Can anybody tell me all about this fish. Max size, agression?

[vanpudin]

I saw this fish recently at petsmart in the small assorted fish tank. I liked it because it looked different, but i did not buy it because i did not know anything about it. I would appreate any info about max. size, aggression compared to other africans and any other info. It's probaly sold by now. The website i found this picture on says it's a Labidochromis Exasperatus Cichlid.
I have never seen this fish before intill i saw it at petsmart. I just happened to find this fish browzing on cichlid websites.
Thanks for any info.
Would this fish go well with my Rusty, kenyi, and krib?

 

[vanpudin]

Well i just went back to the petsmart were i saw the fish over a week later and bought it. From the reading up on it that i'm been doing, i think it's a female. Here's a pic of it. Sorry but it's a little blurry. Still does anybody know anything about this fish. I've done alittle reading. It's a Melanochromis joanjohnsonae. The females look like this and the adult males are a darker blue. Still like some info from others.
Thanks.

 

[Coler]

very nice little fish. also known as melanochromis exasperatus and 'the pearl of likoma' lol.

max size - just over 4 inches. its aggressive, but nothing like as much as e.g. melanochromis auratus, just the usual mbuna attitude really. they are however, like all melanochromis, highly aggressive to their own or similar looking species. you want to keep a ration of 1 male to 4 females if you choose to keep a mixed gender population. 1 male with 1 female will probably result in just 1 fish.

avoid mixing with other similarly coloured fish, e.g. socolofi with the males; the melanochromis will kill them.

also, they hybridise very, very easily with other species.

 

[vanpudin]

Thanks for the info. I believe there were blue males with black on their fins in the assorted tank at petsmart. That may not be a good idea for me though since i have a kenyi which is blue.

 

[Coler]

correct - that is the male colouration.

what size tank do you have ?

I think the krib may find things tough in their with the mbuna and I would look at moving him/her.

Iodotropheus sperengae (rusty) is a very mild mannered mbuna and a good 'community' malawi.

The female melanochromis may hybridise with the kenyi if male. Male kenyi and male joanjohnsonae would not be a good combination.

 

[vanpudin]

Yea i believe my new fish is a female. I'm not sure about the kenyi. It's still only about 1.5 ''.