# Help Identifying



## Bootstraps (Oct 13, 2014)

Hello all. New to this forum and the hobby as well, I have been using the site for awhile and it has been a big help. Im new to this hobby as well. I bought 4 little "Mixed African Cichlids" from a large pet store on July 28th. I am unsure of what they are, but i may have narrowed it down a little bit thanks to your species gallery previous image posts. I'm sure some of them are not pure bred, which I'm ok with at this point. 
Thanks for any help!!

Pseudotropheus... 

Pseudotropheus on Flickr

Metriaclima Estherae 

Metriaclima Estherae on Flickr

Aulonocara...

Aulonocara on Flickr

Labidochromis Caeruleus (hybrid most likely)

Possible Lab. hybrid on Flickr


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

Pretty good on the ID's

First fish is commonly referred to as black and white acei
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=835

Second fish is your standard tank bred zebra so mostly estherae like you already guessed

Third is an albino aulonocara. Don't think you'll ever be able to pin down what species of Albino Aulonocara though

Fourth fish again you're correct, its mostly Yellow lab.


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## Bootstraps (Oct 13, 2014)

THANKS! I did as much searching as i could to pin things down. Glad someone was able to confirm! see you all on the forums.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Those ID's Look Good To Me, Too. Not Bad Finds For Coming From The Assorted Tank. They're All Looking A Little On The Chunky Side, Though, So You Might Consider Reducing The Amount You Feed A Little. What Size Tank Have You Got Them In, And Are There Any Others Not Shown Here?


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## Bootstraps (Oct 13, 2014)

They were small about 3/4 of an inch. they are around 1.5-2 inches now. Ok I will start cutting down a little they do look kinda fat LOL. No that is all that i have only 4 i didn't want to buy a bunch of fish and have them all die. These are my first ever fish!


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

What size is your tank (length x width x height, along with how many gallons)? I only ask because with just the 4 of them you're likely to run into some aggression issues - as they mature you might have one get dominant and start to bully the others. This can be avoided by stocking the tank with a few more fish, but to suggest which kind we need to know how big the tank is.


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## Bootstraps (Oct 13, 2014)

The dimensions are 29"L x 25"W x 30"H and its 37 gallons. Recently I have been told that my tank is too small . They are all around 2 inches and I have been starting to see the levels of aggression rise. I also have a 20 gallon that is 30"L x 12"W x 12"H. I was using that as a hospital/quarantine tank. Any ideas? I would like to make this work.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Both the 37 gallon and 20 gallon are too small for your fish - that is true. The acei (black and white one) and the red zebra will be 6"+ when mature and will require at least a 48" long tank like a 55 (minimum) or 75 gallon (preferable) tank. As a bare minimum the lab and peacock might be alright in the 37, but since both are most likely hybrids there's no telling how big they'll end up getting. I would not add any fish to your current tank, and you need to get a bigger tank soon then add more fish to help spread the aggression around.

If getting a bigger tank isn't an option, the best thing to do would be to trade these fish in for some that are more appropriate for the tank you've got. Sorry!


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## Bootstraps (Oct 13, 2014)

Ok, thank you for the honesty and information. Getting a bigger tank is out of the question sadly. Im gonna look to trade to them in for something that wont grow as big, unless i am able to find a 75 gallon tank soon at a very inexpensive price.

Thanks again for the info and the help. This is a great forum with lots of good info. Hopefully one of my LFS' will have something that i can trade for.


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

Used tanks are very easy to come by at good prices. 75 and 90's seem to be pretty easy to find, so it may worth your time to look at some classified ad websites for you area.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

You could Consider Trading Your Fish In For A Colony Of Pseudotropheus Saulosi To Keep In The 37 Gallon. They're A Dwarf Mbuna Species And Only Get To Be Around 3.5" When Adult. Many People Keep Them In Tanks That Are Too Small For Most Other Mbuna With Success, And They're Great Because You Get Both Yellow Females And Blue Barred Males From A Single Species. If You Can Find Them It's Worth A Shot. I'd Get Somewhere Between 6-8 Of Them To Start With.


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## Bootstraps (Oct 13, 2014)

thank you both! I'm on the look out for a larger tank, and i really like that idea of the Ps. Saulosi, I'm gonna make some trips to the LFS around here and see what i can find. Otherwise i'll look online and do some research.


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