[Implicitraindrop]

I purchased a group of cichlids from a guy who was moving and needed to move them fast. Here is a list of the purchase: 1 group of 7 pseudotropheus kingsizei (males showing outstanding color) 1.5-2 inches.
1 group of 7 cynotilapia white top hara (2.25 inches, dominant male is definately show quality)
1 group of 4 yellow labs ranging from 1 inch to 2.5 inches.
1 group of 9 otopharnyx orange and black (male is starting to blow up with color! Really do not want to get rid of them, but need to) Great ratio.
Group of 5 Bolivian rams. (have bred twice, but I failed to keep an eye on the other fish in the tank) VERY beautiful fish.
Breeding group of Lamprologus Similis. at least 12, and guessing shells are full of fry, but haven't seen them out yet.
8 calico and albino bushynose ranging from 1.25 inch to 2 inch.

I lost 1 yellow 1 otopharynx and a blue one in transit (not sure how).

Anyways my question really starts with how do I tell the "kingsizei" apart from the "White top hara"? I may post further questions in the future. Thank You

 

[Implicitraindrop]

I have been researching these fish and see on the net a psuedotropheus white top hara and a cynotilapia hara. How do I know which I have? The guy I purchased them from said they were cynotilapia white top hara so that is what I have been looking at on the net. Thank you for any help.

 

[DJRansome]

I'm not sure once mixed you could tell the fish apart, especially the females. Best not to mix them.

The hara have enjoyed a bunch of different names, but Cynotilapia sp. hara is the one in Ad Konings 2007 book so it is currently fairly well accepted.

 

[Kanorin]

I'm not sure once mixed you could tell the fish apart, especially the females. Best not to mix them.

I agree. Hopefully you put them in separate tanks!

 

[Implicitraindrop]

The fish were already mixed when I received them. I was hoping to separate them so they may breed but didn't want them bothering each other or hybridizing if possible. He mentioned black on the tails as an indicator but of which species I am unsure. Thank you for any help!

 

[Implicitraindrop]

I do have an empty 10g and an empty 29g. Should I remove the otopharynx to the 29g and the labs to the 10g? Would this cause the groups to split up or would they stay intermingled? Again any advice is appreciated!

I guess I should have mentioned they are in a 55g right now.

 

[DJRansome]

So the options are 55G, 29G and 10G? And what size tank do you want to keep eventually?

7 pseudotropheus kingsizei
7 cynotilapia white top hara
4 yellow labs
9 otopharnyx
5 Bolivian rams
Breeding group of Lamprologus Similis. at least 12
8 calico and albino bushynose

This is what I would do, but it's a little extreme. I would get rid of the kingsizei and hara since I would not have confidence they could be correctly identified.

Labs, otopharynx and bushynose in the 55G.
Rams and bushynose in the 29G.
Similis in the 10G.

 

[Implicitraindrop]

Sorry I should have mentioned that the rams and similis have their own tanks already with bushynose companions. I have all the mbuna in the 55g right now and want to split them between the 55g, the 29g and the 10g. I was hoping to breed them but can settle for a tank just for looking at as well. now the otos and labs can be identified so should I split them up into separate tanks and just leave the hara and kingsizei together. I also have 3 male kenyis(1 dominate yellow and 2 sub dom blues) in a separate 20g that could be integrated somewhere. I have a total of 55g, 2 20g, 2 10g, 15g and 29g all with fish besides 29g and a 10g. I listed it all in my tanks but it has not updated yet. Thanks again all

 

[DJRansome]

I think you need more 55G tanks (or larger). 10G is too small for mbuna, use it for a hospital. Kenyi are better in a 75G tank or larger as they are very aggressive and work well with 1m:7f.

If you wanted to get rid of the otos, you could mix the labs, kingsizei and hara in the 55G. You could save fry from the labs at least. I would expect the kingsizei and hara to fight since they look so similar, but maybe you will be lucky, especially if you remove extra males so you end up with one male of each.

A 29G is also very small for mbuna. The labs might work. But they WILL work in the 55G so I'd leave them there.