# What type of Hap is this? Some sort of Protomelas?



## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hi,

I bought this hap as a Protomelas Fenestratus but since bringing it home i realised it has nowhere near the same markings as a Fenestratus. The fish shop owner said a Fenestratus is just another name for a Taiwan Reef but i have realised that this isn't right either and it is also defo not a Taiwan Reef lol.

What the heck is it? I don't know if it is a crossbreed or not either.

Look forward to some intresting replys.

Ash :fish:


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## firenzena (Nov 29, 2009)

looks Juvi male Red Empress to me.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

The problem is Fenestratus is used as a trade name, as the real P. fenestratus may have not ever been exported, the name has been confused. In recent years they usually use Fenestratus for the scientically undescribed Protomelas Taiwan Reef, but in the past the name Fenestratus has been used for other fish like the Red Empress.

The fish does look like a Red Empress, but then looks kinda funny maybe it was given hormones because of the long fins and the barring is kinda weird, at least in that pic. How big is this fish? Was it colored up?


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## ash01 (Feb 24, 2008)

Yeah the barring is like that all the time the horizontal bar is always jet black. I noticed not many of the diffrent types of Protomelas have this straight black horizontal line most that i have seen have a kinda slightly thicker more broken up horizontal line which is what my adult red empress also has. Most others also have another horizontal line above this which is more curved and not the full length of thir body wgich this small hap doesn't have.

I too also suspect it has been hormoned. I asked the shop keeper if he thought it had been hormoned because of the colour and long fins and he didn't think it had been. It is only just 2 inches so for the colour etc it has just now i personally think it has been hormoned. I have been waiting a couple of weeks now to see if the colour is going to fade.

Anyway thanks for the replys and keep them coming !!

Ashley :fish:


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