oops! check out my conundrum

[bobgobucks]

Well gang, the 125 is up and running so we are into phase 2 and 3 which involves stocking it. I moved all my bigger fish from my 75 gallon and converted it to the grow out tank.
Being down to 3 fish in there, I began stocking in earnest. The 3 starters were a hap ruby, a hippo point blue bar and a syn multipunctatus.
Next to go in were 3 each of cop borleyis and aul baenschi. Then I see on the local hill country cichlid club board that a fellow is giving away 6 aul stuartgranti maleris. Oh boy!!! off I go. I get them home and I actually got 7. Turns out he was math challenged. There is one in there who, just approaching 2 inches is really coloring up.
Here is the conundrum. How to discern the 2 peacock species????
The baenschis are the same size as many of the maleris, so apart from the reall small maleris and the one colored up male, the confusion seems like it will continue to be massive. Any help here or have I totally screwed up here?
Ultimately my goal was to have a malari male in my all male 125 tank. When they get bigger, is that tank big enough to handle one each ,aleri and baenschi? The rest will go for store credit or dispersal to fellow enthusiasts.

 

[MalawiTango]

With a 72x18 footprint you should be alright but the two males may fight back and forth because they have similar colors. I have a German red peacock and a Beanschi that fight all the time even though one is Orange and one is yellow. Also the sub-dominant Baenschi has a dull yellow to him and I think he would color up better if the German wasnt in there. Its definitely worth a try,good luck.

 

[bobgobucks]

OK, well that is the last question I asked. I was presuming as much. That's why I got the 6 ft tank. It should be fairly forgiving in this sort of instance.

Anybody have a plan for me to differentiate between the 7 maleris and the 3 baenschis?

 

[bobgobucks]

Bump!

 

[NotoriousSway]

I wouldn't recomend putting them in the same tank, I have seen it done before with bad results (ie death!). I have heard from other peoples experience that it doesnt work ether. It might just be a coincidence but the baenschi seems to be more agressive.

As for telling them apart, there are small slight differences between them and you should be able to tell them apart. Here is a excerpt from another thread about some asking the same question that I answered.

The differences that I can tell is...

Aulonocara Baenschi tends to have a more downward curved nose/mouth.

Aulonocara Stuartgranti Maleri Island has brighter almost neon yellow color and the Aulonocara Baenschi is more of a deep sunflower color.

Some time its hard to tell the difference, I have seen some Aulonocara Baenschi that I would sware were Aulonocara Stuartgranti Maler.

 

[bobgobucks]

Thanks. This info was as I suspected. I also believe the maleris have a fuller body (more rounded as seen from the side)
However, is it safe to say with regards to the females "fugeddaboutit"?

 

[NotoriousSway]

However, is it safe to say with regards to the females "fugeddaboutit"?

I have actually never see a baenschi female but I would think it would be impossible to tell them apart, as this is a general rule for all peacock females.