Help id this cichlid

[Connershawzz]

I bought this from live fish direct. Which is where I get all my fish , this has been the only fish that I’ve been worried about not being the correct one I ordered. I’ve done research and can’t really find anything.

It’s advertised as a lions cove Trewavasae

I’ve had it for about 4 months and it hasn’t grown or changed color much at all.

Anyone able to help?

 

[Colin_T]

Lions cove Trewavasae is a Labeotropheus trewavasae from Lion's Cove in Lake Malawi. It's a mouth brooding cichlid and relatively peaceful.

The fish is identifiable by a top lip that overhangs the bottom giving it a funny shaped mouth.

 

[jaylach]

Lions cove Trewavasae is a Labeotropheus trewavasae from Lion's Cove in Lake Malawi. It's a mouth brooding cichlid and relatively peaceful.

The fish is identifiable by a top lip that overhangs the bottom giving it a funny shaped mouth.

LOL! Was just about to say I couldn't say as to species but it looked like an African Rift type. I guess you gave a better answer.

 

[Colin_T]

They need lots of plant matter in their diet too.

 

[GaryE]

East African Cichlids in the hobby demand a specialist's eye, which I don't have. But because the species are relatively newly formed by geographic isolation within Lake Malawi, they remain closely related. They never meet in nature.
But we let them meet in tanks, and they can breed together easily. When you get an unidentifiable Malawi in a commercial shipment, odds are a breeder was careless, and you have a hybrid.
If you're a breeder, you have to accept that and keep them away from the identifiable species. Otherwise, it's just... a fish. You'll probably never have a name for it, and never be sure how it fits. Chances are, it can't have a scientific, species name, and it can be whatever you call it.