Chili peppers

[kindlyact]

hey guys, new to the forum, just got some questions on uploading pics, wanna get some id on my chilids, been keeping tropical community fish but just started getting into these, still learning the ropes

[dashy]

Sign up to photobucket, then upload your pics there. Copy and paste the hyperlink or direct link next to the pic on photobucket into a post you make here. If you've got any probs, just give me a shout and I'll sort you out. One of the links shows the pic directly in the post, while the other one directs people to the pic on photobucket - can't remember which way round it is, but either way, it works.

[kindlyact]

cheers dashy, trying to get it sorted as we speak, thanks for the help

[kalevi]

Looks like you've got Mbuna, specifically lake malawi cichlids. Most appear to be hybrids, though. Where did you source them from, if you don't mind me asking?

[kindlyact]

thanks malawi man i was speaking to you earlier as essex chilliads but i was on my ipod and i couldnt log in to that acc so i had to create a new one. thanks for your knowledge much appreciated

[kindlyact]

hybrids yeah i got them from a mate who dont know much about em either

[kalevi]

Yeah, not entirely sure what species of Malawi mbuna they are. Does the guy who gave them to you have any idea what they are?

[kindlyact]

Looks like you've got Mbuna, specifically lake malawi cichlids. Most appear to be hybrids, though. Where did you source them from, if you don't mind me asking?

no i dont think he does, i will try and get some better pics these are a lil older, how do i tell if they are female or male tho??

[kalevi]

Venting is the way to go for telling the sex of cichlids, it's the guaranteed method. For a rough idea though, males have egg spots on their anal fin and sometimes dorsal fin, plus they have pointy anal and dorsal fins, and longer pelvic fins. Some species are easier to sex than others, so for the easier ones you can use the simpler methods, but for the harder ones I'd read up on venting, it's the way to go for juveniles and tricky species. The simpler methods aren't 100% reliable though, some females can have egg spots and similar coloration to males. Looking at your photos, you've got a mix of males and females. Some of the females look like pseudotropheus long pelvic galleria, but I'm not 100% sure, and you've also got some OB morph metriaclima species, but again, not 100% sure. What size tank are they in, mate?