Id help - 2 red zebra or is one johanni?

[CraigMac]

These were sold to me as female johanni but then I was told they are red zebras. Someone else said 1 might be a female johanni but the other is def red zebra. What do u think?
Pic 2 & 3 are the same fish

 

[garfy]

Look like red zebra's to me.

 

[Malawi Freak]

I want to say red zebras also but the mouth on the 2nd and 3rd is making me a little hesitant.

 

[StickyOto]

Female Johanni is my guess he to yellow to be a red zebra and he has the mouth of the female Johanni too.

 

[kay-bee19]

They lack the usual 'torpedo' shape of m. johanni and instead have the stockier 'build' of zebra's. Additionally, the fins of at least the first fish have a blue hue, characteristic of a male orange/red morph metriaclima estherae.

I'm guessing they're at least partially metriaclima esterae/red zebra.

Does that last fish have red eyes or is that a result from the camera shot?

 

[a.tetreault]

my red zebras are very orange this doesnt look like the right coloring

 

[garfy]

Some aren't quite as orange as others.Maybe slight hybridisation is involved but some are paler than others.

 

[CraigMac]

They lack the usual 'torpedo' shape of m. johanni and instead have the stockier 'build' of zebra's. Additionally, the fins of at least the first fish have a blue hue, characteristic of a male orange/red morph metriaclima estherae.

I'm guessing they're at least partially metriaclima esterae/red zebra.

Does that last fish have red eyes or is that a result from the camera shot?

The red eye is from the camera. And they are both an light orange, they are definitely orange but a lighter shade.

 

[kelbaker79]

Those are not Johanni IMO :/

 

[CraigMac]

That's what I was afraid of, they don't have the torpedo shape of my male johanni. I think they are either red zebras or red zebra hybrids.

I need to brush up on my ID skills and not take the word of the LFS guys

 

[Malawi Freak]

That's what I was afraid of, they don't have the torpedo shape of my male johanni. I think they are either red zebras or red zebra hybrids.

I need to brush up on my ID skills and not take the word of the LFS guys

I've been trying to be able to successfully id cichlids for years and have several Konings books to help. I'm still terrible at it.

 

[garfy]

I've been trying to be able to successfully id cichlids for years and have several Konings books to help. I'm still terrible at it.

Haha tell me about it.Ive got dr Herbert axlerod's "the most complete coloured lexicon of cichlids" and there are literally thousands of cichlids in there but still it can be really difficult to id.

 

[Malawi Freak]

Haha tell me about it.Ive got dr Herbert axlerod's "the most complete coloured lexicon of cichlids" and there are literally thousands of cichlids in there but still it can be really difficult to id.

I've read reviews on that book and it says he has pictures of every type. Do you like it?

 

[garfy]

I've read reviews on that book and it says he has pictures of every type. Do you like it?

It's a fantastic book.There are 784 pages of fish and the index itself is 75 pages long.Lovely colour photos too.