Unidentified Cichlids • Msobo? Membe? or Mix?

[cichlid-gal]

I posted this in another thread but I see I should have posted it here so here it comes again:

Any help in identifiying this guy would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and very happy to be with this large group of cichlid lovers.

This is the guy as he started to change color


this is him now...he's the one on the right and he's lost all stripes although from the front his face still shows the classic Melachromis stripes/banding


and one more of him now so you can see the black in his dorsal fins (that's him in the rear)


Is this just a stage of his changing color? Will the stripes return? or is this another species of fish entirely? Anyone have any ideas?

The first picture looks alot like a Metriclima sp Msobo. Does he have a small yellow outline on the very tip of his tail fin? I think it may be a Msobo mixed with a johanni or something else. If it is a Msobo, he might not be coloring up if you don't have any females. The females are yellow.

Well...today this young man is displaying more color...and my picture is not doing him justice...the coloration on his lower jaw and underside is black...so after looking around I thought maybe he looks something like a Metriaclima sp. "Membe Deep" ?

[kyboy]

Hard to tell at this point.
I've kept Membes , but not Msobo .The 1st pic where he's showing "stripes" makes me lean toward Msobo, but I think you may have to wait until he matures & colors up a little more to accurately ID.

[noki]

Was he bright yellow-orange before when small? Males are very variable as they change, and each male may be somewhat different.

Male color depends on dominance. Which fish is alpha? Is there a Maingano that is more dominant, they do have similar color.

[cichlid-gal]

Thanks kyboy

and to answer your question noki He is definately the dominant male in the tank. He never was orange as far as I know. When I got him he was about 1 1/2 inches and very light blue with stripes. He does at times show some yellowness in the outer edges of his tail and dorsal fin but lately it has looked more of a lighter blue tinge. I have him in with my Maingano's and probably will have to move him to another tank (which one is the question) as his breeding with what I believe are remaining Maingano's would not be of my choosing if he is not Maingano. I really do like him and would like to give him so mates if I can figure out what exactly he is. Mixed would also not be what I'm hoping for.

[cichlid-gal]

Updated photos...clearer pics but not much change...I still LIKE the look of this guy...can't get rid of him yet

[kyboy]

Updated pic looks to be a Membe.

[kyboy]

How big is he? He looks young yet & his body is not as stocky as adult. Here is my male Membe, which was pretty docile/ laid back.


This is about as colored up as he ever got in my tank - I always thought because the Mainganos were tankmates.

[cichlid-gal]

Thanks for the reply Kyboy. He is probably 6-7 months old now. We got him in February and I think he was about 2 months old. He is anything but docile and is the ruler of the tank. I have one Maingano male that is his rival but he is a little younger than this guy so this guy tends to be top fish. He likes the rocks and caves and does a lot of hanging out in those and swimming back and forth from one cave to another all over the bottom of the tank. He does look alot like your guy but slimmer and younger.

[Jason S]

Neither Met. "membe" nor Met. "msobo" start with or develop solid horizontal stripes at anytime during development as this fish shows in the first photo, suggesting this fish has some Melanochromis sp. in the mix. Some adult male Met. "msobo" appear to have broken horizontal stripes but these do not develop from a solid stripe, as this sequence here shows: http://www.african-cichlid.com/MsoboChange.jpg All the Met. "membe" I have seen or kept never displayed a horizontal stripe at anytime during development, though sometimes colored adult males would show faint vertical stripes on the body.

[cichlid-gal]

Thanks Jason. Still have a lot to learn with these guys and with all the species and subspecies it could take me years...bear with me ... at some time I might even feel confident enough to venture a guess about an unknown fish myself!!! Really, I appreciate any and all input and your knowledge and sharing. Thanks again.