# White top afra



## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

At what size do females typically color up?


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

From what i understand most of the females stay drab in color except for their bars. Now a 'Mbweca' female will look just as good as the male. Depends on what part of the lake yours came from i guess. Most everything *** read and heard tho the females stay pretty colorless.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

White top afra is a common name for Cynotilapia sp. hara as it is currently identified by Ad Konings 4th edition. This fish is from the Hara Reef collection point.

If that's the fish you mean, the fry are born with color. Unique among the Cynotilapia. Females stay the color they are born although they can vary their color from blue to purple-blue and even can "turn on" stripes like the males. But they never develop the light blue-white color of the males.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

I was read, actually on this site ("Since it's introduction into the hobby a few years ago, this fish has undergone a number of different trade names, from Zebra Hara, to Cyno. afra White Top. This fish is unusual for a Cynotilapia in that the females are an attractive blue colour as well as the males, and the unusually long pelvic fins of the males. This fish is collected at Gallireya Reef") that females are blue. Mine are small maybe and inch and a half and one kinda looks blueish and the other is more blackish. They can both show bars especially when I first turn on the lights. Neither are very pretty though. I am hoping their color will improve :-? I do not expect male colors, but it would be nice if they were a little pretty. The male is beautiful though so maybe I shouldn't complain.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

As DJR said, true Cynotilapia white top juveniles are blue from birth. They are also quite pretty, so I would be very skeptical over the ones you have.

Females are a nice purple - blue. :thumb:


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

That sucks


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Can you post a pic of them?

Alot of fish seem to have been dubbed with the common name of "White Top" since the Cynotilapia sp. Hara became so popular. It doesn't help to keep down the confusion at all.

I'm wondering if you perhaps have what used to be called Pseudotropheus kingsizei, instead? (It's been reclassified but I can't remember as what to save my life...) Those females can be quite dark as juveniles.


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

Pseudotropheus pulpican and Cynotilapia Pulpican are the two i came up with but it seems like they wanna reclassify something and no one wants to accept it.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The 4th edition was just published in the fall of 2007. Actually I think January of 2008 was the first time you could buy it, mine was signed by Ad 2/3/2008.

So the latest is Cynotilapia sp. hara. I have read something about the discoverers not wanting to disclose their "cool fish" locations and thus all the confusion.

I guess the formation in the lake is Gallireya Reef. (Hara) is shown in parentheses afterwards. And I think "Blue Reef" was the secret location.

Cynotilapia pulpican was reclassified to be Metriaclima pulpican. Also Pseudotropheus sp. kingsizei are reclassified to be Metriaclima pulpican.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

Anyone considered the _C. afra_ Likoma 'white tops'?


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

I will try to get good pictures tonight. I think they are all totally stressed right now because their tank is too small which is washing out all of their colors including my johanni who has more yellow on him now than he did when I first got him. I also watched the fish last night and am thinking two of the white tops may be male. The one "female" looks totally different from the other but not as pretty as the male. I think it may be a subdominant male. Anywho I may have to wait to find out their true colors after I put them in the 40g this weekend.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

Here is a pic of the male with a blurry view of one female on the right. Best I can do, these guys are camera shy. I thought they would be easier to take a picture of in their new temp home, but they like to hang out in the back where it is dark. Actually, the females look like they have somewhat of a blue hue, but one is defiantly darker than the other. Perhaps they will let me take a group pic tomorrow?


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

DJRansome said:


> Cynotilapia pulpican was reclassified to be Metriaclima pulpican. Also Pseudotropheus sp. kingsizei are reclassified to be Metriaclima pulpican.


This is the species that it looks like to me. A common 'white top afra' candidate.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

Finally, I got decent pictures! I have two vented females that look different. What is going on here? Both pictures have the male in them for comparison but I could not get a photo of the two females together. They avoid each other really well.
First photo, female 1. Very light, shows barring often, has a blue shine to her but very dull. What are all these black spots on the dorsal fin and near the tail? The male hangs around this one more than the other one. 








Female 2. Much darker, is black most of the time but can lighten up nearly as light as the other one is. Only looks blue when light, shows bars often, but is very dark.








They all seem to look nicer now that they are about an inch longer, hopefully they will keep going in this direction and stay away from the ugly tree! What are your thoughts? Are they both female, or is one a sub dominant male?


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## nfrost (Mar 10, 2009)

as why_spyder said these are Met pulpican often sold as 'white top afra' or 'kingsizei'


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

The place I bought these fish from also sells Pseudotropheus kingsizei and they look much different than what they sell as Cynotilapia afra hara. So if they are Metriaclima pulpican is the variation between the two females I have normal? What about those black spots on female #1, will they go away?


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

Female coloration can vary, but it is hard for me to tell from the second photo if that female looks too different.

The black spots should go away in time, nothing I would worry about.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

Okay, here are a few more pictures of female #2.
























Same pattern and body shape, different colors.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

Coloration looks close to me, I think they are okay as long as all of them came labeled the same - and were from the same selling tank.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

Okay, thanks. Both of them have gotten prettier since I got them; they were both solid black. Glad to hear those black spots may go away. :thumb:


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