Help with Fish ID
- Thread starter gswarri0rfan
- Start date
from the images i have looked up, must be cobalt blue, since the one I have does not have any black on his fins at all. Actually when I first saw it I thought it was a juvenile cyrtocara moorii "blue dolphin", but the more I look at it, I realize that might not be the case
Definately a zebra (maylandia/metriaclima genus) based on the fairly stocky build (p. socolofi's are more 'torpedo' shaped and their mouths and heads are structured a little differently than members of the 'zebra-complex'. Additionally it's lacking the black fin markings that socolofi's have.
Most likely an M. callainos (cobalt blue zebra) as several people have already suggested; or, less likely M. estherae (wild-type blue-morph 'red' zebra). Depending on your region, blue m. estherae (always male) can be quite rare. However, there's something about the shape of your mbuna's head and eyes that makes the latter a possibility. Blue M. estherae can also possess faint vertical barring, bars between the eyes and dorsal egg spots.
All three species for comparison:
Pseudotropheus socolofi
M. callainos
M. estherae (Minos Reef/blue morph)
Most likely an M. callainos (cobalt blue zebra) as several people have already suggested; or, less likely M. estherae (wild-type blue-morph 'red' zebra). Depending on your region, blue m. estherae (always male) can be quite rare. However, there's something about the shape of your mbuna's head and eyes that makes the latter a possibility. Blue M. estherae can also possess faint vertical barring, bars between the eyes and dorsal egg spots.
All three species for comparison:
Pseudotropheus socolofi
M. callainos
M. estherae (Minos Reef/blue morph)