# Identified 4 out of 5 Africans. Can you help with last one?



## zachaos (Nov 14, 2013)

I bought five African Cichlids at Petsmart (I know, I know.) I just wanted to score some on sale and they're all doing well and pretty active. All of them have brightened up since leaving the store so I guess they're pretty comfortable. I think I have successfully identified all but one fish. They all had nicknames at the store so i'm hoping someone can here can help.









*Pseudotropheus demasoni* (Left) *Nimbochromis venustus* (Right)









*Tropheus sp. "Red"*









*Labidochromis caeruleus(Lion's Cove I)* (left)









*?unknown?* - He was just a little yellow when I picked him out from the rest. Since being in my tank he has turned Yellow and blue, maybe a little orange. He is the smallest out of the five I got (about 1.5 - 2 inches).

& Just so I don't have to make another post for such a short question.. How long should I wait until I add another group into my 55 gallon?

Thanks, Z


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## gverde (Mar 3, 2010)

Doesn't look like a N. venustus on the first pic.


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

Fish #1 - tough to tell from the pic if its a demasoni.

Fish #2 - Hybrid. Maybe a taiwan reef hybrid

Fish #3 and #4 seem correct

Fish #5 - no pic showing for me.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

The Closest Thing I Can Think Of To #5 That Petsmart Has Been Selling Lately Is Labidochromis Hongi They've Had Them Mis-Labeled As Cynotilapia Afra, But They're definitely Hongi.

Agree With The Others That The Fish You Have ID'd As Venustus Is Incorrect.


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## Malawi22 (Feb 6, 2014)

Last fish looks to be a juvi metriaclima greshakei or juvi cynotilapia afra jalo reef


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm Fairly Confident That #5 Isn't Metriaclima Greshakei, But I Suppose That There May Be A Petsmart Out There That Is Actually Selling Some Sort Of Cynotilapia Instead Of Just Hongi Labeled As Them. If You Can Post A Couple Better Photos Of That One It'll Help.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

The barred silver fish in pic 1 may be a Placidochromis milomo in a light phase. Petsmart has carried these recently, and the mass market strains seems to vary in appearance because of sloppy breeding. Certainly not Venustus.

The Demasoni might be a Demasoni, thou a better picture would help.

The last fish is probably just the crappy quality Greshakei they sell as Ice Blue, which are probably not pure anyway. Very common in recent years.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Yep, looking at the silvery one in the first photo on a bigger screen now, and Noki is right - that's one of those Pl. milomo (AKA VC-10) that they've been selling for the past year or so. They can be pretty fish if male, but it will depend on how diluted the gene pool is in this strain. They also get fairly large, so hopefully your tank is big enough for it.


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## zachaos (Nov 14, 2013)

Okay I went back to the store and took a note on what the tags said. After coming home and looking at the genus gallery. It appears that @nmcichlid-aholic is correct and the top fish is not a hybrid but a* Placidochromis milomo*. I took a picture of the tag I got the unidentified fish out of and this was the tag. 








So after searching it looks like it could be *Cynotilapia zebroides*? What does everyone else think? Maybe a weak strand of the fish? Or maybe it's just mislabeled and is actually a breed mentioned above?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

zachaos said:


> Okay I went back to the store and took a note on what the tags said. After coming home and looking at the genus gallery. It appears that @nmcichlid-aholic *(Noki)* is correct and the top fish is not a hybrid but a* Placidochromis milomo*. I took a picture of the tag I got the unidentified fish out of and this was the tag.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Petsmart has been selling Labidochromis hongi incorrectly labeled as "Afra Cichlid" for about the last 2 years - this is well known, and you can probably find 100 threads in the unidentified forum related to this mis-identification by the retailer. I kind of suspected that's what that one was, and now you've confirmed it. The really strange thing (to me at least), is that the folks at Petsmart must have been told of this who knows how many times by now, and they've yet to correct their mistake.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

You guys have got to stop buying your fish at Petsmart. They sell you such trash.


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## zachaos (Nov 14, 2013)

pablo111 said:


> You guys have got to stop buying your fish at Petsmart. They sell you such trash.


I agree, as I said in my first post


zachaos said:


> I bought five African Cichlids at Petsmart (I know, I know.) I just wanted to score some on sale..


 because I am starting out and am not a pro, didn't want to spend a lot if they were to not going to make it in my setup. Now that I know my tank is doing well and what I purchased are thriving, I do plan on purchasing from a trusted indie store here in Minneapolis. Just wanted to figure out what I exactly got at PetSmart.


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## zachaos (Nov 14, 2013)

nmcichlid-aholic said:


> zachaos said:
> 
> 
> > Okay I went back to the store and took a note on what the tags said. After coming home and looking at the genus gallery. It appears that @nmcichlid-aholic *(Noki)* is correct and the top fish is not a hybrid but a* Placidochromis milomo*. I took a picture of the tag I got the unidentified fish out of and this was the tag.
> ...


Thank you!


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

Meh.. I still think you can find some gems at Pet Smart. Not every thing... but once in a while they have something nice there.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

miDnIghtEr20C said:


> Meh.. I still think you can find some gems at Pet Smart. Not every thing... but once in a while they have something nice there.


Hey, It All depends On What You're Looking For. Like Zachaos, Not Everyone Is Ready To Jump Into The Hobby With F0 And F1 Fish. As Long As You Don't Get Upset When You End Up With A Poorly Bred Or Hybrid Fish, Then Get Your Fish Where You Like.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

I've accidentally ended up with hybrids 2 times. In both situations I immediately rehomed the fish. Others may think differently. But, if I payed $30 for a fish, it better be the right fish. If I had payed 25 cents, I wouldn't care.


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## tanbunia1215 (Feb 14, 2014)

Ok the one in the pic #1 on left And the mystery fish in pic #5 are both the same the 1st one is female and the 5th pic is of a male in transformation it will be a bright orange with faded stripes I have a breeding pair of these (Metriaclima lombardoi) or KenyI cichlids as petsmart usually sells them both male and female look the same and as the male matures he turns bright orange


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

There are no Kenyi that I see.

I'm not sure what the last one is... doesn't seem to be Hongi. Has a Zebra look, and Cynotilapia has the same type of face. Doesn't seem like a pure type of Afra either.


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

I'm stocking my 140 right now.. have been for the last few weeks.. slowly but surly and long story short was a pet smart today and ran across one of those Hongi Juveniles. He was awesome looking in the tank there. I bit their line.










That's him in my tank now. (don't mind sponge bobs house. the 3 year old loves and needs it there.  ) But ya... Was looking at pics and videos of them as adults. Beautiful looking Mbuna. Not often, but yay... found a nice one there.


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

The last fish (pic 5) might be what a couple of my LFS call Red Top Zebra (Metriaclima pyrsonotos)..or at least that is what I think (and was told) that I bought a few weeks ago. Mine looked ALOT like that when I first got it.


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