Melanochromis Johanni or Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos

Still new to Mbunas. Can anyone @Jack Stone help out with an ID?



This is is what it looked like when I got it about a month ago


Would this be his missus?

 

Wow. looks nice!

Hopefully @Jack Stone can assist you with the ID. Still new to Mbuna as well

 

@Broder and @Ortaega - I would say Pseudotropheus (previously Melanochromis) johanni due to the orange / yellow female and the brown juvenile coloration.

 

1. Pseudotropheus johannii refer to http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=760
2. Not Female of P.Johannii, might be juvenile male, but not sure though.
3. is the yellow lab. aka Labidochromis caeruleus

 

Thanks Jack. I'm not sure that pic number 3 is the female, as it came from the same mixed tank. If it is, the ID would be made, as the Maingano cichlid female is also blue, so would rule that out.

 

Thanks Chonkie. Pic 2 is the younger version of pic 1.

Does Labidochromis caeruleus not have a black line on the dorsal fin?

 

Woo hoo!!! Problem solved! One of the 2 yellow ladies has a full mouth. I'll see what that produces soon enough.

 

The yellow lab should have the black line on the dorsal, but most of the yellow labs in SA have been so inbred that they have lost it.

 

Shot @Chongkie. So I have 2 possible yellow labs that look identical. One is carrying eggs or fry. Does that make the other a male, or could she just be carrying unfertilized eggs?
The other option is that they are both female Pseudotropeus Johannii. I hope I get to see the fry before they get nailed... Would there be a noticeable difference in Yellow Lab fry and P. Johannii fry?

 

If they are "holding" then the eggs are fertilised. The yellow ones don't look like female johanni, bc their heads look sharper. The johanni have more of a blunt head. So you might have a male and female yellow lab. They also shouldn't interbreed.

 

Ok, so I've done some reading and answered my own questions. I have a male and female Yellow Lab and a lone male Pseudotropheus Johannii. My next question is, can I add female Pseudotropheus Johannii, or will there be bloodshed because they look so similar to yellow labs?

 

Thanks Chongkie.

 

Is hybridisation a problem in Malawi ?