ID Help Please

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Rmelz;4885753; said:
I'll take a shot
1. = N. Venustus aka giraffe cichlid
2. = regular old Hemichromis bimaculatus

Hapdude;4886443; said:
:iagree:Definately Nimbochromis venustus and a jewel of the Hemichromis bimaculatus complex!


Excellent call, Rmelz and Hapdude.

#1. = Nimbochromis venustus. Quite possibly a Juvenile.

#2. = Possibly a Hemichromis bimaculatus, Juvenile - or - my guess would be a female Juvenile Hemichromis lifalili. If you closely examine the photo provided by the OP, notice how dark the side shown in is darker then that of a H. bimaculatis. If it's a juvenile, the darkness may fade away during age progression and growth.

My color plates of my text book, indicate this is the color pattern of the female H. lifalili. Males of the same species, have no dark patterns on their sides. Nor do the male of the common H. bimaculatus.

To make a quote a note here as a point of interest, from Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod, "Aquarists have often referred to the H. lifalili as H. bimaculatus II.

I hopes this helps, bolivianbaby. Thank you for the photo's. They were of tremendous help. :D
 
Thanks, everyone!

My research says that Nimbochromis venustus need a 125g tank. Can I still care for her in a 55g? Do I need to re-home other tankmates, like the bumblebee cichlid, red zebras, and the Labeotropheus trewavasae?
 
bolivianbaby: Here's some information I found on your Bumblebee. Please take note of the information which is in YELLOW LETTERING in the last paragraph on them. I hope this helps.





Pseudotropheus crabro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Bumblebee cichlidA male bumblebee cichlidScientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:ActinopterygiiOrder:PerciformesFamily:CichlidaeSubfamily:PseudocrenilabrinaeTribe:HaplochrominiGenus:PseudotropheusBinomial namePseudotropheus crabro
(Ribbink & Lewis, 1982)
The bumblebee cichlid, Pseudotropheus crabro, is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. It is also known as hornet cichlid. It is endemic to many regions of Lake Malawi and is found in different habitats but most frequently in large caves. This species prefers a pH range of 7.5–8.2 and a temperature range of 24–26°C.
The bumblebee cichlid has an elongate body with vertical yellow-and-black "bumblebee" bars. Juveniles are brightly colored but become darker when mature, especially for males. This fish is known for its ability to rapidly change its colors. They can grow up to 10 cm. They are mouthbrooders like many other cichlids from Lake Malawi.
In their natural habitats, the bumblebee cichlid is a cleaner specialized in feeding on parasites from larger fish particularly the catfish Bagrus meridionalis, which apparently recognises the species as a cleaner. Notable is that P. crabro has also been found preying upon the eggs of the bagrus catfish, but will change colour to a dark brown while doing so.
[edit] Aquarium Care

In the wild, the bumblebee cichlid is a specialized eater, but in aquarium they can eat whatever that is fed to them. Like other mbuna cichilds, this is a hardy and very aggressive fish that should be kept in a species or mbuna tank. The best practice is to keep one male with several females. Breeding is relatively easy. Females hold eggs and fry in their mouths for up to three weeks, then release a small number of healthy fry.


EDIT: Have you done much researdh on your red zebra or your L. trewavasae? If not, I would strongly suggest it.
 
P. crabro get *much* bigger than 10 cm. I had one a couple years back that was close to 7" and one of the meanest mbuna I have ever kept.

They could probably all be housed for a while in a 4' 110 or long term in a 5' 120. Female venustus do not get nearly as large or aggressive as males (hopefully, you have a female).
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com