MousePotato

I went to the LFS today to get some eco complete for my new aquarium (yay!!) and I stopped by the socolofi tank to look for prospective girlfriends for my male hooligan. The clerk asked if I needed help and I mentioned to him that I've always been disturbed by the ID given to my fish because he doesn't really look like the socolofi I've seen. I had shown the (granted grainy) pics I have of him to a guy at the "good" LFS and he was positive I had a socolofi. This was a species I hadn't even considered when trying to ID him a year ago. Well, this guy asked to see the pics and he ID'd him as Ps. elongatus (which is what I thought originally).

I did some research on the elongatus and it does sound like him as well as look like him. Also, there is a BIG difference in the aggression levels of socolofi versus elongatus, so I think it's pretty important that I know exactly what he is before I let him near another fish!

I posted these pictures a year ago and got a bit of advice, but there seem to be more cichlid keepers now, so I am going to try again. I apologize for the quality - he's camera shy and these were taken with an old cell phone. I took some better ones with my digital camera, but I can't seem to find my memory card reader. Grrrrr.

Can anyone tell me with some degree of certainty what kind of cichlid I have? the future health of my tank may depend upon it!

Thanks!

Edit: He only has the vertical stripes when he's in the tank with my female. When I had them in separate tanks (for one short, blissful week) he did not color up at all. He was just sort of blue-ish lavender with only the stripes on his forehead.

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Lucy

I'm only familiar with other members pictures and reading about them, but to me, that looks like a blue hap.
You might wait for someone who really knows cichlids to confirm this.

Slug

Have any more pictures? Its either a Cynotilapia afra or a P. elongatus. I'd be more inclined to say elongatus. The fish seems pretty streamlined and has the more solid black dorsal fin.

MousePotato

I wish I had better pictures. I have an old digital camera that doesn't work correctly with Windows XP, so I have a universal card reader to get the pics off of it. Unfortunately, we just had a lot of work done on our house and I can't find where the workmen put my reader. I may have to wait until husband comes home and borrow his cell phone. My Blackberry is work-issued and has no camera.

He definitely ACTS like an elongatus. This is the fish who beat the stuffing out of my demasoni until I put in a tank divider.

Edit: When I first started trying to ID him I figured Cynotilapia afra or Ps. elongatus. But then my demsoni was holding and there were no other fish in the tank. They can't breed across genuses, can they?

Slug

How long/large is the fish?

MousePotato

He's probably 4 to 4.5 inches long. His dorsal fin is white near his body, then black with just an edging of white at the very top. He is very active compared to the demasoni. He's at least 18 months old, as well. I don't know exactly. He was given to me in April of 07 and he's grown at least a half inch since then.

MousePotato

I found the card reader (under my husband's Seinfeld DVDs), but I'll be darned if I can get a good picture of him! Here are two more. He is really camera shy!

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Slug

I'm wondering now if thats not a Pseudotropheus saulosi male. Has he always been blue?

MousePotato

I'm pretty sure he has always been blue. He has been since I got him and I know his previous owners got him and the dem because of their coloration. He may have been yellow when he was itty bitty, but I don't know.

He also has about 5-6 eggs spots on his anal fin that aren't apparent in the picture. I don't know if that makes a difference or not, but I know sometimes it does.

MousePotato

A little more info - I just spoke to the friend who gave them to me. He said he bought the mystery fish and the demasoni at the same store, for $25 a piece when they were about the size of a quarter. He has always been blue. Same friend has a few saulosis and says he is definitely not one.

Slug

Well if he has always been blue that definently rules out saulosi. I'd stick to elongatus i think.

MousePotato

I think so, too, which means he's probably gonna have to stay in the smaller tank when I move the dem to the 110. I have done my reading and those fish are some serious sons of bucks! I love him dearly and I think he's gorgeous, but if I put him with the others I think he will shortly be the only one left!

Thanks for all your help!