# Malawi Cichlid ID?



## Guppy Named Oscar (3 mo ago)

I mail-ordered cichlids
from a reputable shop. They included a "bonus" fish (I'm thankful, but also surprised, since they are potentially aggressive fish). I can ID most of them, but can't quite figure out these three. Two should be A. Stuartgranti (one mdoka flametail, one blue regal) and the other is the mystery. Also pictured is a rusty cichlid, just because he photo bombed the fish behind him, lol.
I would say the bluer fish is the blue regal, and the blacker fish is the flametail, except what's with the polka dot tail? Is he the bonus/mystery fish? I want to say the darker- bodied fish behind the rusty is the extra... is it possible he's an older, more colorful rusty?
Help me, friends! Who's who?


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## lildrummerboy (3 mo ago)

I'd say some kind of peacock, but I'm no expert.


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## dausi (22 d ago)

When I first got into African cichlids some of the stores I would buy from just labeled all the tanks "assorted Africans" and I would have to google pictures to try and figure out what I bought.



Kodi nox


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## Guppy Named Oscar (3 mo ago)

dausi said:


> When I first got into African cichlids some of the stores I would buy from just labeled all the tanks "assorted Africans" and I would have to google pictures to try and figure out what I bought.


I'm pretty sure "Assorted Africans" means "mutts." They're probably from home aquariums and have a likelihood of mixed parents, so their behavior may not always match their appearance. Always a new adventure! 

I did eventually figure my guys out. The blue and red one was the blue regal, and the black and white colored up into an obvious flametail. He's gorgeous, but I also loved him in black and white. Maybe I need some females  The mystery "bonus" fish was another rusty. He darkened up and the two are almost identical now. 

I definitely would stock my tank differently next time. I did a ton of research, but still failed to connect some dots. The mbuna seem happy, but I'm having a harder time with the peacocks. I've tried a few different changes, and keep coming back to the answer that I probably just need to separate them and have one tank for mbuna and another for peacocks.


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