Peacock and Zebra variations?

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absolutangel04

Daphnia are People Too.
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I have a question about zebra cichlids and peacock cichlids. I have seen a bunch of different colors of these fish labeled as different species. Are they different species, or just different color variations? If they are just color variations, do they treat each other as members of the same species? Would a red peaock cichlid treat an orange blossom peacock cichlid the same as it would treat another red peacock? I have seen red, white, yellow, orange, and blue varieties of both of these fish. Just curious.
 
As far as zebra's are concerned, the answer is: Both.

There are various species of zebra's (all are members of the metriaclima (alternate: maylandia) genus), but there can be variants or morphs within a particular zebra species.

I'm not a peacock expert, but the above may also apply to them (they're different species belonging to the same aulonocara genus; not sure if there are variants among the species).

Females of different peacock species resemble each other so the males of different peacock species may compete over them, and they are capable of interbreeding (the offspring will be hybrid peacocks).
 
As far as zebra's are concerned, the answer is: Both.

There are various species of zebra's (all are members of the metriaclima (alternate: maylandia) genus), but there can be variants or morphs within a particular zebra species.

I'm not a peacock expert, but the above may also apply to them (they're different species belonging to the same aulonocara genus; not sure if there are variants among the species).

Females of different peacock species resemble each other so the males of different peacock species may compete over them, and they are capable of interbreeding (the offspring will be hybrid peacocks).
Thanks! So, if I were to get a few peacocks, would you recommend getting the same variation to avoid hybrid babies?
 
I'd either set up either a species tank (single peacock species) or an all-male peacock tank containing various peacock species.
 
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