Tell me this is a Venustus...

[paul112]

I just bought a new cichlid today. Saw them in the bottom tank of my LFS, and assumed they were Venustus. I HAD to buy it. Not so long ago, I traded my Venustus in because he was too aggressive and I didn't have a suitable tank because all my other fish were occupying the big tank. So I was REALLY regretting letting him go, because I traded him for two Bush Fish (spotted climbing perch) and they died within 2 days, from Ick. So here's my new cichlid, looks like a baby Venustus to me, but I want Reassurance I'm going to be setting up a 2ft Malawi Tank soon, because there was a lot of other Malawi Cichlids in the tank at the LFS, and some of them would look very cool in amongst some nice slatework Anyhow, he was sold to me as Lombardoi.

Here are the pics:

And my old Aggro :

Paul

 

[straitjacketstar]

Doesn't look like a venustus at all. Looks like a fusco. Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus.
What size tank will you be keeping it in? Ideally the fish should be kept in a 6' tank.

 

[rottbo]

probally the more common Nimbochromis Polytstigma

 

[paul112]

He looks nothing like either of the fish you mentioned (I googled them). He has patterning like my old venustus used to, but not as strong colouring. This is maybe because he is about an inch long (hence the bad quality photos). He is in a 10G temporarily (hopefully in my 20G before Christmas)
He looks a lot like this (baby Venustus):

Paul

 

[SinisterKisses]

He's not a venustus. Why ask if you're going to argue?

 

[paul112]

It's not that he needs to be a Venustus, but neither of the fish people have mentioned look any closer to his identity. I have noticed one main difference with the picture i posted above, and that is that my new fish has spots on the fins. He looks very similar to the Venustus patterning but with a speckled chin.
Any ideas? Sorry if it came across as arguing, it wasn't intended that way.
Paul

 

[straitjacketstar]

probally the more common Nimbochromis Polytstigma

N. polystigma aren't really all that common. Maybe more easily found than Nimbo. linni but considerably harder to find than N. fuscotaeniatus, which often come in from asian farms hormoned.
Of course availability depends on your loction and if there happens to be someone in your town or city who has a breeding group they are able to saturate the local market with then...lucky you.

paul, don't tell someone to tell you your fish is a venustus when it is obviously not. It's a fusco.

 

[nativelover]

either way, ur gunna need more than a 20 gal.....more like 120-250 depending on # of fish you keep. but 120 minimum. not saying it cant be done (my bro has a 8"+ somethinerother in his 29 gal tank....check my post "id fish please" in this thread.)

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

Im leaning toward N.polystigma on this one.....

 

[straitjacketstar]

but with a speckled chin.

Missed that!
polystigma are spotty fish. It's possible to get a poly hybrid. I thought I got lucky and found some actual poly's but they turned out to be poly x livingstonii hybrids. The speckled face said poly, the clean white and brown variable cow-like markings on the body said stonii. Fuscos and polys have more horizontal markings, which your fish shows.
I would expect fusco x poly to be common if enough people got their hands on them and carelessly bred the two. Like the Labeo. trewavasae/Labeo. fuelleborni issue.
If you can get a clearer pic we could see the detail better. Poly's, no matter the variant, should have at least some spotting on the body. In some variants it fades in adult males but females and youngsters should show a bit more of it.