# Unsure if this is a Labidochromis caeruleus



## Ebfsound (Apr 8, 2010)

My daughter works at a Pestmart store and she gave me a call one day saying that in the back room in the "sump" part of their filter system they found this fish and said I could have it free because it was not in their inventory. They think that when it was really small it found a way into the tubes that lead from the individual tanks to their filter system (very small tubes) and has been living in their filter system a LONG time. It measures between 3 and 4 inches long. Unlike pictures I see on the internet that show a fish allot like this as very orange, this fish really is not orange, nor is it bright yellow. It is a sort of yellow with an orange cast to it, and the belly area is very pale white-yellow (really more white than yellow) but this picture makes the belly look more yellow than it really is. The flash in the camera caused the fish coloration to intensify a little bit. It has distinctive markings on the lower fin, and on the gil plate below and slightly back there is a small patch of irridecent "stuff".

I spent hours searching the net for a yellow fish exactly like this and failed. The fact that the belly area is very light/pale on mind throws me too. I think it is a Labidochromis caeruleus


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

i would not call this a yellow lab

to me it looks like a yellow zebra, so probably a red zebra/yellow lab cross

but that's just my opinion


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

Does it ever show a hint of vertical barring? If so I would guess it is a big male Metriaclima lombardoi (Kenyii)


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

Definitely not a lab, though it could be a lab/estherae hybrid. It could also be a kenyi, depending on whether it shows the bars as asked above.


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## Ebfsound (Apr 8, 2010)

So far it has not shown any bars. I've had it in my tank now for approximately 3 weeks, and it now has realized that pellet food, flake food, and thawed blood worms are food! Very active feeder, but seems to get along well with all the other tank mates. Classic cichlid...I walk into the room and he/she is right there ready for a meal !


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## greg1786 (Apr 9, 2010)

not sure what it is but definitely sure its not a yellow lab. sry


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

Blood worms will kill mbuna. Too high in protein and the extra long intestines of mbuna designed to digest cellulose rich algae will get blocked causing bloat which leads to death.


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## Melanochromis (Mar 30, 2005)

I would say based on your description it's an Estherae/Caeruleus hybrid.


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## lil_flame33 (Mar 20, 2010)

Big chain petstores are notorious for hybrids.... lol....But he is definately a beautiful fish....


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

very likely Yellow lab X Red Zebra hybrid... and Petsmart have carried those hybrids in recent years.

pure Yellow Lab? no

I'm would guess a female with characteristics of both species.


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

I got sold two of those by the petsmart in quakertown pa as electric yellow labs. I asked for two females yellow labs since I had a male. Its a hybrid yellow lab/red zebra. They also miss sexed mine and sold me two males. My 55 gal is now divided in 3rds.


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## KATALE (Jul 25, 2008)

i would return them and let them know that they did not sell u a yellow lab but a hybrid instead and should not be misleading people if they do not know what they are selling.. even if it was an overbread yellow lab of poor quality,, the body shape would still not look as it does.. bring them back and put up a stink.. hybrids should not be sold period


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## Ebfsound (Apr 8, 2010)

Thanks everyone for all the feedback, makes allot more sense now, especially with everyones feedback about Petsmart. Normally I buy all my fish from a high quality honest tropical fish store, but this was a freebie and I thought it was a gorgeous fish. So, I'm happy with him/her in my tank


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