Need help with an ID

[blue2fyre]

These two were sold to me as a male and female red top zebra. But I have yet to see any pictures that look like the male I have.

He's about 3" long and she is over 4" The first two pictures are of him and the last is of the female. He colors up quite a bit when she's around and shows very dark barring.

 

[jameshilljr]

Here's a link for a male red top zebra
http://cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1790
scroll through the pics to juvenile male-looks similar to yours

Great looking fish BTW

 

[ibr3ak]

It's a metriaclima greshakei, is the fish in the last pic always so light?

 

[blue2fyre]

I didn't think it was a greshakei because of the dark barring and the top fin being more yellow orange than flame red.

The second one stays light most of the time but can change to a nice chocolate brown when she wants to.

 

[blue2fyre]

As I look at more pictures I think the red top zebra is correct. He's just young and I saw some pictures of younger red tops and they look a lot like mine.

 

[Woofy]

nice fish ive always wanted one. The vertical bars might go away with time. Did u get him from a mixed african tank? he migh be just that a mixed african

 

[mostlycichlids]

It is a Metriaclima Greshakei!




http://cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=794

 

[blue2fyre]

Ok ok he's a Metriaclima Greshakei. I just hadn't seen any with such dark barring. he displays it all the time now that I have a female in there. I want to get him more females and I just wanted to be sure what species I need to get.


He was labeled as a red top zebra but was with some other fish though all of them looked drastically different. The LFS I go to keeps most of their cichlids in a few tanks with many species contained. They don't have any of the "mixed cichlid" tanks