Please help with identifying these malawis

Discussion in 'Species Tanks' started by Rookie, Oct 31, 2010.

  1. Rookie

    Rookie

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    Hi, please can anyone help me with these malawi babies that were given to me. They mentioned that they are "mottled" but this does not help me. Please see attached pics. Need a proper species name.
    Please
    Please

    Malawi2.jpg

    Malawi1.jpg
     
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  3. neilh

    neilh

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  4. OP
    Rookie

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    Thanks - i see this from the "peacock" range. I am wanting to have mbunas, are these compatible?
     
  5. Verndog

    Verndog APSA:DOUBLEV

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    Mbuna are a little too agro for peakocks : )
     
  6. azurekoi

    azurekoi Loaches & Gobies

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    Stick to peacocks - mix with other Utaku(open water or sand dwellers)... look at the Genus Copadichromis.... You get some amazing Peacocks by the way.... Mbuna males tend to go Hyperagresive when mature and your poor Peacocks will bear the brunt of this....G'luck!!!
     
  7. OP
    Rookie

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    Hi azurekoi, thanks. I wanted the mbunas as I have scaped my tank for the rocks with the gaps in the middle so that they would have the hiding places. Can the peacocks not also be in that environment? I wasn't planning on having peacocks except that I was given these and they just said that they were "mottled" - not really must help. Any ideas?
     
  8. azurekoi

    azurekoi Loaches & Gobies

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    Hey Rookie... it can be done,but expect to lose a fish or 2 - especialy when they get more mature...1st Question that I would like to ask is: What size is your tank? this plays a large part in wheter the mix will work..
    have in the past mixed these guys,often,but they need space... standard 4 foot is only gonna lead to tears later... % foot or bigger and try to entroduce them mostly all at once...
    Also,dont think your Peacocks are "mottled" The Breeders in the East has produced someamazing mutations/strains of the wild fish....
     
  9. OP
    Rookie

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    The bugger is that my tank is only a 3 foot.
     
  10. azurekoi

    azurekoi Loaches & Gobies

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    Eish mate -bit small there....mix a species or two of Aulonocara - best possible outcome... + they are in my eye some of the pretiest fish to come out of the Lake.... Google them - you'll see what i mean...
     
  11. OP
    Rookie

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    But are they happy in a rocky environment?
     
  12. azurekoi

    azurekoi Loaches & Gobies

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    With mine I always used to do the tank layout in the form of 2 or 3(in the bigger tanks) " bays" - rock piled up on the back and sides in connected "C" shapes.... They need some rock to sort their little squables out,but like sifting through open sandy areas... Chuck in som Vallisneria towards the back and it looks quite pleasing...that is if they dont dig it up emediately...lol...
     
  13. TankMaster

    TankMaster Apistogramma

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    They are Copadichromis sp Mloto . .I have 4 F1's of these fish
     
  14. OP
    Rookie

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    Wow - thanks TankMaster. I have seen one of the adults and seems to be speckled black/greyish. Does this sound right?
     
  15. TankMaster

    TankMaster Apistogramma

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    Females should look close to or exactly like this

    [​IMG]

    and males like this but may have lighter pigmentation on some specimens

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]8442anc_20.jpeg

    You get a lot of "Mlotos" but the baby in your first picture looks like a Midnight Blue Mloto.

    They are VERY Aggressive and VERY territorial. You need at least a 4 foot tank when keeping more than 3 full grown males.

    TM

    8442anc_20.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2010
  16. fishcrazy

    fishcrazy

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    Am not sure TM the shape of the head is diff between the two......could be an elongatus sp of cynotilapia. .....but still a bit aggro though especm towards other blue fish
     
  17. sarf

    sarf

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    Those are not mlotos..i'v bred wild caught ones and am familiar with the shape of the young..you hav a hybrid aulonocara there,referred to as a mottled peacock.
     
  18. TankMaster

    TankMaster Apistogramma

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    Which type of Mlotos do you have? Midnight? Ivory head? Blue?

    There's so many different Mlotos . . they may not be the ones you breed.
     
  19. OP
    Rookie

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    Hi Sarf, Thanks - looked last night and the picture is a bit deceiving as it looks quite dark. They are a lot lighter. Do you have a species name so that I can look it up possibly? What environment to they like?
     
  20. sarf

    sarf

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    @tm..rookie says that he has babies..the various mloto specimens are silver when young with 2 or 3 dots on the side depending on species n location..@Rookie..i cant tel you what species it is as it is a hybrid of two different species of aulonocara.will require the usual malawi care,high ph water,good filtration n good quality diet with spirulina based food.hth
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
  21. OP
    Rookie

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    Hi all, seems that I feel I just keep having to ask questions and as soon as one is answered there seem 10 more questions. Thanks to all that have helped previously.
    I was given 18 hybrid peacocks (as identied by others), babies. Have scaped my tank for mbunas and since purchased 2 Labidochromis caeruleus Yellow and 3 Pseudotropheus demason. Would there be a problem keeping some of the peacocks?
    Any other advice on which mbunas (smaller breed) that I could also keep?
     

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