Please ID my HYBRID fish?

RD.

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Millions of hybrid crosses plague the African hobby, more so than any other group of cichlids. I personally consider any fish without some kind of provenance back to the wild, or at the very least sourced from a reputable supplier/breeder, as a potential hybrid. Generally one cannot tell with any kind of certainty what the genetics of a fish are, by simply viewing a photo. That reality seems to be lost on a lot of hobbyists that seek confirmation on a fish that is already not properly labelled at the LFS, or by some unknown breeder/supplier. At best one will end up with some guesses as to the species (some good, some maybe not so good), at worst the owner will breed the fish and pass the fry off as whatever wild guess seemed closest.

IMO ones best bet when attempting to ID an unknown African cichlid is to check out the following link, and spend some time viewing the various African species in various sizes & sexes. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/

Then make your own best guesstimate.


Good luck.
 
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FishFrenzy

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Hey RD that's what i use to ID cichlids. It is hard to tell from a picture or two posted on here or any forum to tell the exact genetics of a fish. But this link is a good start for someone to at least take an educated look at a possibility.
 
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RD.

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I was actually a mod on cichlid forum back when those species profiles were being created, and I agree, it's a good starting point for people to ID their own fish, at least as best as one can.
 
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Heretik

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I also frequent cichlid forums. It has plenty of resourceful people there. I use the buffering recipe supplied in the library and since all my fish are wild caught or offspring from wild parents, it has served me very well.
Better than spending money on lake salts and malawi buffers etc.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 

duanes

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I like the irony in your thread title RD.
The random crossing in the new world area is certainly catching up, and equally as problematic. In fact it seems to be spiraling out of control exponentially.
Especially in the Vieja/Paratheraps genus, it is becoming nearly impossible to find true species.
Where many African species have been more or less accidentally hybridized, American cichlid lines seem to be intentionally pushed into a state of corruption by neoflowerfranencreationsteins.
And because in any cross spawn, a percentage may appear true to either species, in the their subsequent generations produce polluted offspring, that are impossible to identify.
So trying to match profiles can be an exercise in futility.
 
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RD.

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In fact it seems to be spiraling out of control exponentially.
Especially in the Vieja/Paratheraps genus, it is becoming nearly impossible to find true species.
Luckily we don't have that problem here, yet, but I'm sure that it's coming.


And because in any cross spawn, a percentage may appear true to either species, in the their subsequent generations produce polluted offspring, that are impossible to identify.
So trying to match profiles can be an exercise in futility.
Exactly!

I recall years ago when a well seasoned and very experienced breeder that I klnow was breeding his prize pair of S. fryeri. A few years and thousands of fry later, and an Aulonocara surfaced from this pair. He hadn't bred or kept Aulonocara for several years, so this came as a major shock. He culled his pair on the spot.
 

RD.

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A bump for those that missed it the first time around .......
 

urs4

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yeah RD its getting pretty sad out there compared to the old day's

With petco and petsmart taking out most of the LFS's like CVS did to the pharmacies it getting harder and harder to find good fish you can count on.

The hobbyist is left with what's available and most new hobbyists are not going to order online and IMO is killing the industry...

These chain stores cannot even order very many specific species and are left to assorted African's.

Even if your experienced and know what you got you can't tell if it's pure or not! and no pairs available...



Steve
 

Derpfish

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Personally, I will ONLY buy cichlids from breeders. Never, ever ever, buy them from a LFS.
 

RD.

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Looks like it's time for another bump ......
 
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