[Cichlidoclus]

Hello there fellow Teenie Weenie Fish!

While I've bred a number of fish before -- bettas, discus, angels, copadichromis borleyi -- just knowing that at least one of those three fry has made it this far along, was, and continues to be, an inspiring moment. What is also interesting is that while female #2 frequently rests in that very spot, and must be aware of Junior's presence, she has made no attempts to eat him -- and it's not even her fry. He belongs to female #1 who released her fry on June 17th. Oh, the love!

Right before coming to this board, I saw a picture of a Pseudotropheus Elongatus. Another online friend had mentioned this species to me before, and suggested that Bully Boy -- who is Junior's father -- might be one of those, or at least a hybrid of one of those, but after looking at a picture of one, I was doubtful. However, the image I just looked at a few minutes ago bears a striking resemblance to Bully Boy. The main difference is that Bully Boy only has about three and a half vertical bars which fade out about halfway up his body. If you want to see the image that I am talking about, go here:

cichlids.com: P.ndumbi, and P. elongatus.."mpanga"

The other two males in my tank also bear some similarities to the above fish. So I am wondering if my fish might be one of these hybrids:

Melanochromis Johanni x Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos
Melanochromis Johanni x Pseudotropheus Elongatus
Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos x Pseudotropheus Elongatus

Anyway, it will be interesting to see if Junior survives, and if he does, what he will grow up to look like.