# What kind of lepidiolamprologus?



## TheGreatSlayer (Jul 18, 2020)

Hello, I have a breeding pair of what I believe is lepidiolamprologus boulengeri. My problem is my lfs sold them as hecqui. I'm sure it's not hequi but I'm not well versed in Africans and I can't find that many pictures of lepidiolamprologus to compare to. Keep in mind they are under a 50% white 50% blue fluorescent light. Thank!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Can you post some more pics showing the dorsal fin extended and the anal fin?

I went over to cichlidae.com to look for some comparison pics on Lepidiolamprologus boulengeri vs. L. hecqui vs. L. meeli vs. sp. 'meeli southeast' and there are some finer details that differentiate the species. Unfortunately, the L. hecqui description only shows one fish that was found dead and claims it has never been exported.

Having said the above, I used to have L. hecqui as that was what they were sold as so I am unsure what I actually had. I also have no pictures of the ones I had.


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## TheGreatSlayer (Jul 18, 2020)

Yea, I do. Thanks so much for helping me!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I will hazard a guess they are NOT L. boulengeri as they are missing the obvious dorsal fin blotch.

Nice looking fish though! For now, I would just keep calling them L. hecqui until you can get a positive ID if possible. Did you purchase them from a hobbyist or online? If online, you can PM me the vendor so as not to break forum rules.


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## TheGreatSlayer (Jul 18, 2020)

I got them from my local fish store. Is it possible that it's a hequi, boulengeri hybrid? The spot was the 1 thing that made me unsure. Is there anybody on this forum super well versed in lepidiolamprologus?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I'm not sure if anyone is well versed on that species on C-F.

I wouldn't think it would be a hybrid if bought from a LFS and they bought from a reputable vendor.

I checked both my Tanganyika Cichlids in their natural habitat 3rd Edition by Ad Konings and the cichlidae.com website which are considered the go to references for ID's but there always seems to be some minor differences in figuring out what attributes or definitions determine what the difference is between those fish. Some differences are scale count, number of dorsal fin rays, dentition, mitochondrial DNA samples, etc., stuff the average hobbyist can't guess at.

I did want to add in my previous post that if you should acquire more of the fish you purchased later on, I would not mix them up IF it eventually turns out yours or them are actually different species to avoid the possibility of cross breeding. Sometimes fish are mis-labeled unintentionally or the seller wasn't careful or didn't care.


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## TheGreatSlayer (Jul 18, 2020)

Thanks so much, I found some examples on google images of boulengeri with very little to no splotch on their dorsal fin. Could it be regional? Don't hequi have black bordering their fins, these have yellow. I have heard lepidios vary color by lighting. And on camera under blue light most of their yellow dulls out. Looking very closely I just found the splotch! Should I bother breeding them if I can't get proper identification? I need to get to the bottom of this! Lol


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I don't see a problem with breeding them at all, what I was referring to is not adding more fish sold as L. hecqui if they weren't from the same batch that you purchased from your LFS.

Yes, depending on the location of the original fish bred in the lake, there will be differences. For example, L. hecqui from Site A may look different than L. hecqui from Site B, etc. Ideally when you buy fish, you will want the Genus, Species and location so it would look like Lepidolamprologus boulengeri 'Kigoma' or L. boulengeri 'Cape Bangwe' and you would not mix the two locations in the same tank.

What I do when I sell my fish is to label the bag with the Genus, Species and Location plus the wording 'bought as' so the buyer knows what he/she is getting. A lot of times at local fish club auctions, some of the more experienced members can tell if the fish in the bag is actually the species that is named on the bag. Experience seems to be everything sometimes.


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## TheGreatSlayer (Jul 18, 2020)

Thanks so much, so when I sell their spawns I should call them L. Hecqui? Most will probably just go to my lfs so I guess accuracy is less important to them ( they don't specialize in Africans) can you think of any possible way I could get a identification down to region of origin? It would be cool to know where they came from


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## TheGreatSlayer (Jul 18, 2020)

Quick update, my aquarium lights all turned off and they do indeed have the dorsal blotch of boulengeri, maybe the blue light spectrum is dulling it? Does this mean anything??? Lol


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## TheGreatSlayer (Jul 18, 2020)

TheGreatSlayer said:


> Quick update, my aquarium lights all turned off and they do indeed have the dorsal blotch of boulengeri, maybe the blue light spectrum is dulling it? Does this mean anything??? Lol


 I posted this in excitement lol, the blotch is very small, no where near the size of boulengeri, I was looking though this forum's species profiles and I found this https://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/ ... hp?id=1764 perhaps it is a local of hecqui? My male looks very similar to the one in the picture


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Sorry I missed your additional questions.

I would just call them L. hecqui when you go to sell them. I don't know if you will ever get a location ID for them and don't recommend attaching one based on a guess.

I don't see the blotch you are referring to in your last pic.


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