S. Ahli? Zebra? Hybrid? Something else?

[greenguy]

I bought this guy a couple months ago at Petsmart (yes i know, not a great place to get fish). He was sold to me as S. Ahli (electric blue cichlid) but now he's got orange fins and his blue color has lightened slightly. Water quality is good so i don't think that's the problem. Any ideas?

http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/A...ID=1030273226/a=41658903_41658903/t_=41658903

 

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

OH WOW! S ahli eh.... faaar from it. Typical petsmart


What you have there is a red top zebra... there are a couple species that are called that but this one is the more common:

http://www.malawimayhem.com/profile_show.php?id=325


-Diana

 

[liv2padl]

Metriaclima zebra "red top" .. and not a particularly excellent specimen at that. here's what Scienochromis fryeri looks like.

 

[mightyBetta]

I think thats a mix between a zebra and a peacock

 

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

what makes you think that? The face shape is a bit un-zebra-like but I think its hard to tell from the angle of the pic.


Another red top zebra it could be, besides the M. mbenji, is a Maylandia pyrsonotos. Yours has some faint barring in it so it may in fact be this one: http://www.malawimayhem.com/profile_show.php?id=280

-Diana

 

[thebluejackal]

I work at a PetSmart currently (bleh), so I've seen those. Sounds like some of that store's genius specialty workers either put the wrong fish in the tank even though the bags we get are labeled, or they simply didn't switch them out when the planagram changed.

I'll take a look at our red topped zebras tomorrow and tell you what the tag says its genus and species is.

It'll probably be wrong entirely.

 

[mightyBetta]

what makes you think that? The face shape is a bit un-zebra-like but I think its hard to tell from the angle of the pic.


Another red top zebra it could be, besides the M. mbenji, is a Maylandia pyrsonotos. Yours has some faint barring in it so it may in fact be this one: http://www.malawimayhem.com/profile_show.php?id=280

-Diana

It's got the shape of a peacock and colors and paterns of a zebra that's why. The face looks like half zebra and half peacock though. That's just what I see.. I think it's a mix.

 

[Raf]

I think you better go back to 'cichlid school' and check your differences between Haps and mbuna.......that is a mbuna all the way, no crosses in it. And as luvmykribs identified, a red top zebra.

tata

 

[mightyBetta]

I think you better go back to 'cichlid school' and check your differences between Haps and mbuna.......that is a mbuna all the way, no crosses in it. And as luvmykribs identified, a red top zebra.

tata

well, to me it looks more of a mbuna, but it does look like it has a small percentage of a hap, because the head looks a lil bit sharp to be a full mbuna.. It does look like a red top,. Just a lil light in color.. But I doubt a hap would breed with a mbuna though. I wouldn't say that's a full red top. But hey, I could be wrong. How about some more picture?

 

[bigstorm]

Its a Red Top Zebra, i have one that is close to it