Buying off of Craigslist

[howmanyds]

I am going to soon be purchasing all the fish for my community tank. Without any experience purchasing, would it be a bad idea to buy from somebody nearby who claims to have all kinds of cichlids that he raises and sells himself. I can't tell from his listing if he has an actual store or just his home.
What traits would I want to be looking for when buying my tangs & peacocks? Does it matter what generation the fish are? Whether they've been inbred? Any other things I'd want to check for?
Thanks!

 

[Mebbid]

Almost all fish are going to be inbred, it's just how things are. Any decent fish breeder will do selective breeding in a specific way to prevent issues from it.

Keep an eye out for similar breeds of cichlids being kept together as this could yield in a large number of mutts. I.e. similar colors and shapes but obviously different species. Keep in mind males and females usually look different.

Also look for fish with curved spines as this is a sign of a lot of inbreeding.

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

I've gotten nearly all my Africans from people I found online. Every time there set up was impressive and I left with new fish and alot of valuable information