Why are there so many ID may Africans posts?

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Otherone

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 2, 2009
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Lancaster,PA USA
Just curious; @ my LFS all fish have labels on the tanks both in latin and common as well as a brief description for care and color. The reciepts they give us have both latin and common names on them - hell they even label the bag. Is this not common?

I don't usually buy from Pet Smart but do have 2 locally and I know they are the same as above - labeled. Granted I have seen assorted Africans
labled but they don't usually look pure of strain, mostly hybrids.

Right now with juvi Protomelas, (Empress, Steveni,Tawain Reef) fireline mloto, xmas fulu, hippo point salmon, bicolor 500, and a redshoulder,
I'd be pulling my hair out trying to figure out whats whats and the odds of someone ID'ing all those juvi's appropriately from an in tank picture are slim to none. I'm not saying it's not possible just improbable.These fish are an inch long.

Granted I've been a South American fish person for many years and it wasn't until the last 3 years I started getting into the African Rift lake fish. The enormity of this class of fish is staggering both in species and apperience. Usually what I do is walk thru the fish store; write down the species names and google them before I buy them. This way I have some kinda idea whats in my tank and what kinda care the fish will require.

After I choose the fish I save the reciept because my memories just not good enough to remember things like joanjohnsonae or polystigma or tropheops right from the store. Then I write down which fish went into which tank and re-read my notes til' I'm comfortable knowing which fish is which.

One of my friends has no-clue. He's like the hunter from Jurassic Park calling his species Elvis or Fryer Tuck. He buy's fish at random and usually fish that change color from yellow to blue or visa versa then calls me and says whats wrong with fryer tuck he went from yellow white and black to all black. Well he isn't a he - She is a female Auratus being moody. I don't even want to get into Elvis and Crew cut. Not sure why after years as an aquarist he's still like that.

Honestly tho; I'm yet to buy a fish that was marked inappropriately by our LFS but I do know if they screw up I can take it back. I'm not trying to bust anybodies chops or be-little anyone for buying unIdentified fish , I'm just curious how this happens and perhaps how it can be rectified.
 
Because.. for every good LFS that labels their fish correctly, there are three that do not. A lot of time you have to know your fish just to buy something out of a tank without worry.

Also, some people just want to verify that their fish was properly labled by having MFK'ers take a look.
 
Pharaoh;2824001; said:
Because.. for every good LFS that labels their fish correctly, there are three that do not. A lot of time you have to know your fish just to buy something out of a tank without worry.

Also, some people just want to verify that their fish was properly labled by having MFK'ers take a look.
I agree. Around here, both stores lol, they have a tank labled African Cichlids with 12 different species, hard to tell with a bunch of juvies. Unless your an expert.
 
yeah you are lucky.. The stores in my area are vague with most of their fish. When I first started africans I had to find a book or try to ID from one of the Cichlid forums online. I got pretty good at identifying africans by looks but that took a couple years.
 
I like when a store has a fish and they dont know what it is but they know enough about it that it needs a high price sticker.
 
needs a high price sticker
:ROFL:
No one even mentioned the hordes of mutts that are in most mixed african tanks.
 
quote=KaiserSousay;2826375;]:ROFL:
No one even mentioned the hordes of mutts that are in most mixed african tanks.[/quote]

Otherone;2823801; said:
I don't usually buy from Pet Smart but do have 2 locally and I know they are the same as above - labeled. Granted I have seen assorted Africans
labled but they don't usually look pure of strain, mostly hybrids.

quote]


Yes I think I covered that
 
my LFS labels them Assorted African Cichlids.....except for the yellow labs, Aceis, Red Zebras...sometimes they have their scientific names but the other day, the guy was ready to sell me a red zebra as a Strawberry peacock...good thing i knew enough to know it wasn't a peacock and it wasnt worth 19.99.

i found a new store that labels them all properly though...and they dont mix em...they sex them too at times... neptuneaquatics.com
 
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