# Who am I? (malawi)



## nepis76 (Jul 13, 2008)

I bought 2 Metriaclima callainos "pearl white" from other hobbyist, 1 male and i female. Now i wonder, if the female is not callainos. They both are almost adults, about 8-9 cm, but they haven't bred yet. In fact, they doesn't show any kind of signs of breeding. My other malawi-cichlids has already bred.

So if this isn't M. callainos-female, who is it?


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

Whatever they are, they don't look pure. It almost looks like there may be some Tropheops in there.

Malawi cichlids don't pair, for breeding, a group of three or four is suggested, having only one male for two or three females. These are likely monomorphic and it's possible you have two males or two females.


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## Shalo62100 (Jul 11, 2008)

Have a look at this, looks like a possibility. Either way, its definatly not a pearly white.

http://www.malawimayhem.com/articles_msobo.shtml

Shane


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## nepis76 (Jul 13, 2008)

I watched those pictures of msobo, but it doesn't look as same as mine. The shape of the head is different, the color of eyes doesn't match, the shape and color in the paddles are different.

Here is a photo of the male, which i bought as M. callainos "pearl white". Who is this one then?









Does this make recognizing a bit easier? I think, both of them has a same shape in the head.

At first i had 2 males, but the bigger one almost killed this little one, so i gave the bigger away. Pearls are very difficult to get here in Finland, i didn't manage to get those more. And only once we had pearls at the aqua-shop.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

They might be all Red Zebra hybrids. The male has turned a lighter color with a blue tint it seems, which is what an orange Red Zebra male does.

all hybrids, i'm sorry to say.


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## nepis76 (Jul 13, 2008)

Ok, thank you all.

I'm little disappointed, because only reason why i wanted an malawi-tank, was those M. callainos "pearl white"s. In the other hand i'm glad to know, my tank is doing well, though they aren't breeding.


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## nepis76 (Jul 13, 2008)

Is it possible that the female is Pseudotropheus saulosi? I watched pics of that in the profiles and also Ad Konings's book. It looks quite similar to me.

I asked, if the previous owner remembers, in what color these both were born, and she aswered to me: yellow. And the younger male (not in the pic) has still a little bit yellow in his paddles. I try to get some photos of that younger guy also.


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

nepis76 said:


> Is it possible that the female is Pseudotropheus saulosi?


No, not at all.

They're most definitely hybrids. All you can do is guess their lineage.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I have to agree with Joea on his "Tropheops" possibility...

There's something off in the mouth area!


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