What kind of African cichlids are these?

So I bought them from petsmart originally had 4 but my pretty blue one with black stripes died but he was small it said assorted but I don’t know what assorted means when in lake Malawi there’s over 1000 different kinds of African cichlids the only info I got was from lake Malawi and can grow between 4 to 6 inches I just wanna know what I got myself into I’m preparing a 40g for them but they are in a 20 g grow out tank since the biggest is barely a inch

So I bought them from petsmart originally had 4 but my pretty blue one with black stripes died but he was small it said assorted but I don’t know what assorted means when in lake Malawi there’s over 1000 different kinds of African cichlids the only info I got was from lake Malawi and can grow between 4 to 6 inches I just wanna know what I got myself into I’m preparing a 40g for them but they are in a 20 g grow out tank since the biggest is barely a inch

There names are onyx topaz and opal btw lol

 

MacZ can you identify these for me?

 

I would need better pictures.
First one may be some kind of Maylandia/Metriaclima.
Second one is an Albino, to me it's hard to identify a species with those. Usually they are linebred hybrids anyway.
Third one is NOT a Yellow Lab, even though the colour might mislead in that direction. But it's to orange-y. It's either a female saulosi or something completely different. I can (probably?) see a certain pattern in the caudal and dorsal fins, that seems odd, which reminds me of peacocks, the head shape is not conclusive from that angle. Somethings off with that one.

If you can take better pictures that would be great. Could you get them from a lower angle? Like on eye level with the fish? From the side. Doesn't have to look nice, but the fish should be in clear direct view.

Otherwise chromedome52 or A201 should be able to help.

 

When keeping cichlids, it's best to have a plan and perform your due diligence first. By picking random African cichlids from the "assorted section", you might be setting yourself up for failure.

I would to suggest to not buy from the Assorted African Chichlid section unless you know what you're buying, especially if you don't know thre species or see of the fish.

Our PetSmart has an assorted Mbuna and an assorted Peacock section, plus species specific African selection.

At least with assorted Peacocks, its generally easier to figure out what they are and their sex.

You may consider returning the ones you have and doing some more research on them.

You don't want to bring home some Auratus, Bumblebee and Demasoni species of Mbuna and then be surprised with their super aggressive behavior after they mature in a few months when tankmates start dying off.

A lot of African cichlids are not compatible with one another, are some are more agressive than others.

The minimum tank size for Mbuna and Peacocks is generally considered to be a 55g, since its 4ft long.

A 40g is only 3ft, not optimal for Mbuna or Peacocks.

40g would be good for other smaller African cichlids, like Lake Tanganyika shell dwellers for example.
If you want a better selection of African cichlids compared to the random assorted offering at your PetSmart, consider buying online.

Many online breeders offer to sex them for you.

My friend and I have bought from Imperial Tropicals website on numerous occasions. Our orders have always had healthy fish and they arrived as advertised.

Another place to consider is the Quinn's Fins website. They offer African cichlids for reasonable prices.

 

I would need better pictures.
First one may be some kind of Maylandia/Metriaclima.
Second one is an Albino, to me it's hard to identify a species with those. Usually they are linebred hybrids anyway.
Third one is NOT a Yellow Lab, even though the colour might mislead in that direction. But it's to orange-y. It's either a female saulosi or something completely different. I can (probably?) see a certain pattern in the caudal and dorsal fins, that seems odd, which reminds me of peacocks, the head shape is not conclusive from that angle. Somethings off with that one.

If you can take better pictures that would be great. Could you get them from a lower angle? Like on eye level with the fish? From the side. Doesn't have to look nice, but the fish should be in clear direct view.

Otherwise chromedome52 or A201 should be able to help.