# Rusty - Yellow Lab Hybrid



## TekgunnrUK (Jan 29, 2010)

I've been using the cookie cutter to decide on a stocking list for my first 55g/240 uk lt malawi tank . *** been planning on getting Yellow labs and some Rusty's but i read on this forum somewhere that they might cross breed . Is this true ?

I'm new to Africans and i'm really only in the planning stage atm but as soon as i feel i got a well planned tank and i'm ready to splash the cash i read something new on the forums and hold back .

Any advice is much appreciated .


----------



## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

Any two mbuna can crossbreed and create hybrids. You just have to lessen the chances by getting species that do not look alike and also keeping proper numbers of females for each male (1m 3-4f).

If you like both the labs and rusty then i would get them both.

Are you planning on keeping fry or do you just want a nice tank with some nice fish?


----------



## TekgunnrUK (Jan 29, 2010)

As a first malawi tank the main aim is as you say , a nice tank with nice looking fish and low aggression . Not too worried about fry , but i would like to see the mating and holding behaviour .


----------



## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

Oh you dont have to worry about that. They will still mate and hold. The thing is if you let them spit the fry into the main tank then 98% of the time the fry will be food.

I have never heard of the problem with labs and rusty crossing but i would imagine it is from people thinking labs and rusty are so peaceful that their sex doesnt matter. I mean if you have 4 rusty males and 4 female labs in a tank together then something is bound to happen.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Labs and rusties are not a high risk for cross breeding.


----------



## darkone82 (Sep 6, 2011)

i was reading somewhere else about rusty cichlids and apparently they have an extremely low ability for hybridization (right word?) because there is only one genus of cichlid in the trade with that name, Iodotropheus sprengerae. i thought the same thing b/c i started looking closely at mine when i got them home b/c one of them looks like it has the facial shape of a tropheops. but either way, rusties have a different shape and obviously a different coloration so you would have to be a serious matchmaker for it to happen


----------



## nismo_sky28 (Oct 5, 2011)

One of my female rusty has recently ditched her male counterpart for a cherry red zebra???


----------



## darkone82 (Sep 6, 2011)

well, i guess anything is possible, i sure hope i dont have a hybrid rusty/tropheops, tryin to keep it all malawi and tropheops is definitely not malawi nor in the aggression range for the fish i have.


----------



## nismo_sky28 (Oct 5, 2011)

Tropheops are malawi. Tropheus are from tanganyika and I dont have much experience with either so I can't help you there


----------



## darkone82 (Sep 6, 2011)

sorry, i meant Tropheus, still get the names mixed around a bit


----------



## nismo_sky28 (Oct 5, 2011)

Im pretty new to the african cichlid scene myself. *** learned amazing info from many people on this site


----------



## master chi (Jan 3, 2010)

I keep Labs and Rusties in two of my tanks. I have yet to see any cross breeding .

The key is always to provide the correct husbandry requirements for each species.

For example I keep 1 male yellow lab with 6 females and 1 rusty male with 5 females. This way each male has more than enough females of his own species to himself


----------



## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

I kept 1m/4f groups of labs, rustys, and latifasciata (Kyoga zebra) in a 55 with no cross-breeding.


----------

