# Mystery Mbuna



## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

I bought this from The Wetspot in Portland. I am pretty sure it isn't a hybrid. It got mixed into a larger group of Ps. Jewel Spots that I had bagged for me. Any ideas?


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## xantar (Jan 10, 2009)

I had one that looked an awful lot like this fish, I couldn't ever positively ID, so I ended up donating it to my work place. It is in an all male tank that I set up, so no chance of breeding.

The closest thing I found was the metriaclima greshakei. Yours looks like a female.

How big is it?

What is the yellow fish in the background?


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## cheaton420 (Oct 24, 2009)

females are more of a brownish red though


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

Yeah, I am almost positive it isn't a Greshakei, because I have kept both males and females.... I am pretty sure it is a female. She is around 4 inches. The yellow fish are Ps. Saulosi.


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## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

Looks kind of like my mystery fish, female, either M. pulpican or C. Afra Likoma. We have not really decided yet.


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## hutch86 (Oct 30, 2009)

i have 4 of them i dont know what they are and just found the one fry that made it. would be nice to know what they are


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

I had thought maybe an afra because of the body and teeth. I would love a for sure ID.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Looks like a fat Cynotilapia sp. "Hara" to me.


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

That is interesting... I know they sell those white top hara there


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## hutch86 (Oct 30, 2009)

from the pic i just looked at the stripes are darker than the one i have


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

I am feeling that she is a white top hara... Just because I know they breed them there. I think that could be the ID!


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

So the more pictures I see... the more the females look like cobalts? Are they usually more blue than my female?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Jsuing86 said:


> So the more pictures I see... the more the females look like cobalts? Are they usually more blue than my female?


cobalts don't have bars.


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

Have you bothered to just ask the sellers? They may have the best answer for you...


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

I know that cobalts don't have stripes... I am saying that the females in pictures I saw look like cobalts... and mine doesn't. I am wondering if anyone could post pictures of their own hara females.

- And I have asked the place I bought it from and they have employees who are doing a great job, but haven't been able to ID this guy. They had me send the pictures I posted to their breeding facility. I haven't gotten a reply, so I thought I would try these forums. Someone has to be breeding a this type of fish and have a tank full of females that look identical! [/quote]


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Jsuing86 said:


> so I thought I would try these forums. Someone has to be breeding a this type of fish and have a tank full of females that look identical!


I do believe your answer already lies within this thread.


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

Yeah, there are about three answers . I am just hoping for a little more confirmation. If I am bugging people with this post I will stop it.


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

M. callainos most certainly DO have barring.........in the last decade or so here in the U.S. anyway.

The original collection point of M. callainos (Nkhata Bay if I remember correctly) for the imported color morph of M. callainos did not have barring but.....

Just like M. greshakei they have been bred in ponds for so long and the blood lines have been so diluted that almost all specimens now seem to have some barring. If anybody knows where to get M. callainos (or M. greshakei for that matter) other than wildcaught that do not have barring I'm all ears.

Oh, the OP's fish looks like a female or maybe subdued male Cynotilapia to me.


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## Jsuing86 (Oct 31, 2009)

My first thought was female C. Afra Cobue female....


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