View Full Version : Help finding info on fish ...
jaylin
09-23-2008, 4:31 PM
Hey all, I was down to my lfs today and saw some cute little fish that I'm trying to find info on. They were labled "cherry reds" even though they were bright orange. They were most certainly an african cichlid and in were in a tank with some electric yellow labs. They were very similar body shape as the yellow labs and all the lfs guy could tell me beyond that was that they're a little more aggressive than the yellow labs, but still not so bad as other cichlids.
Does anyone know what these guys really are and where I can find info on them. I've had african cichlids before so I know all about creating an afican setup with higher pH and lots of hidy rocks and all that - So what I'm looking for is a scientific name and beyond the basics information.
Anyone, anyone?
snoopy65
09-23-2008, 4:43 PM
Red Zebra it is a mbuna African Cichlid check this out. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1730
Hi, jaylin!
I think those cherry reds are a variant of the red zebra (Metriaclima estherae). They are fairly aggressive and I think you should not mix them with yellow labs because crossbreeding is highly possible.
jaylin
09-23-2008, 4:59 PM
That does look like them! Thanks.
Yea, I wasn't planning on mixing those with the electric yellow, the juvies were just being kept that way in at the lfs. I've got a 29 that I'm thinking about turning into an african setup. The guy at the lfs was trying to tell me that was large enough to house 10 of these guys as adults. I'm leaning towards thinking that lfs guy needs his head examined ...
They are a lot more impressive in person than they are in pictures though ...
A 29g is somewhat short to house adults of this species IMHO.
jaylin
09-23-2008, 5:19 PM
I won't argue with that. I think I'm probably better off with some Tanganyika species ... which is actually what I was looking for when I found these guys. They sure are cute though. I might have to get another tank ... omg.
snoopy65
09-23-2008, 5:22 PM
Check out the profiles on www.cichlid-forum.com it gives you alot of great information about all kinds of cichlids. They even have cookie cutter tanks for the new cichlid keeper.
jaylin
09-23-2008, 7:12 PM
Thanks snoopy, that's an interesting site.
snoopy65
09-23-2008, 7:16 PM
:) You are quite welcome.
Pittbull
09-23-2008, 10:20 PM
maybe some tanganyikan shellies and julidochromis would be sweet in that 29gal fo sure.. as for what that fish store was selling i would think that they were the regular mbuna zebra from your discription aye, the only other cherry red i can think of would be the tropheus cherry red spot tangies. is this what it looked like