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Hi,

I've been trying to get an ID on my Malawi for a while now, but they were just too small to be sure. They've grown a fair bit since then, so I was hoping someone could take another look.

Some of them have these weird black marks on them - are these the same species or something different?

Also, when can I expect them to start breeding? I've got 11 of them, along with 4 Yellow Labs.

Kenyi or OB Peacock, possibly orange blotch. They seem to match based on your pics, but I'd recommend a quick Google search to confirm - colors can be misleading in photos.

zeniko wrote: ↑Fri May 09, 2025 11:10 am Kenyi or OB Peacock, possibly orange blotch. They seem to match based on your pics, but I'd recommend a quick Google search to confirm - colors can be misleading in photos.

Thanks for the ID, I've checked and the ones with the blotches definitely look like Orange Blotches, but I'm still unsure about the others.

When it comes to breeding, I'm not sure what to expect - any idea when they'll start and are there any signs I should be looking out for?

I think they look like Kenyi to me, check this out: http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=Kenyi&hl=en&s ... s:20,i:148

Honestly, I'm not sure about breeding. Mine started breeding pretty quickly, within a week of being in the tank, but I don't know how old they were at the time. My Yellow Labs are about 5 months old and still not breeding, hopefully someone with more experience can chime in.

zeniko wrote: ↑Fri May 09, 2025 11:10 am Kenyi or OB Peacock, possibly orange blotch. They seem to match based on your pics, but I'd recommend a quick Google search to confirm - colors can be misleading in photos.

Could be a hybrid. Had a look around and found this: http/www.cichlids.com/pictures/pic/Afra_zebr ... pring.html.

Yeah, they're peacocks for sure. Had a similar experience with mine in a 180L tank, they started breeding after about 3 months. Got 'em as adults, so I reckon it's just a matter of maintaining good water quality and they'll get to it. Just keep an eye out for that double chin, that's the sign. My yellow labs are about 4 months old, still waiting for them to breed, so I feel your pain. My mbuna fry tank is just sitting empty, can't wait for my acei and white top afra hara to get going.

zeno4d wrote: ↑Fri May 09, 2025 9:59 am Hi,

I've been trying to get an ID on my Malawi for a while now, but they were just too small to be sure. They've grown a fair bit since then, so I was hoping someone could take another look.

Some of them have these weird black marks on them - are these the same species or something different?

Also, when can I expect them to start breeding? I've got 11 of them, along with 4 Yellow Labs.

I'm starting to think it may be a hybrid, I found this pic that looks just like mine: http/www.cichlids.com/pictures/pic/Afra_zebr ... pring.html. My little guy looks just like the one in the pic, I'm still unsure how to sex it though. I initially thought I had a kenyi, which I read would make it a female, but I got it from an assorted african cichlid tank and the kenyis were a bit pricier.