shopping for a socolofi

[kay-bee]

if they are zebras doesn't that mean that they will be more vicious than my socolofi?

I wouldn't quite use the term 'vicious', but zebras tend to be motivated toward being among the most dominant fish in the tank. Hoowever, each tank set up is different and even the personalities of fish are different, so hard to really predict. For now, though, the established fish, at least initially, will typically have the upper hand.

so you are looking for black markings on the top fin? because although you can't see it in the pics i posted, both have a couple black dots on their top fin, but they are JUST dots, they aren't a line or anything. . . .

There should be signs of black fin margins on the dorsal, anal, pelvic and black on the caudal fins as well, and this develops early on even when they're tiny fry less than an inch (as the one below):

But even without taking the lack of black fin markings into consideration, the blue ones you've posted bare a stronger semblence to the cobalt blue zebra. Post pics of them again when they've put on a little size and are about 3 inches.

 

[erin14]

I'm not quite convinced you've got a socoloffi there... the first pic is of my blue socoloffi, notice the stripe on his dorsal fin. The second pic is of my cobalt blue (much darker blue then yours..)...but he doesn't really look like yours either. Yours has a "pointy" mouth and mine has a big round mouth...hmmm.. not really sure what you have

 

[AquariumNoob13]

i think that my fish look like your socolofi very much, except for the black stripe on the dorsal fins. . . but that could be because they weren't the dominant fish in the tank i got them from right?

 

[kay-bee]

The black markings have nothing to do with how dominant the socolofi is (in fact, if they're really submissive or intimidated by the established fish, they'll even display 'stress bars', and your blue fish completely lacks those).

A solid blue socolofi is distinguishable from a solid blue cobalt blue zebra due to shape and features of each species (which become more defined as the fish matures). For example if Erin's cobalt (2nd pic) were more blue in color AND had socolofi-like black fin markings, it's shape would still bar it from being a socolofi (and the same with Erin's socolofi (1st pic), if it lacked the black fin markings, it still couldn't pass for a cobalt).

 

[AquariumNoob13]

so then do i have a hybrid? because my fish has the face of a socolofi, but not the black fin markings. . . .

 

[southpaw]

Probably so....more than likely this was an assorted cichlid tank they had if they were cheaper than the others.

 

[ibr3ak]

Can you take a picture of him in the tank?

 

[kay-bee]

I agree with ibr3ak, a clearer pic of it in the tank will help (hopefully they're still not in the breeder net).

 

[AquariumNoob13]

alright. i'll post a pic asap. they are not in the breeder net. . . they have become actually dominant over my labs and smaller of my 2 socolofi. . . or at least it seems so.