# Leleupi and color variations.



## ILCichlid (Feb 27, 2012)

I picked up some Leleupi fry today from a local hobbyist and expecting them to be the common but nice looking yellow version, I found that the parents were actually the bright orange version with the males having the bluish/black mouth coloring which are almost impossible to find in any shop around here.

Having never kept these before but having done some research on this species I found a lot of mixed information on the Orange version. So if anyone here has kept leleupi and could give a little incite, I'd appreciate it.

I have read some things that actually give these the name of Longior rather than Leleupi but others that say they are now just called Leleupi "Orange. What is the current up to date species? and is their any other real difference between the orange and yellow species?

I also understand that they are pretty slow growing but has anyone raised fry who could tell me when the orange ones start to show their orange?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I bought my leleupi from a local breeder who is renowned for her bright yellow strain. When I got them they were a very light, lemon yellow. I have seen adults at the breeder and also in other people's homes who bought them, and they were the same color - lemon yellow, no black around the mouth.

Now here is the catch - I am keeping mine over black substrate while the breeder and most other folks use a very light colored sand! Within weeks, if not days, my leleupi turned orange brown with pronounced black around the mouths, especially in the males.

There are definitely color variations in leleupi, but the environment, especially the color or the rocks and substrate, in which they are kept also play a huge role. I was lucky in choosing bright yellow ones to keep over dark substrate even if they turned orange, because if I had chosen orange ones to begin with, they might have turned out a drab brown!









_This strain of leleupi is bright lemon yellow when kept over a light substrate._


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## Riverwater (Nov 3, 2010)

I have struggled to find a bright yellow strain for a long time now. Had a lot of oranges, and a lot of orange-yellowish, and faded yellowish kinds.


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## ILCichlid (Feb 27, 2012)

Ah all you find here is bright yellow normally


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

fmueller said:


> _This strain of leleupi is bright lemon yellow when kept over a light substrate._


Frank, you have beautiful tanks and fish and the photography skills necessary to show them off. Always enjoy seeing your pics.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Funny these are not my fav fish but saw a pair so orange and big in my local cichlid auction even I had to buy them. Settling in nicely in the six foot with all manner of fish.
I understand that the orange were originaly a slightly orange wild type that was later bred more orange by our German and Dutch friends. Hence the sometimes used name Dutch orange.

You need to ask your breeder which sort he has. Wild type or selected wild type.
Sorry not bred the orange guys yet, so no idea when they colour orange rather than yellow.

Funny in the UK bright yellow is the norm and orange the rare type. :thumb:

Must try and get a photo of them (Only had them a week). A bit more orange/glow than the first one on profile http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1614. More like the ones 4th or 5th photo.

Of caurse may need to feed em red colour enhancing foods or they may fade to yellow.

All the best James


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## ILCichlid (Feb 27, 2012)

The breeder just knew them as leleupi and I thought I was going to pick up fry of the yellow version but when I got there and saw the parent's tank, They were all an extremely bright orange with the darkened blue/black lips on 2-3 of them that are probably the males. She actually didn't know that the standard and easier to find version is yellow or that there was a yellow version.

The parents looked similiar to this one in color. http://www.bigskycichlids.com/images/Nleluepi3.jpg


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