Today i got what i was told to be a "red Top" mabuna. it is just a baby still with no distinct colors, but the LFS owner told me that he would get red as he got older. I tried to look one up online but failed miserably. So am i looking for the wrong thing or did the LFS owner just mean he is a mabuna that will have red fins? Any ideas? Thanks for you help.
Red Top Mabuna?
- Thread starter Casey Norris
- Start date
could be a Pseudotropheus sp. "Perspicax Orange Cap", common name is red top. i have some they are nice fish, well, not "nice" but you know, nice light blue with a good blaze.
heres a link to a profile, if you can post some pictures we can be more certain
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http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=911
my males are darker than this, but they were F1's parents from some subsection of the lake.
heres a link to a profile, if you can post some pictures we can be more certain
.http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=911
my males are darker than this, but they were F1's parents from some subsection of the lake.
Your great Bigvisk, i really appreciate the help. At this point he is under half an inch so it makes taking a good pic almost impossible but when he gets a little bigger i will put one up.
By the way.... That profile site is awesome, thanks for leading me there!
By the way.... That profile site is awesome, thanks for leading me there!
It's possible that it is a Perspicax Orange Cap, but more than likely it is a "Metriaclima pyrsonotos" a.k.a. Red Top Zebra, since it came from a LFS.
http://www.cichlidforum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1790
http://www.cichlidforum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1790
Or Metriaclima greshakei or Metriaclima mbenji or Labidochromis mbamba?
There are a number of mbuna out there under the name of "red top". Some of the red-top zebras are almost impossible to tell from one another as are some of the red top Cynotilapia.
Do you have a picture of your fish that you can post?
There are a number of mbuna out there under the name of "red top". Some of the red-top zebras are almost impossible to tell from one another as are some of the red top Cynotilapia.
Do you have a picture of your fish that you can post?
A pic would certainly give you a definite answer (well, in theory) but as straitjacketstar said, there's any number of fish who can go by 'red top' as a trade name. My personal guess would be on a M. greshakei, as they seem to be much more available in most stores than a lot of the other possibilities, but without a pic we can't really tell you for sure.
The true red top is named "Metriaclima zebra redtop mpanga". Dorsal fin is red. Met. greshakei tends to have a brilliant orange colour dorsal with the colour also in the entire tail. Give your fish about another 6-8mths to grow then post a pic.
This is Labeotropheus trewavasae red top.
The true red top as I said previously is Met. zebra red top mpanga. Will try and get a pic of my newly acquired wild caught. So many of the fish listed as "red top's" are actually more orange of colour. 
The true red top as I said previously is Met. zebra red top mpanga. Will try and get a pic of my newly acquired wild caught. So many of the fish listed as "red top's" are actually more orange of colour.