Hey,can you please have a look on my new fish. It looks to me a bit like taiwan reef ( sometime visible black vertical stripes) but Im not sure. Colors are bit weird, there is visible blue shine on the body but nothing yellow. He is 1.5 maybe 2in. 
ID please - taiwan reef??
- Thread starter Adam GR
- Start date
Not Taiwan Reef.
What was it sold as? If you are buying from mixed tanks, all I can add is good luck. No way to guarantee genetics without at least some kind of reputable provenance.
What was it sold as? If you are buying from mixed tanks, all I can add is good luck. No way to guarantee genetics without at least some kind of reputable provenance.
I understand, but you tend to get what you pay for. If the store can't even bother to determine what the fish is that they are selling, how do you expect anyone here to? The African cichlid hobby is full of hybrid mutts, and unfortunately some of those hybrids closely resemble pure species.
Yes, for sure, I get it, but I think that you are missing the key part of this equation, that being - "the African cichlid hobby is full of hybrid mutts, and unfortunately some of those hybrids closely resemble pure species." You can't read genetics from a photo posted online.
Often times, "mixed tanks" equates to not just a mix of species, but a general mix of whatever. I used to be a wholesale supplier to aquatic shops across Canada, and I have seen hybrid African cichlids, sold as whatever, in almost every shop that I dealt with locally. From the small specialty type shops that imported many wild caught African cichlids, to the large big box stores that mostly dealt with farms in Florida.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but all these types of threads really are is a guessing game. It looks like that, it might be this, that sort of thing. If I was to take a wild guess I would say that it looks like a female S. fryeri. Does that help?
Often times, "mixed tanks" equates to not just a mix of species, but a general mix of whatever. I used to be a wholesale supplier to aquatic shops across Canada, and I have seen hybrid African cichlids, sold as whatever, in almost every shop that I dealt with locally. From the small specialty type shops that imported many wild caught African cichlids, to the large big box stores that mostly dealt with farms in Florida.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but all these types of threads really are is a guessing game. It looks like that, it might be this, that sort of thing. If I was to take a wild guess I would say that it looks like a female S. fryeri. Does that help?
So “ ID please” question on this forum is not valid anymore? Or we are only aloud to ask for ID of already preidentified fish by “experts” in fishstores?
Here is a pic of fish which I picked the same day. Even noob can say its probably red empress so how could I predict that no one on forum came across my other new fish.
I understand that fish stores are selling hybrids but I dont ask about ID because I’d like latin names, I ask because Iam worried that my new addition picked from lottery tank will become one of those 16in monsters. In that case even your wild guess about female fryier is helpfull.
All
RD.
is saying is it is just a guess. Regardless of who it is that is doing the guessing whether it's him or
A201
both of whom have great knowledge of African cichlids or someone else. A lot of African cichlids change when they become adults so juvi colors are different then adult and so on. Best bet if you don't trust the word of your vender don't get it. I've made that mistake in the past at an lfs I didn't normally go to and was reminded why I didnt go there. My guess it's probably a mix breed.
Thank you for your input, Im totally fine with guesses. I m just trying to figured out if me new fish will stay resonably small or no.All
My guess it's probably a mix breed.