are these redtail sp. 44's??

[tarralb]

Ok here are my 2 vic's that I have been saying I'm unsure about. Both appear to be males. The one in the first picture is recovering from tail rot so he looks a little weird. He gets his color a lot and is the smaller of the 2. The one in the 2nd picture almost never has his black and if he does, it isn't that dark. He is definately never colored up like the web shows them to be.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/tarralb/P7211629.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/tarralb/P7211637.jpg

[SGypsyMermaid]

from what i can see, the first one is a sp. 44, but the second one looks like something else...it's hard to tell much of anything without seeing the whole fish, though.

[tarralb]

Ok here are two better shots of the 2nd guy.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/tarralb/P7211644.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/tarralb/P7211643.jpg

[tarralb]

P.s. if he shows any black when he gets made, it's on his face like this dayglow's
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1576

Is it possible that's what he is?

[Matt V]

2nd one isn't a redtail...

i can give this more thought when i'm not at work...

[tarralb]

Ok this has been bothering me so at least I know what he isn't. Let me know what you come up with.

[SGypsyMermaid]

maybe structure guy can tell.

[tarralb]

Structureguy, where are you?

[Matt V]

Ok... I've had more time to ponder. It's most definitely a male Victorian cichlid...

How about a sub-dom/juvie male Haplochromis sp. "Dayglow"?

[Matt V]

And you suggested "Dayglow..."

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Dayglow.htm

that link is to StructureGuy's dayglows.

[tarralb]

I was thinking dayglow as well because he has very faint black stipes that never come out on his body and the only ones that do are around his face. He is around 3 inches including his tail but mostly he just is a dull color with a yellow body with hints of red like in the pictures. In the store he was gorgeous with black markings but he hasn't looked like that since I bought him. But then again he was in a tank with his own kind and with females. I will try to catch a shot of him sometime when he gets colored up.

[tarralb]

http://www.african-cichlid.com/XmasFulu.htm

Look at the very bottom left picture.

[StructureGuy]

Originally posted by tarralb
Structureguy, where are you?

Um. I totally missed this thread until I read about it in Gypsy's ID post. Looks like a male Victorian that isn't going to show his true colors because he isn't near the top of the pecking order. Until that happens, there is no way to tell what he might be. Where did you buy him? Should I assume he was labeled Haplochromis obliquidens just like almost all Victorians in fish stores?

My dayglows never looked like your fish. My mystery victorian at http://www.african-cichlid.com/XmasFulu.htm is almost definitely a hybrid. And all the pics on that page are of the same fish in different moods.

Kevin

[AfricanCichlidFanatic]

The first picture kind of resembles some what an Astatotilapia "latifasciata" but he don’t look right either or a "latifasciata” gene in there. The second looks like something else more similar of that being a Haplochromis “thick skin” but I agree with Kevin in that they need to feel more dominate to show better color before I can give a better opinion. Also keep in mind that there are a lot of hybrids going around that has a mix of Astatotilapia "latifasciata" (trade name as Haplochromis “zebra obliquinen”) and the Haplochromis sp. “44” or “thick skin” (trade name as the Hoplochromis “obliquiden”). Both of these trade names in my opinion need to be done away with and are inappropriate as people that don’t know any better thinks that it is the same fish most likely do to them both having that trade name “obliquiden”.

[tarralb]

Here is a picture of the first guy (who I think is a redtail but correct me if I'm wrong) mostly colored up. Bad angle, but the best I could do.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/tarralb/P5191250.jpg

The second guy I don't know if I'll ever identify. I don't think it's a redtail b/c he never has the vertical stripes. He could be a hybrid, or maybe something else.

[AfricanCichlidFanatic]

That is much better and yes looks like one of the strains of Haplochromis sp. 44 or thick skin should from what I can tell. What a difference from the first picture!

[tarralb]

His colors come and go quite often. In the first picture he was sick and in a seperate tank recovering so his colors were pretty bad! But he is back to normal now...until I put him back in the big tank and he loses his dominance. It never ends!

[Matt V]

How big is he? My redtails were some of the meanest fish i ever owned aside from breeding brichardi complex Tangs. Maybe he needs some females or some other Victorians to push around. :wink:

[tarralb]

He is only about 2 inches. My other unknown Vic is around 3. There are no females because I didn't know for sure what they were so I didn't want to buy random females. My 3 inch one is a little aggessive but not too bad. My redtail isn't really aggressive at all. Right now he is in my 29 gallon with my venustus which is the same size as him and they have the exact same body shape so he displays to him a lot. :)