fish id

[rangur1]

2 months ago i purchased what was listed as labidochromis textilus. turns out they actually are melanochromis joanjohnsae/ exasperatus.

i really need to know if these fish are like their fellow brutish melanochromis.
i have 16 2 inch fish in a 55gal, they look great i have full coloration both male and female. do i need to reduce numbers? remove several males? leave it alone? looking to avoid a bloodbath before it starts.

[sanddigger]

They will get to be 5/6 inches and I'm sure the males will eventually fight for the females and each other. The melanochromis joanjohnsae/ exasperatus are aggressive and more so when mating. Are you trying to breed? The two together (I'm assuming separate species and not mutts) will create quite a scene once they get breeding size.

Remember, if you have a Malawi tank you should avoid those with like coloration and make sure you get those with like temperaments. You will always have an Alpha in the tank who likes to "run the tank and be the "boss".

Try to view your tank as a "balance of nature" in a "man made" (you created) environment with limited swimming, eating, and living capacities.

[Lab_Rat]

I had several exasperatus in my mbuna tank and they never showed more aggression than the average mbuna. Certainly not like auratus. More along the lines of maingano's in terms of aggression levels.

[Not NEW Not OLD]

i have 3 auratus 2 fems and 1 male in population with 4 red zebs 9could be kenyi) and 3 yellow labs... the largest blue male zeb then the second largest red run the tank... the male auratus i think is trying to mate desperately but the fems ar eplaying coy. what i love about the male auratus is the way he changes his black color. sometimes he is like midnight almost all the white is gone and other times he is a soft gray or his stripes come back...just fun to watch...

[rangur1]

They will get to be 5/6 inches and I'm sure the males will eventually fight for the females and each other. The melanochromis joanjohnsae/ exasperatus are aggressive and more so when mating. Are you trying to breed? The two together (I'm assuming separate species and not mutts) will create quite a scene once they get breeding size.

Remember, if you have a Malawi tank you should avoid those with like coloration and make sure you get those with like temperaments. You will always have an Alpha in the tank who likes to "run the tank and be the "boss".

Try to view your tank as a "balance of nature" in a "man made" (you created) environment with limited swimming, eating, and living capacities.
they are all the same fish,these were the several names it was given.