# Name That Cichlid!



## chiefacorn (Dec 3, 2014)

I have been told he is a Bumblebee Cichlid, but I just wanted confirmation of that.
He is Very aggressive.
He can make his stripes disappear by going solid black, but then they can come back in an instant.
Approx. 6-7 inches long.
What do you think?
I have also been told he is an undesirable Cichlid due to his aggressiveness.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Yes to all


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Yep, it's a large male Pseudotropheus crabro, or Bumblebee. Whether it is undesirable or not depends on how his aggression level will fit in your tank, but he is likely to be too aggressive for most situations. He's certainly healthy, though.


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## chiefacorn (Dec 3, 2014)

Thank you. I really like his coloring and basically everything about him, but I really don't want to dedicate one of my larger tanks to only him. Would he be okay solo? Most Cichlids I've ever had have been community fish, and prefer to be in groups. I have a 40 gal breeder that I was considering shutting down as a primary tank and simply using it to house feeder fish, but if he would be fine in that with a few other fish (he doesn't seem to mind the feeder guppies and goldfish for my girlfriend's mountain horned lizard, he will chase them if they get too close, but he doesn't hunt them like he does my Syno) I could put him in there.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

He most likely wouldn't bother the guppies/goldfish unless he got hungry - he won't see them as a threat to his territory. If those were the only other kinds of fish in the 40G, he would probably be alright, but I wouldn't try to put any other cichlids in there with him. Even female crabro will need more room than that to escape his attentions when he's feeling randy.


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## PhinFan1981 (Nov 15, 2014)

That's a nice looking Bumblebee!When I got my first crabro,I couldn't believe how drastic his color changing was.They actually change to black in the wild to steal catfish eggs.


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## ghosh_demox (Dec 13, 2014)

I am new to this forum. I also have a couple of similar looking ones which I am trying to find the names of. Aren't bumblebees supposed to be yellow and black stripes?


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## PhinFan1981 (Nov 15, 2014)

The one in the picture is a large adult male.The body shape will differ quite a bit compared to a sub-adult or young adult. Pseudotropheus crabro (bumblebee) gets to be as big as 9". The color varies more than most mbuna. From all black,to all brown,to brown with black stripes,to yellow with brown or black stripes. Post a pic of yours or look at the different pics in the species section of this site to make a positive I.D.


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