# bait and switch?



## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

our local lfs really tries hard to get things right but.....i ordered a phenochilus and this is what they got in labeled as a phenochilus.is it?i was suspicious but the wife liked him anyways so we took him.ideas?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

It is not a phenochilus.

Perhaps some sort of Cynotilapia, though I'm not sure which.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

yeah i figured he wasn't a pheno.i guess i'll have to pony up some big bucks for a real pheno from a more reputable source.
i'll look through the cynotilapia's.
thanks.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

the Cynotilapia afra (Cobue) profile the fifth pic down looks like him.


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## chapman76 (Jun 30, 2004)

I don't think it's a cobue. Cobue get a very orange cap to them.


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

thay dont try hard enough, cause thats an afra


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

its a mom and sometimes pop shop.i think its more their supplier than them.i saw them open the box and hand me the bag labeled pheno. it didn't look right and they said they would keep it but my wife liked it.guess I'll have to make the 2hr trip to the big cichlid store for my pheno.forty bucks for a 3'-4" will make it the most expensive fish I've bought in awhile :lol:


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

It could be a _Cynotilapia species_, but it is hard to say for sure.

Assuming it is, the closest variant would be the _Cynotilapia afra_ Cobwe. However, should it really be a Cobwe, it is a bad representative of that species.

There is also the possibility that it is a hybrid of two mbuna - one parent might have been a _Cynotilapia_.

There really is no exact answer. Maybe see if you can get a look at the stores fish availability list. If you can, it should have a listing of all the mbuna that it could be. Without that list of names, you might be SOL for a positive identification.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

thanks for the idea,i'll ask them about the list.im going there tomorrow to see if they had the pheno in another bag.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

well there was no afra's on their order list.plus i didnt see any pheno's in the store.they said they would talk to the supplier.maybe i'll get a free fish :-?


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

I would say it looks more like Psuedotropheus sp. kingsizei than a Cynotilapia. The reason I say this is that Cynotilapia typically have some fairly distinct striping on the head whereas P. kingsizei normally has a light colored upper head and a dark lower.......that said, this fish has an almost entirely light colored head. But that would be more likely on kingsizei than cynotilapia in my opinion.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

I haven't seen a _Met. kingsizei_ that looks like that, with the solid (or close to it) black dorsal and orange on the back (see third photo)

There are a couple of _Cynotilapia_ that have the same facial coloration as some of the _Met. kingsizei_ as well......


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

i was thinking maybe since its a small shop out here in the sticks, that the supplier passed off a hybrid to some "hicks"


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

Well I don't know what to tell you why_spyder. But Psuedotropheus sp "kingsizei londo" from the lumbaulo location looks identical to the original posters fish (except the aforementioned lower dark mask).

Note that I specified Psuedotropheus kingsizei and not Metriaclima. If this group of fish has been moved to Metriaclima I would be very suprised. Not similar to Metriaclima in any way. If they were ever reclassified my money is on them moving to CYnotilapia.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

Got a photo of the _Pseudotropheus_? I've only heard of the _Cyno_./_Met_. species then I guess. Ad Konings wrote an article (which is no longer online) about the _Met. kingsizei_ group (formerly referred to as a _Cynotilapia_ species).


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