ID-Better Pic

So I have been keeping African Cichlids off and on for over 10 years but I don't know much more than the basics. I thought that I would start out by getting an ID on these two guys. I believe that one is a Orange Zebra and the other is a yellow lab. I bought them from a local pet store and ofcourse the tank was labeled assorted african cichlids. The yellow one was in a tank by itself. Right now it is just these two in the tank which is a 45 gallon hex(still a work in progress). I apologize for the poor pictures and lighting. The pictures do not come close to showing off their beauty. They both have gorgeous blue colors on their fins.
Anyway, some advice on whether these two are form the same regional location, if they are safe to house together, breed, etc. I would love to know what other Africans can be housed with them and some suggestions on good plants for the tank. Thanks for all of your help and patience with me.




Thanks Everyone!
~Monika~

looks like a yellow lab to me Monika

#1 looks to be a hybrid between a keni and a yellow lab
#2 looks like a pet smart quality yellow lab

and the tank looks great. stay out of the assorted tanks at the pet store

Yeah I wasn't sure about the first one because it didn't quite look like the Zebras that I had in the past so a hybrid makes sense. I got them at a small mom amd pop pet store that I have been going to for years but they have changed management and they mainly concentrate on saltwater fish. I will go to more specialized breeders in the future for my africans. Thanks for the compliment on the tank.

I have added better pictures of the first fish. You can really see the stripes. It might help identify it better?

#1 may not be a hybrid but its too young to fully know. one thing for sure tho is it is not a red zebra.

#2 is a faded yellow lab.

Yeah I agree with hydrodmg, it looks more like a Kenyi than anything. Whatever it is my poor yellow lab is getting bullied. I will be rearranging the tank tonight to see if I can shift the territories a bit and give the yellow lab a little more advantage.

for your location check out the capitol cichlid association a lot of people down that way

the stripes are the wrong direction and the body is to elongated to be a kenyi.

from the first picture posted that would have been my guess now it looks lika a zebra mangano cross

this could be a possibility

Yes, now that mention it Holey Rock of Texas, the stripes are all wrong. Grrr... Thanks for the info. on the capitol cichlid association, hydrodmg, I will check them out.

Perhaps a Maingano x P.Johannii? I am a bit confused, though because some people say they are the same species while others say that they are different.

msmonikatou wrote:

Perhaps a Maingano x P.Johannii? I am a bit confused, though because some people say they are the same species while others say that they are different.

Mainganos are not yellow at all. Johanni in the other hand are.

it looks like a hybrid to me cross between a kenyi and a yellow lab?

So it has been a few months since I have posted a picture of the mystery fish that I got back in November. She(that's what I am thinking) has decided to display a more dominant blue coloring since I added some more fish. That is why I am thinking that she may be a she and now I am wondering if there may be Auratus in the mix. I had to put her in jail because she got too agressive for my taste. I am going to separate her completely from the others to see if she reverts back to her orange coloring like before. I did notice that the orange color come back for a few seconds when I startled her. Anyway, here are a few new pictures and I welcome your thoughts.