# Tank mates for yellow labs?



## shackett

Hi,
After 30 years of keeping fish, my first attempt at keeping cichlids has been successful, and fun! I have a 75g with 9 labs that are breeding and doing well. Now I'd like to add other Malawi species to the tank. I'm looking for something that will contrast with the labs, but am mostly concerned with cross-breeding. Any suggestions?


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## Nodalizer

Try any of the mildly agressive haps, they should do well.

Electric Blue Hap is always a great color to add.

I used to love my Moorii with my Labs too. Hes not as agressive, but his larger size will keep any labs away form them.


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## DIAMOND_CICHLIDS

You could go with demasonis or cynotilapia sp hara if you want to stay with all mbuna...
If you chose fish with different genus and provide a good ratio of male female you shouldnt have problems with crossbreeding.


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## Nodalizer

If you make it all mbuna, remember you might need more caves/tunnels.


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## shackett

Thanks! I was thinking about demasoni. and do haps not need caves?


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## Fogelhund

Ps. demasoni are fine, but can be challenging to keep. You would want to start with as many as you can afford.. 12-15+.

With Labs, you really aren't limited at all. Other mbuna, haps, peacocks... they'll all do fine with the Labs, though not necessarily with each other.

Many of the Haps aren't as strict rock dwellers as the Mbuna are... but that is a generalization that isn't always true either. O. lithobates are cave dwellers, so they like the rocks.... A. jacobfriebergi are cave dwellers too...

You can pretty much pick any fish that will do well in a 75, and they should be fine with your Labs... of course avoiding fish that get too big for a 75 gallon, or the overly aggressive mbuna.


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## car0linab0y

I vote Yellow Tail Acei.


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## BigJagLover

I have kept them the best with acei( tellow and white tail) and peacocks the best over my 23 years of keeping cichlids. I think that the fact that all of these species perfer to swim as apposed to hide in the rocks makes it easier for the labs to except them peafully. So my vote is acei or peacocks


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## Sub-Mariner

A male German Red peacock would look nice. How about a male Flametail peacock too, it has orange and blues in it.

When I was deciding on what kind of tank I wanted last year I saved this picture. I always though it looked really nice!


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## Seamus Wick

I would try a bumblebee. They are really great fish.


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## car0linab0y

Sub-Mariner said:


> A male German Red peacock would look nice. How about a male Flametail peacock too, it has orange and blues in it.
> 
> When I was deciding on what kind of tank I wanted last year I saved this picture. I always though it looked really nice!


sorry to thread jack, but what are you feeding? my yellow tails dont get anywhere close to that shade of blue. I'd say genetics, but the Demasoni I gave my stepfather as fry also show way deeper color than mine, the parents.


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## DJRansome

A picture like that is what made me try acei, but mine only looked like that (the two dark ones in the pic in the thread) on occasion when the light hit them just right.

Most of the time mine looked like the lighter acei in the thread pic.


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## BigJagLover

I've found thay with my acei attempts, unless they are on dark substrait with atleast 4 females to a dominate male they would all stay lighter. Also mine never got the deep blue/purple until they hit 4" in length. I don't know if that means anything or not, it was just my experiance for the past 10 years.


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## kodyboy

the colors are due more to lighting hitting and reflecting off the guanine crystals and the spectrum emitted from the bulbs and that the darker fish are probably older or just bigger, but accei are not that territorial and don't really have the color displays other dominant male cichlids do.


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## Jaycal

I have labs with white tail acei and peacocks. They all get along fine


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## shackett

A lot of great suggestions, Thanks!

What about P. Socolofi? I may be able to get some close to home.


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## Eric_S

I've been wanting to get socolofi but my lfs only has the albinos and I'd prefer the color of the regular ones in my tank. So I have no experience with them...yet

I'd also vote for acei. Very peaceful and they utilize the entire tank more than any other fish I have. Great addition to the tank. Easy to find, too.


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