# Need help Id'ing some rarer Malawi haps



## davegius (Nov 27, 2007)

Got a few fish that I am not really sure on yet - my best guess is before the pics. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Protomelas annectens? He has been starting to get more blue coming in lately.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/034.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/025.jpg

Copadichromis chrysonatus?
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/018.jpg

Mylochromis sphaerodon
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/035.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/036.jpg

No good guess on this one
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/046.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/037.jpg

Another one with no guess
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/040.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/038.jpg

Last unknown
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/001.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/002.jpg


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

davegius said:


> Copadichromis chrysonatus?
> http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/018.jpg


Could be. Hard to tell since most copadichromis have similar spotting.



davegius said:


> Last unknown
> http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/001.jpg
> http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc17 ... h2/002.jpg


Not so sure about the first fish, I wanted to say some sort of livingstonii, but the pattern is not a definite. In the second pic, the fish in the back resembles a vensutus, but could easily be another livingstonii as well.


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## davegius (Nov 27, 2007)

Yea, the fish in that second pic in the back is definitely a venustus, was needing the id more on the fish in the foreground. Its definitely not a Livingstoni; the pics are not the greatest as I got them while they were sleeping so some of his bars were some what faded out. I'll try and get some better pics, as the bars seem more protomelas when he is in normal coloration (its just so much harder to get a good pic of them when theyre awake and moving  )


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## davegius (Nov 27, 2007)

No idea on these from any of the experts? :-?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

davegius said:


> No idea on these from any of the experts? :-?


And rasco is what? Chopped liver?

Where did these fish come from? Personally, i do not believ it is right to try and attach a scientific name to fish that have lost their id but i would share N opinion or two on likely common names if you provide more on how you came into possession of these fish. You might even tempt one of those you consider an "expert" to post.


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## davegius (Nov 27, 2007)

Yikes, didnt mean any disrespect to rasco  , just that no one else had commented on most of these and wanted to bump it up. Common names would be great, even something to point me in the right direction. I got them from a reputable dealer, but they came in one of those assorted haps packages where they pick a little of this and a little of that depending on what is high in stock. PMs are welcome too


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

In the last pair, the fish in question looks nothing like a _Nimbochromis livingstonei_. The head shape looks like a _Placidochromis electra_, but the body color is all wrong. My best guess would be a hybrid of some sort.

The fish in back in the very last image is a definite _venustus_. _Nimbochromis _species, when the fish is reasonably pure, are all very easy to distinguish.


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## Chunkanese (Feb 4, 2011)

Last fish resembles a Taiwan Reef with subdominant coloration. The head could be a bit more blue


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## lilwaky (Jan 15, 2011)

Pic 046 looks kind of blurry. Blurry or not, this is just going to be a stab in the dark since I don't have that much experience yet. But I'd like to try to help. So...what about Lethrinops Intermedius? :?


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

davegius said:


> Yikes, didnt mean any disrespect to rasco


Haha. I had no idea. It's all good, no offense taken. :thumb:



Chromedome52 said:


> In the last pair, the fish in question looks nothing like a _Nimbochromis livingstonei_. The head shape looks like a _Placidochromis electra_, but the body color is all wrong. My best guess would be a hybrid of some sort.
> 
> The fish in back in the very last image is a definite _venustus_. _Nimbochromis _species, when the fish is reasonably pure, are all very easy to distinguish.


Listen to this guy, I've never kept a livingstoni, mine was a wild hair guess. The eye pattern def looks like an electra, but they are blue and are striped/colored different.


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## DIAMOND_CICHLIDS (Sep 22, 2011)

i would say for pic 46 maybe a red empress


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Think the bottom one could be a young Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (Taiwan Reef) but thats hardly rare :wink: 
But agree very hard/maybe impossible to pin many of these down esp with so many crosses and changed fish (line bred) in the shops that look similar to pure species and variants.

Too many times do I see tanks of these (often Czechoslovakia bred in the UK) in LFSs with poor or no labels.
Bit of a nightmare for the budding hap keepers.  
I guess it is similar where you are?

All the best James


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