# Identify these hard water cichlids?



## extranjera (Mar 18, 2010)

I know from reading this forum that I did everything wrong when I got these cichlids, I don't know what they are first of all. I got them at a LFS and they knew they were going in a pond not an aquarium and that the water would be hard. I got 8 or 10, I can't remember but I have not found a dead fish in over a year so whatever I got they are all still in there. There are a lot of babies, some up to 1" and others smaller. I have some Mollies in there too as dithers and when I see a female Molly I've been moving her to one of my outside ponds. It was too hard not to rescue the Molly babies before the cichlids ate them, so I don't want them spawning in this pond.

The pond is large, around 1000 gallons, 24' long, 3' wide and about 1.5' deep. It is in the entry hall of my house and the roof above is open to the sky with just mosquito netting, it rains in the pond and it gets a couple hours direct sun in the summer, less in the winter. The filtration is a simple bog type. The boxes on the wall contain lava rock and gravel and plants that are bare root growing in the water. There is a skimmer at one end that pumps to the bottom of the boxes where the water overflows back into the pond, part of the return also goes to the end opposite the skimmer to create a flow. There are large limestone rocks arranged on the bottom along with a few pieces of driftwood. The PH is 9, there is no nitrate or ammonia. The temperature of the water stays between 78Ã‚Â°F and 82Ã‚Â°F. I test the water every week or so. I change about 1/4 of the water weekly when I clean the mesh and batting filtering the skimmer. I use a wet/dry vac and a garden hose connected to well water when I clean it.

Here's a pic of the pond.










So, of the original cichlids most have grown to between 4" and 6". They were sold to me as "lemon", "orange", "pearl" and "blue" but in Spanish. I now know that they are probably creating all kinds of mutts in there. I have space for them in this pond and in the outside pond if necessary. Hopefully there will be some kind of natural control that keeps them from breeding me out of water space.

This is one of the "blue" cichlids. This one is a more vibrant, turqoise blue than the other blues. 
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These are the "lemon" cichlids

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This pic shows the blue shown above, top right, a more muted blue, bottom left, and the pearl or white in the center.

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Another of the Pearl ones, this one has become more muted, not really white anymore. Both of the Pearl ones are smaller than the blues and Lemons.

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In the pic below, stage center is a parrot of some kind. I really didn't know what it was when I bought it, it was all black and I liked it's shape. Now, I understand they are created hybrids and I shouldn't have bought it. He's cute though, his name is Pumpkin Head and he will have a life time home.

Below him is my only pic of the Orange cichlid along with a blue, a Lemon and 4 fry.

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Another group shot including Pumpkin Head, a marble Molly, a lot of fry and several of the adult cichlids.

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Lots and lots of fry.

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Any help with IDing these cichlids? The Lemon's seem to be the most aggressive. All of the cichlids have picked out spots that they stay near and chase others away from. There are enough rocks and spaces that so far there isn't a lot of aggression. I am worried though when the fry grow up. The Lemons chase the fry and the Mollies but not more than a foot or so and then they turn around. I'd love to know who is male and female, that might help me in the future if I have to relocate some of them.

I know it is harder to ID them with pictures from above. If necessary, I can try and catch them one at a time and put them in a small hospital aquarium I have to take some side pictures.


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## a7oneal (Dec 30, 2004)

You're right. It is difficult to ID them from above. . . though Pic 6 almost makes believe it is a male kenyi.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

They look healthy. I doubt you can get positive id's. We're all used to seeing fish from the side  .


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

"lemon" ->Metriaclima lombardoi -> pic 5, 6, 8
"orange" -> Metriaclima estherae -> orange one in 11
"pearl" -> Albino?? I can see the pink eyes, most common is Pseudo socolofi
"blue" -> Metriaclima callainos pic 1, 3 for example
blue with bars -> Metriaclima lombardoi females.

Now there are some with too many bars, they are going to be hybrids of some sort.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

I would suggest netting one of each species and taking a picture of them one at a time in a small tank. That way it will be easier to get an ID for each one. A 10g is pretty cheap and would work fine.


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## extranjera (Mar 18, 2010)

Thank you! Thank you! I have been reading up on the names from Fogelhund and they look like the pictures and have similar behavior. I think I will try and net the adults - before I can't tell them apart from the fry - and get a better side picture for my reference.

From my reading today, it seems that all of the fish I have are fairly aggressive and can handle the others. I think the size of the tank is a big plus because they don't chase each other far from their own turf. With the addition of all these fry though? Some things I read say that having more of them actually decreases aggression but I worry about them continuing to breed like bunnies. The water is healthy but no doubt it helps that there is such a low fish load in the pond.

I also have a foot long pleco in there and I feed him/her sliced zucchini every day which I just read is also good for the Mertriaclima. I haven't actually seen any of them eating it, the pleco usually grabs it right away and sucks until it is a shell. Maybe I will add more veggies to their food. I currently feed them Wordley tropical fish flakes twice a day, sinking pellets a couple times a week and I grind up frozen cooked shrimp a couple times a month for them. Maybe I should stop feeding the shrimp at all, I read that they get a protein bloat easily.

If I put some of the fry outside in the bigger pond with Mollies, Guppies and Angels, would they do all right? There are rocks and hiding places in that pond as well. If not, is separating the males from the females a solution? or, will it just add to the aggression? I hate culling fish, I just can't do it unless they are sick and suffering.


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

I love that semi-indoor pond!


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## MalawiTopTeam (Feb 11, 2010)

Fogelhund seems to have nailed the IDs(as usual  ). Just wanted to say that is a lovely pond. Very impressive!


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## extranjera (Mar 18, 2010)

Thanks. I agree, Fogelhund is amazing. I will take those side pictures soon, right now I have a Molly in the small aquarium. Found him on the floor but he seems OK, I'm just giving him another day in a little salt in case he was scratched.


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## lil_flame33 (Mar 20, 2010)

I love love love that pond... even though it is a hybrid factory lol..... :lol:


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## extranjera (Mar 18, 2010)

yeah  I really need to figure out how to slow down their production line of hybrids. These fish are as bad as the Mollies, the only way I got control of the Molly population was to add Angel fish to the outside pond. I don't think the Angel's would be a good idea with this pond.

Glad you like the pond though, I really enjoy it.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

You could try getting a big group of synodontis multipunctatus. They won't do anything about the current hybrids, but they are very good fry hunters. I'm not sure how many you would need to cover that kind of space tough.


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## extranjera (Mar 18, 2010)

I just read up on the synodontis multipunctatus. There sure are some strange behaviors in how creatures breed and that fish is right up there. I didn't find out if they would hassle my pleco or not. He/She is about a foot long, pretty shy and I don't want him hurt. I may just try and separate the genders if I can figure out who is what.

On that note and to make sure I have the IDs correct. I'm trying to catch the fish individually and take closer pics of them. This could take a while as it is not easy to catch them in that size pond without knocking over all the huge pieces of limestone.

I caught one yesterday and these are the pics. I think this is the largest of the male Metriaclima lombardoi, and probably the father of many of the fry. He has staked out a couple of large rocks and swim throughs and chases everyone away from that part of the tank. His territory is next to what I think (from Fogelhund's IDs) is the largest Metriaclima lombardoi female. I'll try and catch her later. I don't want to stress them out too much, or me either 

These are called Kenyi, correct? As you can see, he is about 5.5" long.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

The Syno multies shouldn't bother your pleco. They are peacful to anything too big to eat. At least in my experience, and I haven't heard anything otherwise.


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## PepoLD (Dec 9, 2009)

Fogelhund said:


> "lemon" ->Metriaclima lombardoi -> pic 5, 6, 8
> "orange" -> Metriaclima estherae -> orange one in 11
> "pearl" -> Albino?? I can see the pink eyes, most common is Pseudo socolofi
> "blue" -> Metriaclima callainos pic 1, 3 for example
> ...


Yep the Lemon as you refer, looks like a M. Lombardoi imo too.

In Mexico "Lemon, Ciclido Limon or Amarillo Electrico" is the name for the Yellow Lab or Labidochromis Caeruleus aka Electric yellow.

even thought the one you got as a Lemon is a M. Estherae known in Mexico as "Zebra Roja"

btw very nice pond you got there


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## extranjera (Mar 18, 2010)

Muchas gracias. I also did not write down the names they told me when I bought them so it could be my error.


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