color with darker blotches (called OB for orange-blotched), it could be anything from a hybrid OB peacock to a pure Labeotropheus or Metriaclima zebra species. The fins are shaped like it's a male, though (pointed and longer/flowing, as opposed to shorter, rounded fins of a female), that much I can see.

Try to post some better photos of fish 3 & 4 (although I'm pretty confidant they're borleyi), along with pics of fish 5 & 6 that really show the head/face/mouth in profile. Then hopefully we'll be able to get them accurately identified for you. Hope this has been helpful!


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## greenterror66 (Jan 26, 2014)

A lot of the time when you buy African Cichlids from the tank labeled "Assorted" or "Mixed" african cichlids, you get fish that are not pure strians (cross bred) so identifying them can be "a guess" at best. I'm more into American Cichlids but someone on here will be able to help you. Wish I had some answers for you but there are so many different African cichlids that its confusing to me and I have been keeping fish for about 5 years. If I had to make a guess, I would say they are some type of Zebra but thats an uneducated guess.

Good Luck. Hope you find some answers.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

Fish 1 & 2 strongly resemble _Metriaclima hajomaylandi_. The lack of bars on the yellowish head, the distribution of the orange/yellow on the unpaired fins, these are characteristics of that species. It would be quite unusual, as I believe this is a fairly rare species in the hobby these days. Also, the head color suggests a poorly bred line even if it is pure, which seems unlikely. However, it is the only species I could find in three sources that appears to match them.


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## ILCichlid (Feb 27, 2012)

Definately not a Hajomaylandi, NM did a pretty good job with his post in iding or helping you get there.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

The first one does look most like a Hajomaylandi type. I suppose the Aurora group would be the second guess. Can't really sbe sure of exact ID.


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