# Yellow lab and tank mates. When will this end in disaster?:D



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

I have had cichlids before. Experience was bitter. Got fed up and then moved tetras. Tetras and barbs, tetras drop like flys unlike cichlids who take warriror's path.

So now i am considering going back to Cichlids, main reason being is that cichlids look better than tetras and now i can get cichlids in whole sale rate.

mbuna is more aggressive than peacocks and tanganika? which cichlids will fight very less. from experience i learnt few fishes to be avoided.. but still cant figure out a decent species that will chase each other at minimum.

Currently i have three yellow labs , melon barbs, red eye tetra, black phantom, a lemon tetra, neon rainbow fish. I think the yellow cichlids are adolescent in cichlid age? they dont attack other fishes so far.. will they get along in future.. or should i replace tetras and barbs.. with some less quarrelsome species. I open to the idea of removing yellow labs and try different tank set up..

mbuna is like yellow laps, powder blue cichlids etc?

aulonocara is peacocks?

tanganika lake fishes are frontosa?

fight should be very minimal that is the main thing i am looking for.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

as you can see from the image.. except for melon barb and neon rainbow most tetras are fully camoflauged with substrate.. substrate is for planted tank. i had planted tank set up before.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What are the dimensions of the tank? I would remove the non-cichlids at minimum. The neon rainbows might be OK.


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Not entirely sure what you want. The Yellow Labs will not cause too much trouble, they will tend to ignore the other non cichlid fish. The Tetras are the most likely to get stressed out/ unhappy/ die. Barbs tend to do okay, as long as they are not too small. Rainbow fish do okay.

The non cichlids may not be too happy, but may survive for months. If you really want more cichlids, you should remove the non cichlids. Cichlids do at least quarrel among themselves, and make for a stressful tank. if you don't want to deal with that, just stick with the Yellow labs.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

Thanks for response all.

1: Is Frontosa? Blue Dolphins, and Acei are a peaceful species little to no quarell?

2: Can yellow labs be housed along with above said species...

3: what is the difference between Mbuna and Peacocks? to easily spot. i know from the forums peacocks and mbuna dont work.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The answer depends on the dimensions of your tank. Frontosa need a 72" long tank and ideally with no other species. They are relatively peaceful.

noki gave you the answer about yellow labs with above said species.

Go by the scientific names of the fish to know which are the peacocks...they will be labeled as peacocks or Aulonocara.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

@DJRansome..

my tank is 4 feet.

Can i put other cichlids like pseudotropheus socolofi, Pseudotropheus acei, Copadichromis borleyi , Maylandia estherae(red zebra) and Cyrtocara moorii( blue dolphin) without getting my barbs killed..will give away tetras.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

I will remove tetras..

Yellow labs.
Pseudotropheus acei,
Copadichromis borleyi
Cyrtocara moorii

1!: abovelisted species are they peaceful enough not to kill other species or their own species?

2: Any more mild mannered and non aggressive cichlids can be added in the list?

Please advise.


----------



## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

Theses could be too big for a 4ft tank depending on the other dimensions.
Pseudotropheus acei,
Copadichromis borleyi
Cyrtocara moorii


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

height 2 feet
length 4 feet
width probably 1 to 1.5 feet.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would skip the borleyi and moori for sure.

And even the acei if the width is 1 foot.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

what can i put in the tank then??? :O along with yellow labs.. going to remove the rest.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What is the measurement of the tank from front to back?

Socolofi would work even if the tank is 48x12. There are less quarrelsome choices though.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

calculating water portion alone..

Height 50 cm or 1.67 top to bottom
breadth 115cm 3.7feet side to side
Width 40cm tor 1.4 feet front to back.

why cant acei can be put there? This is the standard big tank available in market.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

In the US a standard 75G is 48" or four feet by 18" or 1.5 feet.

Seems your tank is a little smaller, but large enough to give acei a try.

I'd do 10 of each (labs and acei) and call it stocked.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

There are less quarrelsome choices though.

any other choice bro?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Acei are less quarrelsome than socolofi...so there is another choice.

Peacocks and haps are less quarrelsome than mbuna...but females are drab so you get one colorful fish and four silver/brown ones.


----------



## Doniv86 (Sep 10, 2018)

Ok.. Thank you very much DJRansome, you have been most helpful and kind. Thanks again.

Thank you Noki, James. You have been very helpful too.

I will update, once i get the fishes.. I am not sure whether acei will be available typically in the market.I will speak with the seller if he can get me.. Peacoks are available readily though.


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Doniv86 said:


> Ok.. Thank you very much DJRansome, you have been most helpful and kind. Thanks again.
> 
> Thank you Noki, James. You have been very helpful too.
> 
> I will update, once i get the fishes.. I am not sure whether acei will be available typically in the market.I will speak with the seller if he can get me.. Peacoks are available readily though.


"Peacocks" that are common may be hybrids, and may not as somewhat peaceful as pure Aulonocara peacocks. The cross genera types vary a lot and are more Mbuna like.


----------



## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Doniv86 said:


> I have had cichlids before. Experience was bitter. Got fed up and then moved tetras.
> 
> fight should be very minimal that is the main thing i am looking for.


Any cichlid can be aggressive dependant on the situation and particular individual. 
But really, if you want better odds of ending up with a peaceful tank with very minimal chasing......I think you avoid Malawi altogether. There are much more peaceful cichlids. Many of the SA cichlids such as keyholes, various geos, festivum, anagelfish, ect. are much more likely to get along with very little chasing in comparison. Even many of the west African cichlids such as block heads (_Steatocranus _ sp.) or Butterfly cichlid (_Anomalochromis thomasi_) could be described as peaceful in comparison. And many of these will do fine with tetras.
Aggression is relative. A yellow lab might be described as "peacefull" in comparison to a highly aggressive mbuna like auaratus, but it's still an aggressive cichlid when compared to many others. 
I also think that the way they are bred, always having the most dominant male breed with all the females might end up selecting for a more aggressive fish over time. Mine are common box store electric yellows. Some claim the're likely to have some red zebra genes, and that could be, but breeding them for a few generations now, I would say based on their look, they are much more uniform then most cichlids ( and that would make sense if the domestic population originates from only a few individuals as some claim). So based on their look, over the course of 3 generations, no reason to suppose they are hybrid (and I've had definite hybrid mbuna that spit out all kinds of different shapes, striping and look over 3 generations!). Anyways, they started out pretty mellow for mbuna at young and small size, but that really didn't last too long. They are generally not too aggressive towards other species (at least in comparison to other mbuna) but the conspecific aggression is downright nasty. I've had them for almost 4 years now, most of the time in 4 tanks, and I've had casualties and excessive chasing amongst them in all 4 tanks. Over this span, the conspecific aggression is worse then it is with my groups of demasoni! :lol: 
I've had Acei, as well, going on 4 years. It's like two different fish. The first couple years they were ridiculously mellow for an mbuna. The last couple years, I would describe them as fairly typical mbuna. Not a peaceful cichlid at all. My largest female, now somewhere around 7" killed the other 2 females in a 180 gal. a few months back.
It's true, peacocks are usually less aggressive then mbuna.....but again compared to many other cichlids, they could be described as rather aggressive. And with most species there are always dominant males that prove to be a lot more aggressive then what you might expect for the species. I currently have a male 'sunshine peacock'. It's one of my most aggressive fishes and chases what ever fish it's above in the pecking order. In general, Malawi are aggressive cichlids.


----------

