please identify this "assorted cichlid"

[Collin1104]

sorry these pics dont show him that well but its because he wont stay still for a good pic lol

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii319/mrallergies/4207.jpg

thanks

[jbeining75]

Lets go with Yellow Auratus Cichlid (Melanchromis Auratus)

It is a Lake Malawi African... Grows to around 4 inches or so.....

[Ocellatus]

yeah agree with Jamie, thats a female also. I have a 4" one.

[cocoa_pleco]

M. auratus, REALLY cranky when theyre adults, mine will kill any living thing close to him, plus he bit off a bit of my finger

[Collin1104]

yeah agree with Jamie, thats a female also. I have a 4" one.

how can you tell its a girl? and she is definitely the most ADD fish in the tank closely followed by the yellow lab!

[Fishguy2727]

It is a female or a juvenile male. Mature males will basically have the reversed color pattern, but more of a brown and cream than black and yellow.

[RainMan]

M. auratus, REALLY cranky when theyre adults, mine will kill any living thing close to him, plus he bit off a bit of my finger

This is so true... I've had to get rid of every one that I have ever tried to keep. The whole tank is their territory.... and I've had them come after me while I was scrubbing the glass. Not bitten... but, I wouldn't doubt that it is capable of that. Looks cool as a juvi... but IMO color is not so impressive as it gets bigger. It's a rotten fish.

[cocoa_pleco]

yeah, theyre rotten. when i had my 30g hex i thought just maybe he could get along with my 4 peacocks, since the tank territory was already peacock claimed, in 2 seconds flat he was after them all

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I tend to agree that it is a M. auratus, but without a clearer picture and a shot that shows the tail I wouldn't be 100% possitive about it. It could also be a female M. chipokae.

[Fishguy2727]

Auratus is more common. So unless it is KNOWN (wild caught or from known wild caught line) you can't truly know either way and the more common needs to be assumed. In any case the only thing you really need to know (and can know) is mbuna, peacock, or open water piscivore. If it came out of an assorted tank you cannot really call it anything, except commonly call it the most likely species, in this case auratus.

[Wyomingite]

More than likely an auratus, simply because they are the more commonly sold species. Without a clear view of the caudal fin I won't guarantee it. As a general guideline, the bottom half of the tail fin is yellow in juvenile/female M. auratus; in M. chipokae black fans out from the caudal peduncle. I've seen female chipokae that had indistinct markings on the tail. I've never seen a female auratus that had markings on the bottom half.

Hopefully that will give you the means to help the identification yourself.