# Electric Yellow Labidochromis



## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I want to add some nice color to my 55 gal tank. I was thinking of adding some different kinds of peacocks. I was wondering if they'd be compatible with white top hara afra. Someone says they have F2 white top hara afra fry and I wanted to get some if they'd be compatible..don't want to stress out my electric yellows b/c i am breeding them...If you could make a list of possible fish that're compatible w/ electric yellows I'd really appreciate it.
Also, I am getting rock tomorrow to make a nice rock structure for them, I will be stacking them and I was wondering if it is necessary for me to glue the rocks together with the silicone you use to seal aquariums..Thanks!


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

If the yellow labs are breeding, they won't be easily disturbed by tank mates and probably continue breeding no matter what other Malawi cichlids you ad. An entirely different issue is your fry survival rate with tank mates, since basically all other Malawi cichlids will eat yellow lab fry if given the opportunity.

The best tank mates for you yellow labs are other mild tempered mbuna, such as I. sprengerae, M. lanisticola, P. saulosi, and C. afra, to name just a few options.

Combining them with peacocks is less ideal, but if you want to do it, keep in mind that all peacock females look alike, and peacocks will readily interbreed. If you go the peacock route, you have two option: 1. chose one species and keep a breeding group of one male and several females; 2. buy only males. Since juvenile peacocks are impossible to sex, you need to buy colored up fish if you go the all male route, which is not cheap.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

I will be removing the mom each time shes ready to have the fry and letting her have them in a seperate tank (possibly strip her) i have running (empty) then placing her back into the reg. 55gal so she isn't picked on so bad for being removed for a while.i have read up on breeding and i also dont want her to "lose her place in the pecking order". I will be keeping only one other breed of peacock also to avoid crossbreeding..is the white top hara afra a possibility and is it likely to crossbreed with the yellows?


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

If you have good sex ratios, I wouldn't worry about crossbreeding. I've never kept hara, but I would choose either them or the peacocks, not both. Plenty of people have had 3-4 species together with no crossbreeding.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

I have a single peacock in my tank, I will try 2 put a pic on here soon, I need help on what it specifically is, I think it's a ngara, the man we got all our fish from told my bf on the phone that it was something like a "red ngara" but i have no clue, lol he gets along great with my electric yellows though, they have been together in my 55gal since May 16th. I have had absolutely no problems with any of them with the single peacock. I want to know what it will possibly look like full grown before we decide to get more or not of that kind of peacock..Thanks!


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

My avatar pic is the peacock b/c I don't know how to put a pic up any other way lol


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

My avatar pic is the peacock b/c I don't know how to put a pic up any other way lol


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think the hara and labs will be OK but the hara might be too much for the peacock. Maybe a small peaceful hap for your 3rd species? Ngara is one of the more timid peacocks IME.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

Do you think it is a ngara from the pic?


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

Peacocks are really difficult to ID when young, sorry. Females are difficult even when grown. Any idea if it's a boy or girl?

Some people have been keeping a few different colored male peacocks with a breeding group of yellow labs, which would make for a really colorful tank. I'd go that route myself, but it will cost a few bucks for sexed males. If you want to breed the peacocks, please be absolutely sure of the variant and don't mix species.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

I doubt we will breed the peacocks but possibly if it will grow to be beautiful when bigger. If I want more of the peacock, we can go back 2 who we got them from and get more if we want them, just don't know if we want them lol, he threw in the 1 peacock free when we bought our yellows off him b/c it was hard to scoop it out of the container and not stress the yellows or scoop one of them out while trying so he left it in with them when we bought them.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

Could I have pesudotropheus socolofi with the electric yellows?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes, socolofi could go with yellow labs but not peacocks.

Pretty much any mbuna that works in a 55G (matures at 6" or less and not too aggressive, like melanochromis) will go with yellow labs except another yellow or yellow-orange fish and don't mix with Metriaclima estherae.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

I was really considering cobalt blue zebra cichlids when we bought our yellows. We wanted to give them time to settle in before we added more fish so we didn't get them..would it be ok if I added them and no more peacocks? would they all get along? Thanks!


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

What about adding 3 Pundamilia nyererei to my current 55gal with the electric yellows and the one peacock I already have..? Would this be ok as far as compatibility and avoiding cross breeding? Thanks!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Nyererei are very aggressive so not an idea combo with a peacock and you would want 1m:4f to spread aggression.

You could lose the peacock and do labs, nyererei and callainos (cobalt blue zebras).


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

We are not going to get rid of the peacock so we will not go with the nyererei then, thank you for the help, I ment pseudotropheus zebra for the cobalt blue zebra (honestly google'd it and like the one with strong black stripes/markings)lol will that be ok with what I have now, just the labs+single peacock..


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

DJRansome said:


> Maybe a small peaceful hap for your 3rd species?


If you are keeping the peacock, you don't want more mbuna. Yellow labs are the most peaceful mbuna, which is why they work.

I'd add Ngara peacocks to make a breeding group and a small hap 1m:4f like Placidochromis electra or Otopharynx tetrastigma.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

ok,thanks!


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

If we add an electric blue (s.fryeri) male will it be ok? also what other nice blue colored males could we add? Thanks!!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Fryeri can be too big/aggressive for a 55G, they are better in a 75G or larger. Also fryeri crossbreed with peacocks.

Instead of the fryeri (because you are adding one more breeding group 1m:4f, not single males) you could do the above blue males. The Otopharynx lithobates is similar to the fryeri but better in a 55G. Copadichromis azureus is another blue hap that would work.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

If we add the fryeri we would add only one male,not to breed another group in our 55  we just love how the fryeri male looks..the azureus is very beautiful also, could we add one male fryeri and one male azureus? Thanks!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Because you have the female peacocks, I would say no to adding single males.

That's the problem with making a choice between mixed genders and all-male...once locked in you are usually better off sticking with the plan.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

So you can tell by the pic my peacock's female? we don't know the sex....


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Oh I thought you had already decided to add ngara's to get a breeding group.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

Not until we get a chance to get back to who we got it from and see what it is exactly that we got lol and if we like them (male and female look) then we will do them in a breeding group...we still don't know if it is a ngara  lol


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

OK. So if you have a breeding group of labs and a breeding group of peacocks, I think you want a breeding group of small, peaceful haps as opposed to single males.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

ok,thank you so much! I'll get back on here as we figure it out lol your so helpful cuz we're new to fish keeping lol


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

Would it be ok if we added black and white convicts?


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

I heard convicts are "bully" fish so they wont work right?


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

Mixing fish from such different regions often doesn't work out. I'd stick with fish from lake Malawi, or possibly the lake Victoria region. Individual convicts aren't too bad, breeding pairs need their own tank.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

ok, thanks!


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I would wait and see what happens with your fish. In the meantime, check out the profiles section on this forum. By the time you're done reading that you'll determine the sex of your peacocks, and plenty about compatibility.


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## sickwithcichlids (Jun 10, 2011)

Im the Guy who has the f2 haras, and had the nyereri and the e.blue for sale. if you decide to sell your peacock. I have more Haras,Hongis and Within a few months some Christmas Fulus from Lake Victoria, and saulosis. If you need any help with your set up or just wanna talk fish or local fish stores feel free to pm me on here. Let me know I live in Canton, I assume you live close to here.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

ok, i only have 1 peacock though...
Also, what size/sex of e.blue do u have for sale?


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## sickwithcichlids (Jun 10, 2011)

Putting Haras or Hongis in with Peacocks is a **** shoot, esp. in a 55 gal. I have a couple peacocks in w the haras and hongi parents but thats in a 75gal. Everything works out for the most part. All fish seem to have their own personality. I had a e. blue hap male for sale but I sold him. There is a store called Pet lovers in Green that has young ones but I would not recommend one at all in your 55 gal. They are too large and aggressive as mine ate my adult hara males eye. I think some haras would probably work out for you , but there are no guarantees with cichlids as they are aggressive.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

Could I add a red fin kadango?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

crd30 said:


> Could I add a red fin kadango?


You really need a bigger tank for these guys, get a good 8" and thick.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

How can I tell when it is time to strip the fry from the electric yellow lab?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

After 18 days of holding.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

What if I don't know how long she's been holding?..


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## ChoxRox (Sep 8, 2011)

When I don't know how long they've been holding for, I usually pull them out whenever I can't see egg sacks through their chins (which is pretty obvious for labs IME) and just take a little peek in her mouth. If I see eggs, I let her go for a few more days.

BUT, with an egg tumbler, I can strip pretty early and not worry about it...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If I don't know how long she has been holding, then I isolate her and let her spit on her own.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

I dont wanna ask stupid questions (lol) but..will she know when to spit them so she doesnt starve herself to death? I dont have an egg tumbler...can you describe what the egg sack looks like? (This is our first time having electric yellows and having a pregnant fish)


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

We seperated her into her own 20 gallon tank on monday..she hides in a little cave we put in there and really doesn't come out (shes alone in this tank), is this a sign she's ready to spit?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

She will spit when ready. If it has been 18 days since you noticed and you think she looks too skinny you could strip her then.

The egg sac looks just like the egg. Yellowish-pinkish-orangeish ball.

No hiding is just holding...when she is ready she will swim around frantically looking for a safe place to spit them. Maybe shaking her head.


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

She spit them out on 9/18/12 and it looks like there's an egg sack..should we remove the egg sack;its not likely an egg,right?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No that would kill them. They need to absorb it because it is their first food. Are they free-swimming?


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## crd30 (Jun 5, 2012)

Yes they're free swimming and in the tank alone.We haven't found any dead..


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