# Assorted tank... Help with id



## crosfire35 (Sep 9, 2014)

I recently set up a mbuna tank and hastely went out and purchased 7 little guys. Im happy to say they have all been doing good! My question is what are these guys/gals. There are 5 little all yellow ones that were about an inch when purchased (about 1 1/2"now) and 2 pale blue ones that were about 1 1/2 when purchased (about 2" now) i was thinking they could be Pseudotropheus Saulosi but wouldnt they all still be yellow at such a smAll size?


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## crosfire35 (Sep 9, 2014)

Or maybe red zebra?


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

They all look like tank strain zebras. By that I mean they may have a mix in them, not pure species. They should all get along fine. Not sure the size of the tank, but you'll probably want to increase your numbers of fish in there.


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## crosfire35 (Sep 9, 2014)

Ok, so they're hybrids? Who are the males/females? My tank is 55 gallon I was told seven is a good number. Im hoping the blue ones are males, because from my understanding 2 males to 5 females is OK. Is that correct?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

With the Tiny Little Orange Ones, It's Way Too Early To Determine Gender. The Blue Ones May Be Distinguishable As Male Or Female, But We'll Need To See Better Pictures Of Them. As Chester Noted, They All Look Like A Mix Of Various Metriaclima Zebra species, With The Orange Ones Being More Like The Estherae, and the Blue Ones Similar To Callainos. If You're Going To Keep Them As A Mixed Group Like This, You'll Probably Want To Add 5 Or 6 More Individuals, And Eventually End Up With 3 males And 3 Or 4 Females For Each Of Them - Having Just 2 Males Doesn't Usually Work Well, As They Will Constantly Fight For Dominance. 3 Of Them Helps reduce The Power Struggles A Bit. Once They Start Breeding, You Can Keep Any Fry They Produce, But Don't Distribute Any Of Them. The Tank Looks Great, By The Way.


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## rafini (Mar 20, 2014)

Theyre most likely hybrids of the other zebra type fish. they are zebras but most likely not any of the wild type pure species. they look just as nice though and thats usually why theyre in the assorted tank.
I have seen pure species in assorted tanks though but thats only cause some stores have too many of one fish and put some on a reduced price.
they look great!


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## crosfire35 (Sep 9, 2014)

Thanks for the reply's.
Under the profiles it says Metriaclima Zebra can grow to 6inches, with 12-15 fish isnt this gonna be too many for a 55 gallon. I also have 3 Chinese algae eaters that are supposed to grow to 8 inches.


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## crosfire35 (Sep 9, 2014)

OK, after pondering on what i have been told Im really leaning towards buying some yellow labs and tossing them in the mix. *** read they will be good tankmates besides hybridization, but if i already have hybrids who cares :dancing: whats is everyone opinion?


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

It should be fine. Has this tank been running for a while? By that I mean has it been properly cycled? If it's relatively new you probably want to wait a couple months to allow your filter's biological capacity to catch up to the fish load.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

would 5 or 6 rusties make it too many fish with the electric yellows and the metriclimas? cause it would look cool and would get along pretty well together if room.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

I Would Get Rid Of Those Chinese Algae Eaters - They Do Get Big, And Can Also Get pretty aggressive. If You're Still Concerned About Algae Control, You Might try A Rubber-Lip Or Bristle-Nose Pleco, Both Of Which Are Typically Well Tolerated By The Mbuna.

As For The Yellow labs, Adding Them Shouldn't Cause Any Problems. Just Be Prepared For All Of The Hybrid Fry That You're Going To Have To Deal With Once They Start Breeding.


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## crosfire35 (Sep 9, 2014)

Yeah I really dont seem to have a problem with algae, I got the algae eaters because *** heard their good with mbuna but yeah they do get big... my tank already seems overstocked with the 7... haha. thanks for everyones help


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## crosfire35 (Sep 9, 2014)

Also, does anyone know what kind of plant is in the last picture?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

crosfire35 said:


> Also, does anyone know what kind of plant is in the last picture?


I'm no plant expert, and it's hard to be sure from that photo, but it might be red-stemmed parrot feather - Myriophyllum Brasiliensis. Just a guess...


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