# Need a few ID's



## mightyzeus (Jan 2, 2016)

Few fish i have had for a long while. Yellow Labs? Hybrid?


Rescued 3 of these from LFS a few years ago. Have one left and still dont know what it is


Is this a Hybrid or Pure Red zebra..or is there such a thing as pure?


Finally.. a fish i have had for years was purchased from "assorted african cichlid" tank as a 1" Juvenile. probably a hybrid of sorts, but would love to know. He is amazing when he gets worked up.


----------



## NLaferriere (Jan 15, 2015)

1. Likely Yellow Lab hybrid...mouth shape isn't pointy like that of pure strain Labs. Nice colour though.
2. exLamprologus callipterus from Lake Tanganyika
3. Red Zebra, hard to say whether it's a hybrid or not. 
4. No clue. Looks to be a hybrid of some sort.


----------



## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

I suppose it is possible for #1 to be electric yellow hybrids, but I really don't see much reason to suppose they are hybrids. I know mbuna hybrids are fairly common in the hobby (they even have "mixed Africans" for sale at most LFS :x ) but I also think that the number of fish that get labeled hybrids on internet fish forums is much exaggerated. There is always some variation with in every species, not to mention fish can look and end up a little different under different conditions. I've seen more variation between specimens shown in threads of wild caught yellow labs then I see in the domestic strain. If anything, the domestic strain seems to be rather uniform, but if the fish are not 100% identical clones, then somebody will label it a hybrid.


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Problem with the mass market strains is that Red Zebras and Yellow Labs could be 90+% pure and you don't really know about the hybrid mix from years ago. They don't really care, they just want a fish that will sell when juvenile.

1. seem to be Yellow Labs, look a bit chubby in shape

2. that is a weird Tanganyikan to find unmarked, maybe they couldn't figure out what was shipped to them

3. mostly Red Zebra but I think that is a mix. Too light, and I think the mix gives them those more noticeable scales, sometimes it can be quite attractive. Red Zebras were not exported for 20 years because of the wars in Mozambique so most of the Red Zebras were low quality until they started importing them again in the late 90s. Since then there have been pure Red Zebras available, but the mass market suppliers are not picky.

4. when this guy colors up, does he get barring? Or more solid light blue?


----------



## mightyzeus (Jan 2, 2016)

noki said:


> 2. that is a weird Tanganyikan to find unmarked, maybe they couldn't figure out what was shipped to them


The 3 were dropped off by another customer because they had slightly deformed mouths. LFS was gonna dispose of them as unsellable. I gave them a home instead



noki said:


> 4. when this guy colors up, does he get barring? Or more solid light blue?


He gets more pale with dark vertical bars from back of head to just about mid body.His eggspot clusters on upper and lower tail are almost a neon orange. Haven't been able to get a shot of him pissed off. But its an amazing display. He is about 5" and is one of my original fish. Hybrid or not.. I wanted to get a female that he could hopefully mate with. Fry never leave my house, so spreading them into the hobby is not a concern.


----------



## mightyzeus (Jan 2, 2016)

> 1. seem to be Yellow Labs, look a bit chubby in shape


The one on left has a mouthful of babies. plus...they are just pigs when it comes to food time.


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

noki said:


> 4. when this guy colors up, does he get barring? Or more solid light blue?
> 
> He gets more pale with dark vertical bars from back of head to just about mid body.His eggspot clusters on upper and lower tail are almost a neon orange. Haven't been able to get a shot of him pissed off. But its an amazing display. He is about 5" and is one of my original fish. Hybrid or not.. I wanted to get a female that he could hopefully mate with. Fry never leave my house, so spreading them into the hobby is not a concern.


Does he look like this common "Elongatus Ornatus"?


----------



## mightyzeus (Jan 2, 2016)

I am gonna camp out on him tonight and see if i can get a pissed off shot. the color change is almost hongi like


----------



## mightyzeus (Jan 2, 2016)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=919

closest match i have seen going thru the cichlid profiles. But still not exactly it


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

mightyzeus said:


> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=919
> 
> closest match i have seen going thru the cichlid profiles. But still not exactly it


well the Socolofi is like a cobalt solid blue relation of the common Elongatus... one gets black bars, one doesn't.


----------



## mightyzeus (Jan 2, 2016)

He doesnt get angry much.you can see the faint 5 bars on his body in a few pictures. Will keep trying for the money shot


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Well, I think he must be a hybrid.


----------



## Chucklid81 (Feb 16, 2016)

Looks like Socolofi to me


----------



## Fish Jerk (Mar 9, 2016)

He's a socolofi but will only get full color if dominant.


----------

