"Wild Type" african cichlids?

[spitz006]

Hello -- I'm new to the world of african cichlids. I'm trying to set up a 90 gallon tank with peacocks and smaller haps and maybe jewels... I like to keep fish that look as they do in the wild. Are most rift lake cichlids sold that way or are there man-made varieties, and how do I tell the difference?

 

[DJRansome]

It depends on where you shop. The most reputable vendors sell almost all pure fish. Look for vendors that sell fish with full scientific names and collection points. Example Aulonocara sp stuartgranti maleri Maleri Island. A hybrid peacock cannot be called Aulonocara although not sure vendors are true to this. And they will have names that at good for marketing...like dragon blood peacock is a hybrid.

I would not keep multiple jewels in a tank with the rift lakes...you might get away with a single.

 

[spitz006]

It depends on where you shop. The most reputable vendors sell almost all pure fish. Look for vendors that sell fish with full scientific names and collection points. Example Aulonocara sp stuartgranti maleri Maleri Island. A hybrid peacock cannot be called Aulonocara although not sure vendors are true to this. And they will have names that at good for marketing...like dragon blood peacock is a hybrid.

I would not keep multiple jewels in a tank with the rift lakes...you might get away with a single.

Thanks. Looking more into it, that would mean any of those OB splotchy fish are not found in the wild. Interesting.

 

[DJRansome]

Only the Metriaclima estherae OB (orange blotch) are found in the wild. The OB peacocks are hybrids, yes.

 

[Milingu]

Only the Metriaclima estherae OB (orange blotch) are found in the wild. The OB peacocks are hybrids, yes.

As an addition to that: There are several Mbuna that can have different varieties of blotches and/or orange colour in the wild. But no peacocks, haps etc.

Mbuna genera that can have blotches, orange morph or mixed colours
Genyochromis
Labeotropheus
Maylandia/Metriaclima
Tropheops

 

[spitz006]

Ok. Well maybe I'd still keep the blotchy peacocks. I don't want to bee too strict on it. I just hate like for example the electric blue acara, creamsicle mollies... any fish that looks unnatural and gawdy. But I guess I haven't seen that much with african cichlids but maybe it's because I don't know what I'm looking for.

 

[DJRansome]

Be careful with the hybrids if you have timid haps or peacocks. They can be more aggressive than pure fish and cause the pure ones to supress their colors.