# African cichlid identification pics included



## brendanfarris (Nov 18, 2014)

I am new to the raising of Africa cichlids could you please give me the basic names of the breeds of the fish I have raising


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

1. Looks like a yellow lab, possibly a hybrid
2. I'm thinking cobalt blue zebra
3. Auratus, not a good choice for your tank in these numbers
4. Again, looks like a blue zebra
5. Maingano ("Electric Blue Johanni")
6. Most likely an OB red zebra

I'll let the mbuna experts explain to you why these fish won't work in these ratios.


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## ashes1226 (Apr 30, 2014)

I agree. the first definatly looks like a yellow lab x red zebra hybrid.


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## brendanfarris (Nov 18, 2014)

We'll I have three of the yellow labs and two blue zebras one dark bluish purple and the other on light silver blue, I have two of the blue johanni and the yellow one with black stripes I was told at the pet store to be a female blue jahonni, and the one orange and black one sorry I am really new to this and not really sure, I have a 55 gallon tank and wasn't sure what cichlids to put in


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

How many of each type you have isn't nearly as important as how many males vs females of each type you have. African cichlids are aggressive fish by nature, and the group you have are all from the mbuna (or rock-dwelling) tribe - some of the most aggressive species.

They are harem breeders, meaning each male needs several females to breed with, and when there aren't enough females or there are multiple males they will fight for dominance and the right to breed with whichever females are available. They will also fight over territory, or just because. Bottom line is they like to fight, and it generally ends up with fish getting killed. The aggression is typically not very bad when you have a bunch of juveniles, but as they mature to breeding age (6 months to a year old), it gets worse.

In a 55 gallon, you should work towards having 3 separate species, all of which look different from one another, and each species group should consist of 1 male and 3-7 females. You could do the yellow labs (Labidochromis caeruleus, 1M-4F), cobalt zebras (Metriaclima callainos, 1M-4F), and the maingano (Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos or "electric blue johanni", 1M-7F) and it would probably work out. Get rid of the Melanochromis auratus (white, yellow and black stripes) - too aggressive - and the Metriaclima estherae (OB red zebra) - too big/aggressive.

If you want other ideas of possible combos, look at the cookie cutter tank setups section in the library of this site.


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## brendanfarris (Nov 18, 2014)

Ok so I got rid of the two you said I should, the guy at the pet store luckily refunded them for me. So I'm gonna do the three species yellow
Labs, cobalt zebras, and the maingano now, is it ok to
Buy three more cobalt zebras and have five, should they get along if they are all females or
Two males three females? Same as for 5 yellow labs because I'm not good at venting or telling the difference in gender of any of the three species


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

brendanfarris said:


> Ok so I got rid of the two you said I should, the guy at the pet store luckily refunded them for me. So I'm gonna do the three species yellow
> Labs, cobalt zebras, and the maingano now, is it ok to
> Buy three more cobalt zebras and have five, should they get along if they are all females or
> Two males three females? Same as for 5 yellow labs because I'm not good at venting or telling the difference in gender of any of the three species


I Think That Sounds Like A Reasonable Plan. If You Get A Total Of 5 Or 6 Of Each Species, Then You'll Hopefully End Up With At Least One Male And 3 Females. Your Yellow Labs Might Do Alright With More Than One Male (They're Usually Not As Aggressive Towards Each Other), But The Callainos And Maingano Should Really Only Be Kept With One Male. You Don't Have To Know Which Gender You're Getting - As They Mature And Establish Dominance, The Sub-Dominant Male(s) will Become Apparent - They'll Be Getting Beat Up, Hiding In Upper Corners Of The Tank Or Behind Heaters/Filter Intake. When You Observe This, Take Them Out And Try To Trade Them For More Females If Needed, Otherwise Just Rehome Them. Remember That The Maingano Should Be Kept In A little But Higher Numbers, Like One Male And 6-7 Females. Good Luck!


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