# Mbuna vs Haps Pictures



## darthpichi

Alright...I need some pictures from the people who know best...you guys (and gals). I am confused. I image search the different cichlids and they are all is mixed up. When I ask my LFS's they contridict each other. Can you please post some pics of Mbuna's and Hap's so that I can know once for all. Peacocks are Hap's...right? Thanks for the help in advance, and sorry to bore you experts, I have only been in the hobby for about a year...still learning. :thumb:


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## Anthraxx8500

peacocks are aulonacara (probably butchered that) for the most part. this is a genus of fish mind you. Haplochromines is again a genus of fish, similar in behavior and size to the "peacocks". they will differ slightly from the "peacocks" but unfortunately i do not know all the details here. Mbuna however is a typical rock dwelling cichlid from lake malawi (all three are from the lake but differ in habitat and breeding behaviors). Mbuna is a family of fish not a particular species or genus.

sorry if this is confusing but just remember back to 5th grade science.
kingdom
phylum
class
order
family
genus
species


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## biglove

Try the library section, darth. Lots of information there!


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## DJRansome

And the profiles.


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## cichlidcichlidcichlid

IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve only been in this hobby for less than a year, but IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m obsessed with Lake Malawi cichlids. But because of this IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve done a lot of research and seen/owned many Malawi cichlids. After so much I can for the most part tell the difference between the 3 (peacocks, haps and mbunas) quite well. However, I DO NOT claim to be an expert in this field because IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d take experience over research any day.

Peacocks: all from the Aulonocara family
For the most part these are generally 4-6 inches and the males are very bright and colorful, some will have multiple colors on them. Long fins, with a flat nose (some are kind of round like the Benga sunshine). They have a blue face with a colored body.

Below photos show the blue faces and flat nose.









Lwanda








Sunshine








Eureka Red

Hap: Haplochromines
Similar to peacocks in that the males are colorful while the females arenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t. Colors are comparable to the peacocks in the sense that they are very colorful. They very in size but most will grow up to 9 inches. These guys are big and round unlike the peacocks which are smaller and thinner.

Haps donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have a physical trait where I can group them together. As you can see in the below photos they donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t look the same at all.









Taiwan Reef








Compressiceps








Phenochilus

Mbunas: rock dwellers
These guys I categories as the others because thereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s so many of them. Peacocks and haps are usually grouped together while Mbunas are on their own because they have such a large group already. Some males and females will have colors unlike Peacocks and Haps where only the males color. Because I already know most of my Peacocks and Haps any other Malawi cichlid I see are just Mbunas. But a trait that I see in most Mbunas is that they have a large (compared to the rest of their bodies) and round face. They are some species are quite small while some can get as big as most peacocks.

A non-physical trait you will notice is that Mbunas are more aggressive and love to dig in the sand and hid in the rocks more than Peacocks and haps.

The below photo is how I view most Mbunas to look like, just different colors.


























This is just my .02 and hopefully it helps. I want to again mention that I am NO expert in this field and this is just my observation.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.


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## cichlidcichlidcichlid

One more thing to add is that the average (from what i've seen) price for these fish:

3" and up male Peacock and Haps are $20 and up. The females are generally cheaper because they don't have any color. Or they will be sold in trios/groups (1male/2-3 females).
3" and up male/female Mbunas are usually $10 - $20.


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## cichlidcichlidcichlid

I don't mean to flood this thread, but i just realized the photo i uploaded isn't the sunshine photo i wanted to upload. This photo is actually a peacock flavescent.


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## darthpichi

Thanks for the info...good stuff


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## Fogelhund

It isn't a Eureka red either, maybe an Aulonocara walteri.

Not all Aulonocara have flat faces...










The genus is described around the size of the pores around the head... though you wouldn't do that as a hobbyist.

What sub group Aulonocara belong in, really depends on whom you ask. Geneticists suggest they are more closely related to mbuna, than Haplochromines.

Mbuna also come in all kinds of different shapes and colours, so it can be difficult to generalize.

This is a mbuna, but doesn't really look like generalizations..

http://www.malawi-dream.info/Melanochromis_labrosus.htm

again, a mostly piscovorous Mbuna..

http://media.photobucket.com/image/Mela ... C_0658.jpg


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