zombieworm Posted March 23, 2016 Report Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) A few weeks a ago I was given an African cichlid. My neighbor works at a vet that also has pets, and this guy had been in the shop for 8 weeks, and was very territorial. They decided it was time to send him off to that great tank in sky. My neighbor wasn't very happy about that, and knew I had an African cichlids tank, so brought him home for me. The shop had him labeled as an Ice Blue, but said they might have mislabled him and maybe he was an Electric Blue, but they really didn't know. No one I have talked to can figure out what he is, so I thought I would 'put it out there' on the forum, see if anyone has any ideas.So here is the pic of Nero. He is about 3&1/2 inches (9cm), and black with even blacker stripes. Edited March 23, 2016 by zombieworm Adding written description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 23, 2016 Report Share Posted March 23, 2016 It is hard do give a positive ID from a pic as they can look so different but maybe a Pseudotropheus crabro in aggressive colouration or a hybrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombieworm Posted March 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2016 I think I may have found what he is. A Midnight Mloto. He has the close, thin striping, and the bluish tinge in certain lighting, otherwise very black. Also, they are "A burrow spawner, territorial males excavate a bower under a rock" according to what I have found. He is definitely doing that - he has made a cave under a sloping rock, carrying the gravel out stone by stone, piling it up outside the cave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 23, 2016 Report Share Posted March 23, 2016 http://www.fishbase.de/summary/Copadichromis-melas.html Short descriptionMorphology | MorphometricsDorsal spines (total): 15 - 17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 9. Diagnosis: 3 lateral spots on body; supra-pectoral spot about same size as supra-anal spot; 3 vertical bars between supra-pectoral spot and opercle; no black submarginal band in dorsal fin; breeding males entirely black with black anal fin without colored margin, spots, or streaks zombieworm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted March 24, 2016 Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 Can you possibly take a better photo?Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombieworm Posted March 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2016 How's that? BTW I love your moniker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 Not out! I mean good Really hard to call this anything. Easy to say it isn't an Electric Blue. If they call them the same thing in NZ, as Aussie lolReally is hard to ID anything of certain, with some types of Cichlids. Especially with little colouration. Has Nero ever had any colour, I say Nero is a female.& cheers re moniker Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombieworm Posted March 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 No, he's never had any color, just black with black stripes. Although, when he gets agro, the blackness of the stripes gets more pronounced against his background black/grey.I figured him for a male as he is super territorial (something the vet/petshop found problematic), and has excavated a cave under the stone slabs, carrying each piece of gravel out one at a time, piling them up out side the cave. He has lost his cave though now. I got more cichlids for the tank ,which arrived yesterday, one of which was a masked julie. The minute I put the julie into the tank, it went straight for the cave. Nero wasn't very happy about that, a big fight ensued, and he ended up being kicked out. The cave now belongs to the julie. Nero spent the rest of the day chasing all the rest of the fish out of frustration, but has settled down now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 lol... joys of cichlids.Interesting behaviour... If a male, will go with hybrid then. Re lack of colour. Females can be stroppy. You can try vent sexing... By the time you do this with the Julie too, be good practice lol Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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