# what fish are good with yellow labs?



## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

hello I am new to this hobby and i plan on getting yellow labs this weekend. my tank just finished cycling!!

i have a 26 bow front tank and i plan on getting 2 yellow labs! (do you think i could get more?)

anyways i was thinking about getting electric blue ciclids as well to go into the tank.

also, any tank decoration ideas? thanks


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

what is the dimensions of your tank...may be way too small for electric blues. but yeah need to know the footprint of the tank before anyone will be able to suggest stocking ideas


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## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

my tank is 24L x 15W x 21H


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> my tank is 24L x 15W x 21H


Sorry to say, odds are pretty high yellow labs will not work in this tank long term. Certainly not electric blues. Really any fish from lake Malawi is going to get very aggressive in a tank that size.

If you are open to trading in your fish in 6 months or so then a couple of small yellow labs should work for that long.

If you want something longer term then you should have a look at the 20 gallon cookie cutter set ups here.

I would strongly suggest looking at 'Lamprologus' multifasciatus as the basis for your aquarium. What they lack in looks they way more than make up for in personality and you can get a group of 6 and grow a colony from there.

Good Luck.


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## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

*** read about multies and they sound cool but i also read that they are hard to find and that most LFS dont sell them! any advise on where to get them? also do they have to have sand or can i keep my gravel?


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## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

also i have one more question on the bottom on the cookie cutter page in the grey boxes are they saying that i can have all the fish they list in one box for instance they say in one box:
â€¢ Telmatocrhomis vittatus - 1 pair 
â€¢ Lepidiolamprologus hecqui - 1 pair 
â€¢ Synodontis petricola - 3 
so does that mean i could have all those in my tank?


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> I've read about multies and they sound cool but i also read that they are hard to find and that most LFS dont sell them! any advise on where to get them?


Depending on where you are in California, I would think you can find them - local fish clubs, the trading post on this site, are there any good LFS near you - if so talk to them about Tangs - they may know of breeders or can simply order them for you. Once a group starts breeding, the owner can get quickly overrun with them.

For reference, I live up in Northern AZ - 90 miles from nowhere - I end up ordering online.



> also do they have to have sand or can i keep my gravel?


Sand and shells - 20 grit silica sand (same as pool sand NOT playsand) about $7.85 at Home Depot for 100lbs (way more than you need). You just wash it thoroughly before putting it in the tank. There is a link in the library on cleaning sand.



> also i have one more question on the bottom on the cookie cutter page in the grey boxes are they saying that i can have all the fish they list in one box for instance they say in one box:
> â€¢ Telmatocrhomis vittatus - 1 pair
> â€¢ Lepidiolamprologus hecqui - 1 pair
> â€¢ Synodontis petricola - 3
> so does that mean i could have all those in my tank?


When reading the cookie cutters, when you read pair - think, you buy 6 small fish - let two of them pair off, remove the others before they get hurt once the pair forms.

Because your tank is shorter in length, I think I would do 1 group only and add a Bristlenose Pleco and a dither like the Zebra Danios they describe in the Shell-dweller setups.

The only other tang I might do is Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, if you make a tall rock pile on one side they should stay up around the top of the rocks. But honestly, the Danio option would be far cheaper and far more likely to work.

The important thing is to realize that these fish need territory - the shell dwellers need tank floor space - you don't want any other fish to compete with that floor space need - hence Danios that swim in the water column would work well because they don't compete for the same niche in the tank.

The Yellow Labs are the same way requiring space - but require significantly more territory once they grow up, that is why they are not a good idea in your tank.

As a first shot at keeping African cichlids in a 24gallon tank, I think the Multies are going to give you the a lot of action with the least aggression to start out as they will form a colony and not pair off (then attempt to kill the other unpaired fish of that species) - you start with about 6 and hopefully end up with a whole tank full.

But really any one of the species recommended should work, just realize you will end up with a single pair if all goes well.

There are also Central & South American set ups to explore. I only keep africans, but you can certainly visit those other boards to get more ideas.

I just hope you can find something that will work long term without causing _you_ stress because of aggression - a common problem with Africans and small tanks.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck.


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## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

wow that was so much information! but very helpful i was looking at lemon cichlids because they are the closest in color to the yellow labs but a lot smaller. how many of those could i have?


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> wow that was so much information! but very helpful i was looking at lemon cichlids because they are the closest in color to the yellow labs but a lot smaller. how many of those could i have?


I assume you mean Neolamprologus leleupi.

Okay, I lied - don't go there, they can get to 5in and can be pretty aggressive - they are not smaller than the yellow labs.

For more color look into the Pelvichromis pulcher, Ram, or Apistogramma tank setups.

The Tanganyika fish you can keep in your tank long term are going to have complex breeding/social behaviors but not pretty colors.


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## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

haha okay i wont get those! yeah im really interested in color! thats what caught my eye with the yellow labs, the people at the LPS said that they only grow to be 4 inches and that i could have like three in my tank! so thats why im so confused!


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

ah yeah what about some bolivian rams... a little colony of em


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## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

ill look into that right now thanks


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## reeONnah (Sep 21, 2009)

those are really pretty! how big do they get? how many could i have? tank set up? can i get them at my LPS?


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

i dont know if you can get them at your lfs...they have them at mine. you could order online.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

check out the species article in the profiles section


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

24x12 might be a tad on the small side for Bolivian Rams.
If you want colour and small size you might need to stay in South America though.
Consider a pair (or three? I've never kept them) of German Rams:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=421
But if you're not experienced, try hard to get tank raised fish. Wild caught rams are extremely delicate and imported rams are notorious for being hormoned. Either way you'll avoid health issues by going locally bred.

Or a trio of Apistogramma:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1437

Either way, you're going to want to do a planted tank with these fish. Stick to easy plants like Java Fern, Vallisneria or Cryptocoryne and you'll be fine.

kevin


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