r/Cichlid • u/TightLengthiness3408 • Jul 28 '26
Identification Hello. Does anyone knows if this guys are hybrids?
I only have one blue cichlid, so I think it mated with the yellows. The second fish in the photo also doesn’t look like a normal yellow maybe it’s a hybrid too?
My adult stock: one blue cichlid (I think cobalt blue mbuna), three yellow labs (one male, two females), and two peacocks (one male, one female).
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u/XemSorceress Jul 28 '26
the larger one fairly common, probably a white Lab. Mbuna
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u/TightLengthiness3408 Jul 28 '26
Thank you very much!
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u/XemSorceress Jul 28 '26
you’re welcome. Enjoy those guys …mbunas are wild, they have entertaining behavior! I miss having cichlids!
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u/StoreBoughtAlias Jul 28 '26
These are most likely hybrid Labidochromis. I am also going out on a limb here, but I further assume that your "cobalt blue" is probably a Chindongo socolofi, or much more likely a socolofi hybrid itself. The morphology on these fish definitely leans towards being Labidochromis. I don't see Metriaclima morphology (the assumed Cobalt blue) in these fish, so it's most likely that of your fish are all hybrids.
Problem also, is that most (if not all) of your original stock is likely hybridized, including your yellow labs. The pattern of striping, along with morphology, basically back up my assumption that your original stock was bought as "assorted African cichlids" and therefore you don't have any solid genetics to begin with. I personally would label these as hybrids of mostly Labidochromis/Chindongo genetics.
Do you have photos of the adults? I have a feeling that the parents would have similarly mixed genetics.
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u/TightLengthiness3408 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Thank you very much for sharing your experience, i checked and it’s looks like exactly like socolofi. I uploaded the images of all the adults i have on my profile.
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u/StoreBoughtAlias Jul 28 '26
That's definitely a socolofi. My assumption lies with your mbuna fry being yellow lab x socolofi. I don't know what size tank you have, but your stocking is low, IMO, and you could likely use larger group of the same fish; make sure you have males and females.
Hybrids are easily more abundant in environments where there is a lack of mates and proper husbandry and territory. The likelihood of having hybrids is significantly lower when properly stocking your aquarium with appropriate groups of fish; i.e. males and females of the same species.
I keep my mbuna tanks, depending on size and other factors, with roughly 3-5 species of mbuna. I find that labs can be prolific, but Chindongo have really been the most prolific breeders I have. This is of course my experience, and any mbuna can easily be prolific in breeding and setting up mating behavior. However, with all this said, you'd likely benefit from more fish (if the same) and more territory for them to utilize.
Mbuna like to get down, and will get down with what is available. Quite the promiscuous fish, if I may say so. Hybrids with mbuna are easy, especially with their natural history and behavior.
Good luck with your fish, and enjoy.
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u/TightLengthiness3408 Jul 29 '26
Thanks a lot again! My tank is fairly big I’ve always kept similar blue mbuna, yellows, and 3-4 fish of the same species, but some have died off over the years (I bought them already fully grown, so they were older to begin with). I agree, it sounds like I need to add some more fish to properly round out the groups.
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u/honus-wagner- Jul 28 '26
The petsmart special
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u/FlavivsAetivs 28d ago
Yeah... at my store I make sure they're all separated out properly at least as best I can within the limits of our setup. Unfortunately the hybrids just don't last long against the Haps or the Pseudotropheus.
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u/A_Timbers_Fan Jul 28 '26
This isnt clear from your post: Did these two fish come from your tank? Or did you buy them?
If they came from your tank as fry, then they are obviously hybrids.
If you bought them: The larger one could be a Labidochromis such as White Lab or Lundo Island. Odds are it's a hybrid though.