Sciaenochromis Ahli or Sciaenochromis Fryeri? How long before full color?

I just found this list (with tons of pictures) over at chichlid-forum.com...   OMG!!!   I had no idea there were so many variations of this particular fish!!!

www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=1

Sciaenochromis ahli                              Haplochromis Big Eye
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Cape Maclear)   Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chewere)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chiofu Bay)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chizumulu Is.)   Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chuanga)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Likoma Is.)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Lumbaulo)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Lundu)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Lupingu)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Magunga)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Maleri Is.)           Iceberg, Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Mbenji Is.)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Ntekete)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Taiwan Reef)   Hap Ahli, Electric Blue

Whew!!!   ;D

What do I have? 

It almost seems like I have the first kind (the Sciaenochromis Ahli "Big Eye")?   www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1337  

Is it still too early to tell? 

Odds are you do not have the Ahli.  Rarely imported, and I have been watching wholesalers lists for 6 or 7 years. 

On Old World Exotic Fish, he lists wild fryeri for $36 each.  The pond raised fish, many generations removed from the wild are listed as "Ahli - electric Blue", "elec blue ahli iceburg" and "elec blue ahli tanz redspot".  I'll bet the names on the pond raised fish havent changed in years.

The first fish photo looks a bit odd, and "may" have a little mixed blood in them.  It could also be a crummy pic.  Or mood.  or lighting.  Also, I will bet they are a couple of dozen generations removed from the wild.  If someone bred a "bad" (purely subjective mind you) fish, a trait may be passed on and achieve dominance.  There is a typical look on fish - there shouldnt be tall types, short types, balloon types, stub tails, etc.  There is only the wild caught holotype.  So what do you do?  Dont worry what type you have.  You most likely do not have any of the fish you listed.  You have a combination of them.  It is a tank variety, just like all the other ahli / fryeris.

As long as you are in the US, they will probably be Fryeri. There are some differences between the two, jaw structure, eye size, fin ray count, etc. From what I've read and seen ahli have not been imported to the US and is an old trade name for S. fryeri. There was a confuion between the two species. Ahli aren't a popular fish because they are far less colorful and really only color up when spawning. You most likely if not definitely have fryeri.

to me there isnt any difference of the two, by now everything has mixed together so unless they are wild caught thats the only way to tell. go with what they were labled as. do you recall who you got them from?

The first pic is what got me thinking it wasnt...the other 2 i wasnt sure. Bu it has that odd top fin that looks werid.

The first pic is of the older and larger male (in my 65 gallon tank currently) and the second 2 pics are of the younger/smaller male that I keep in the 30 gallon right now.

So...   do you guys think they seem to be more Ahli than Fryeri?...  Judging by this picture ( www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1337 ) they look more like Ahli.   

The guy I bought them from (when they were only 1-1.5in) called them Electric Blue "Ahli's"...

Are they more rare than the Fryeri's?  I can't seem to find too many pictures or videos of the Ahli's on the internet...   only Fryeri's.

Does anyone have any pics/vids of the pure Ahli's?

Thanks guys!!!!

The first pic is what got me thinking it wasnt...the other 2 i wasnt sure. Bu it has that odd top fin that looks werid.

i hate to contradict, but it is an ahli. it depends on the fish and how they are raised. i had a group of fry and gave a few males to my friend. they colored up and where tall bodied like the ones pictured. at the same time, fish from the same spawn turned out thinner. as for coloring up, his colored up first.

the fish pictured are still ahlis, it just depends on what the tank parameters are, what foods are fed and tank mates. as for how long for them to color up, it may be a few weeks, or a few months or a year or more. subdominant males probably will not color fully, or will not get flowing fins which are traits of the dominant male.

Klassic

Sorry dude but i dont want to say that is a pure breed fish it doesnt look like a Ahli.

I just found this list (with tons of pictures) over at chichlid-forum.com...   OMG!!!   I had no idea there were so many variations of this particular fish!!!

www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=1

Sciaenochromis ahli                              Haplochromis Big Eye
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Cape Maclear)   Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chewere)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chiofu Bay)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chizumulu Is.)   Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Chuanga)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Likoma Is.)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Lumbaulo)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Lundu)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Lupingu)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Magunga)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Maleri Is.)           Iceberg, Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Mbenji Is.)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Ntekete)           Hap Ahli, Electric Blue
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Taiwan Reef)   Hap Ahli, Electric Blue

Whew!!!   ;D

What do I have? 

It almost seems like I have the first kind (the Sciaenochromis Ahli "Big Eye")?   www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1337  

Is it still too early to tell? 

I bought them in december 08... and i'm guessing they're about 6 months now.. and they are starting to color up a little. 

I have two that i know are males for sure:

Which kind are they do you think???  Sorry for the bad focus...  need a different (better) camera for this kind of photography I guess.

The largest male (currently in the 65 gallon):


The smaller male (currently in the 30 gallon):


The smaller male again: