# beat up yellow lab



## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

so when 1 of my yellow labs is holdin ,one of my other females constantly gets beat up by the male. always.. her dorsal fin, and tail fin chewed up.
she hangs at the top corner, obviously scared to death and trying to survive. i dont have a hospital tank. is there anything i can do to help her.So what I have is as follows...
Metriliclima Callinos [cobalt blue zebra] 5f 1m
Labidichromis Caeruleus [yellow lab] 4f 1m
Cynotilapia Afra Lupingu [purple lupingu] 4f 1m
Iodotropheus Spengrae [rusty\ 5f 1m
all these are 1 1/2 to 2"
Metriliclima Esthere OB zebra 1m 31/2 "
2 catfish
tank is 75 gal 4ft by 18 by 18
200 watt heater
1 maxijet 1200
1 ac 110
1 xp3


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## Mudkicker (Apr 2, 2003)

You have 4 female yellow Labs. Is it always the same individual that gets picked on?


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

The male estherae has potential to be causing problems. Are you sure it is the male lab that is beating her up? The zebra would also be interested in her and cause the lab fry to be potentially hybrid.

You best bet would be to figure out who is tearing her up and go from there. If it is the zebra (or even if it isn't), you should probably find him a new home. Without a hospital tank, a fish that's chewed up and in the corner probably isn't going to last long. You might consider a breeder box to try to alleviate some pressure until you can figure out what is going on.

Holding females can be more aggressive as well. Or you could just have a female that isn't ready to spawn yet getting some unwanted attention. These fish seem small to vent too.


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

Its always the same lab getting picked on. The estherae isn't doing the chasing. The male lab is. My Asian upside down catfish keeps the estherae in check by chasing him. Its funny. Oh and most the labs are 2-3". Almost 3 1/2 ". Except maybe 1 small 1


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

i have a breeder box i could try.for the male? or the one getting beat up. 
I just hate trying to catch them, usually gotta take out all hiding spots,,, that means ALL my rocks


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

If you only have one lab getting picked on, it almost sounds like a subdom male. I would double check the vent and move the injured fish to the box to let it heal. A few days of aggression and fin nips is definitely enough to kill a weaker fish. If it is a male, rehoming it will likely be your only option.

The estherae will still be an issue if you plan to save fry.


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

thanks jcabage. so im a little dumb here, check venting?? your thinking 2 males? im 90 % sure i only have 1 male. *** had them from the get go. 
and im not concerned about saving fry at this time so not worried about the zebra. ill try the holding tank for the poor beat up female.
a couple pics
















and Mama








sorry poor pics from camera phone


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

That fish is in bad shape. It could really use some melafix. I'd consider buying some and treating the tank. If I were you I would spend a couple extra bucks and pick up a 10 gallon for a hospital tank so you don't have to dose the entire 75 gallons. Having a spare tank will most certainly come in handy again in the future.

If you haven't ever vented the labs, then there is a better chance that you have a second male. L. caeruleus is a monomorphic species, so the females will look exactly like males. Venting is the only way to differentiate. If you haven't seen this fish in particular holding, that is another good indicator.

Definitely put the fish in a safe place and try to double check the gender.


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

i have a 10 gal but obviously it would need cycled. that would take a while. i can easily get melafix. how long to cycle a 10 gal? just water and filter. ?
i could put media from my other filters. i have an ac 30 i could use..... plenty of filtration and water movement..
or should i just try and catch it and put in holding tank, and treat with melafix?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Put him in the breeder box right away and then set up the 10G next day with media from other filters.

I like the chance it is a sub-dom male and also since the estherae has no females you KNOW he is claiming someone else's females. Yellow labs are the best bet. If you want to keep the estherae, I'd double the yellow lab females so there are enough for both the yellow lab male and the estherae.


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

Wow.OK didn't realize that. I knew that the estherae would take care of fry, but not dominate another female.I think it would be better, and cheaper, and overall better for the fish if I rehome the zebra and the other lab. I put it in a holding tank and treated. I will try and nurse it/ him/ her/ unk.. to health and rehome. I will also setup my 10gal for future needs..


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

another quick question, what will it do to test paramaters? nitrate,kh,gh,ph,etc? right now they are ph 8,kh 10,gh 8,nirate 20,nitrite and ammonia 0.. should i wait to test after the week is over and after a wc?


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

melafix. that is. sorry


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

melafix has no impact on test results. Do a 50% water change to assist healing.


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

hey DJ Ransome, i wanted to get a good 2 doses of melafix in, so i treated again tonite. should I do that 50% wc tmrw? and then add the melafix after ? or ? 
thanks again


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

yes


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## B.Roberson (Nov 6, 2011)

thanks for everyone for input. my lab is doing MUCH better, been in a breeder box for a week. tail fin almost grown back, maybe 60-70%. top fin doin great. 
gonna rehome my zebra and the large male lab to lfs. im havnt vented the beat up 1 yet, but i think its a male cuz its the only lab that gets picked on.


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## wadesdynasty (Oct 16, 2012)

this wasn't my post but i would like to know how long does an injury like this take to heal? i rescued a 4" maingano that the lps was gonna let die off but not as bad as the one in the pic. I've put it in its own tank for couple weeks but it's tail fin doesn't seem to be growing back yet. doesn't seem to be getting worse either. i have been using metafix and stresscoat.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

About a month. But you should see clear edges forming on the damaged fin much earlier than that...within a week.


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