# Cichilds ID Q & Pictures of my new 55g tank



## Frizy (Mar 16, 2011)

Can Anyone help id my cichilds and perhaps the gender?

I just love my tank and every single one of my fish,everyone has there own personality its awsome!
First 2 pics are of the tank.

Thanks in advance


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## Frizy (Mar 16, 2011)

*rest of pics......*

Here are the rest of the pictures,i think one is a peacock,yellow lab and blue electric jordan,jewel for the rest i need help.id for gender i need help on all.....thanks


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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

The striped yellow and black one is a Pseudotropheus crabro, also known as a Bumblebee. Bumblebee's are one of the larger mbuna species with full grown males topping out at about 7" or even 8". As they mature male bumblebee's become very dark in color, nearly solid black with some remnant lighter pigmentation of their reduced striping. If it is a female it will retain the pattern it has as it gets larger.

The solid yellow one with the black fin markings is indeed a Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric yellow lab). They are a monomorphic mbuna speices so males and females greatly resemble each other (with gender differences being slight and subtle). It's an immature specimen but from keeping these fish for quite some time I'd say it's possibly a female due to the rounded ends of the dorsal and anal fins, lack of black pigmentation in the pelvic fins as well as the proportionately small pelvic fins. But like I said this is an immature species and could easily be a male. Only time will tell.

To accurately determine gender one needs to "vent" a matured specimen (inspect their openings). This involves netting and physically handling the fish and knowing what to look for.

The blue one with the vertical striping is an apparent Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, also known as a Maingano (common name Electric Blue Johanni); sub-adult specimen.

The one you identified as a jewel is indeed one. It's a different type of african cichlid than all the other one's you have.

I'm not confident at making a species-call on those other two mbuna's you have.


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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

Some of our mbuna's seem to be well fed and nearly borderline bloated. Be careful what you feed mbuna's. Most are herbivores and can contract the Malawi Bloat (which is often fatal) if regularly fed meaty foods or foods containing a high protein content percentage (over 45% is too high, your target protein content percentage should preferably be under 40% and veggie-based).


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## Frizy (Mar 16, 2011)

Thank you so much this helps a lot.
I think the other (smaller one suposed to be a peacock).
If anyone has any idea what the biggest one is that would be awsome he/she looks like similar to an electric blue,the pic doesn't show it good but he is like lightly striped with light blue and darker blue and then this yellowish tint in his fins.

I just got all these fish yesterday so i'm not sure what they were fed ,they said only pellets.
i appreciate the heads up though......how do i really proper feed them?
I was planning on feeding the pellets twice a day and freeze dried bloodworms twice a week.....
What are you suggesting?
dumb Q....are flakes the same as pellets? if not should i feed flakes in the morning and pellets at night?

Is live fish part og their healthy diet or just optinal?
is my tank set up right for now ....any suggestion are welcome....
Almost forgot and i do throw in a Quater algea tablet from time to time for my pleco(he is been in the tank longer then the others but the cichlids enjoyed that one yesterday too they are greedy lol
i plan on adding more hidding spaces as they grow a llittle.....


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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

The pattern on the unidentified blue one's caudal fin (tail fins) resembles the pattern of certain pseudotropheus elongatus variants (compare with P. Elongatus Mpanga, as an example). However the head shape is un-elogatus-like. It being a hybrid cannot be ruled out.

Pellets once a day and freeze dried bloodworms once a week should suffice (though I tend to refrain from feeding my mbuna's bloodworms). 

Flakes are different than pellets, though the ingredients may similar. You could feed flakes in the morning and pellets as you described.

I've fish are typically not part of mbuna diet, however they will pursue and consume live mbuna fry born in the tank. Those tend to be tiny though (~1cm). I'd refrain from providing feeder fish to them.

Yellow labs can utilize more protein in their diet because they're not as herbivorous as most mbuna's but since you have herbivorous types in your aquarium you'll have to cater the tank's diet toward them.

More hiding spots will work. For long term success (as an aggression-control measure) you may want to double the quantity of mbuna's you have. In case you don't know these are aggressive fish (their aggression develops as they mature so you may not be observing any aggression....yet.


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## Frizy (Mar 16, 2011)

Thank you so much you been helpful,i defnitly have to research that "possible"hybird and see what i got myself into lol

I ccan already see that my hang on 55 g filter will not be enough,esspecally when i add some more(i was gonna add 3 more,but i think adding 6 more like you suggested sounds better....is it etter if i add 6 more in the next week or two or wait until they mature ad buy either babies or adults?)
back to the filter i have no clue about canister filter are they better then hang on once? how do you connect them?
Will it be eough to add another 55 g hang on filter or should i leave the hang on i got add a canister or take the hang on away and just get a canister for a 100 g or 150 g..........

MY LFS i think has marine land brans or the other oter were it looks green,whch will be better?

now i thought 10-25 % of water changes weekly are recommended but then i read 50% i should do....which one is it?
thanks in advance.


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## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

It's best to get the additional mbuna's now. Adding new mbuna's to a system containing matured specimens can sometimes be challenging (especially adding matured mbuna's to a tank already containing matured specimens). Due to their territorial nature new additions are apt to be treated as intruders and 'dealt with' accordingly. 

Also it's best to add the new one's all at once, rather than one or two at a time. If you have sub-adults, adding other sub-adults should work. Smaller specimens will work too as long as they're not of edible size. 

IDEALLY, it's good to structure mbuna groups in a 1 male per several females per species. This isn't a requirement but it can be an effective at reducing future aggression.

Overfiltration is highly recommended when keeping these fish. I have two HOB filters on my 55gal mbuna tank, each one rated for a 75gal tank. Any quality HOB and/or canister will work. 

As far as water changes go, it will depend on your nitrate levels and your accepted nitrate maximums. I'd say a 25% weekly water change is the minimum. My personal regimen is 55-60% weekly. If 25% works for your tank to maintain nitrate levels at or below the 20-40ppm range then that will work.

Hybrids are common in the hobby and usually found in assorted or mixed african cichlid tanks where they'll be in the same tanks with non-hybrids. Whenever possible acquire african cichlids from species tanks (for example a tank only containing one type such as all Yellow Labs or all Saulosi's, etc). Hybrid african cichlids are typically not held in high regard by many hobbyists, but generally it's okay to keep them if you do not distribute any fry they may produce.


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