SO helpful

[cocoa_pleco]

I had 20$, and went to superpet. They had a sale on african cichlids, 3 for 18$. The only problem, theyre one of the stupid stores that labels them as "assorted african cichlids". Theyre yellow, with black splotches allover, and i cant get a pic because im still hunting down my camera charger.

Any idea what they are? Theyre about 4"

[xoolooxunny]

That's garbage, why would they do that?

Seriously, why do stores/breeders do that?

[Fishguy2727]

They sound like some sort of OB. Are they mbunas?

I have managed to pick all of mine out of assorted tanks. They are a good price for good fish as long as you can look at them and tell what is a mbuna and what is a peacock, etc. Unless they are wild caught or from known wild caughts you really don't know for sure what they are. This way you aren't putting a demand on the wild populations and you still get healthy fish. You also save the cost of wild caught fish.

[cocoa_pleco]

Petsmart is the worst for writing general cichlids, but superpet is getting worse now.

How can you generally define a Mbuna from a peacock? peacocks have bigger eyes, right?

All the fish are getting along, the zebras and new guys, so im just curious on what the new guys are. Theyre a good price, 1 for 7$, 3 for 18$, and 6 for 29$.

[Rue]

...uh-oh...I hope you didn't buy giraffe haps...

[cocoa_pleco]

...uh-oh...I hope you didn't buy giraffe haps...

OH DAM, dont like that Uh-oh

What do giraffe haps look like and whats bad about em?

[Rue]

They're not bad...but you need to be set up for them specifically...

http://www.allcichlids.com/lake_malawi/nimbochromis_venustus_giraffe_cichlid_.html

[cocoa_pleco]

PHEW, thats not them. These guys are straight dark yellow with some black spots on their face

[Rue]

I'm only up on a handful of cichlids...

...so I'd have to see a pic...lots are yellow with spots...

[cocoa_pleco]

Hunting that darn camera charger...

[cocoa_pleco]

HAHA! here we go, its called new unknown cichlid.

Their tank is also on as the 29g

http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w31/cocoa_pleco/

[Rue]

Huh...

Looks like a Lab...but I don't know them well enough to know what kind...

...not the Electric Yellow...unless that's what they look like before they colour up...

[cocoa_pleco]

dont think its a electric, my old electric was way brighter and had black fins. I have a feeling these guys are cheap imports from the african lake that are common like endlers livebearers

[Fishguy2727]

If they were imported they would have the scientific name (most likely). Those look like a domestic hybrid because the curve in the forehead looks like a mbuna, but the mouth and eyes don't.

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, so i have some deformities. They do look like peacocks and Mbunas mixed. I'll just call them peabunas i guess

[Rue]

Maybe it's a zebra? A colour mutation of the red???

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_redzebra.php

[cocoa_pleco]

i dont think so. Theres zebras in the tank with them, and they dont look alike. The body form is different and the unknowns are large.

[Coler]

that's the reason they're cheap; they're usually hybrids as opposed to a recognised species.

You can get nice fish if you know what to look for, but it would be impossible to identify the majority of fish sold as 'assorted african's' etc. because they have no identity, beyond a generalised Mbuna/Hap/Peacock distinction.

I would say yours has a touch of this about him http://www.cichlidforum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1729 mixed with a pseudotropheus species or something similar.

[cocoa_pleco]

thats probably it in a nutshell. red zebra with some pseudotropheus

Thanks for the help!