# possible malawi hybrid? ..what a pretty mutt ?



## carebear230 (Feb 25, 2013)

i could be wrong as i have never seen another cichlid that looks like this one .. i have 2 of them that kinda look the same . but one is metallic blue with yellows fins and black lines on his fins . the other is metallic yellow with more bluish fins with black... i do have a pic but they r in a 130 gallon tank with a lot of other cichlids who get very excited when i approach the tank i am thinking they r some kinda mbuna mix ? but if i am way wrong on them being a hybrid please someone tell me what they r ... i am wanting to get rid of them as i dont really like hybrids but they came with my tank and i could not really say no to the fish it housed . any help would be greatly appreciated.... i am trying to upload a pic but i can't seem to figure out how ...


2013-07-20 21.45.01 by carriepolay, on Flickr


----------



## carebear230 (Feb 25, 2013)

just above is a pic of one of the fish ... sorry it is really confusing to post pic's on here


----------



## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Yep, it looks like an mbuna hybrid alright. Just as a guess, I would say it's got some Metriaclima greshakei or similar BB zebra in there, possibly mixed with yellow lab? Who knows...


----------



## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

A lot of similar fish get sold as _Metriaclima greshakei_. Guesswork to say what they realy are.
Bred for years without good selection or hybrid.


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

looks like a Yellow Lab or a Perlmutt hybrid, maybe mixed with a more hefty fish with bars.


----------



## carebear230 (Feb 25, 2013)

i think there really pretty as far as hybrids go ... i just dont want him to try and mate again ... .. i dont want hybrid babys !! grr lol


----------



## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

carebear230 said:


> i think there really pretty as far as hybrids go ... i just dont want him to try and mate again ... .. i dont want hybrid babys !! grr lol


What fish is he trying to mate with? What are his tankmates?


----------



## carebear230 (Feb 25, 2013)

he is all over my ice blue female . forgive me i suck with the scientific names.. i have ice blues , johannis , yellow labs , bumble bees , kenyi , Melanochromis auratus females, rustys ,red zebras ,acei and hongi's .... but these hybrids were not made in my tank . i bought them that way lol .. and my tank is 130 gal


----------



## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

With stocking like that, I would suggest getting some syndontis to take care of any fry that may survive. You won't have to worry about breeding hybrids.


----------



## carebear230 (Feb 25, 2013)

i generally cull them as soon as i see a female carrying that i did not see mate with a male of the same species . i watch my tank like crazy .the 2 that i have the most issues with trying to breed is a male ice blue with a rusty female ....drives me nuts ! i am thinking i may just cut the rustys out all together . ... which other ones would be more likely to hybrid to u think ?


----------



## carebear230 (Feb 25, 2013)

i'm worried about adding anything i dont know much about to the tank ... if i add something small it will most likely be eaten .. but if its big it will likely get thrashed by my bigger males.and i know nothing about syndontis but i do have a 13 inch or so gold spot pleco in there with them . i think he may suck up a few fry ... but it seems most of the fry that survive in the tank r johanni and red zebras...


----------



## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

In a tank that size, you could easily add a group of Synodontis multipunctatus - see this link for all you need to know about them http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=95. They like to school together so get 5-7 of them. The cichlids tolerate them really well, and they're tough enough to hold their own. I agree that with your stock list some fry control would be helpful, not to mention they are fun fish to keep and watch.

If you're thinking about getting rid of the rusties, why not trade them in for these catfish?


----------

