# Black Bars on Yellow Labs?



## Buckeyereavis (Jun 20, 2008)

*Hey Yall whats wrong with my labs? All the other fish look awesome... great... amazing...minus my yellow labs... they all see to get pale and develope black bars on their bodies... now i have noticed my lil guys eyes get dark circles around them.... wth is going on *
HELP!!!!!!!


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## Gibbs (Apr 21, 2008)

Are they still juvenile?
Sometimes they have barring like that until they get a bit bigger. Might have something to do with that. They may also be poor quality


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## t.karkoulis (Aug 21, 2008)

2 out of 3 of my labs have bars too ... and they have been perfectly healthy for 3 months now. So cant really say that this is a problem.


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## chapman76 (Jun 30, 2004)

Stress, less desirable genetics. Could be a few things. There is nothing really wrong with them, just have a less desirable genetic trait. WC, F1, etc can all have barring and/or bearding. What are generally considered the best lines have bred this out, but it still is a fairly natural thing.


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## t.karkoulis (Aug 21, 2008)

something you may notice though is that the bars will fade every now and again and the labs will look so vibrant and nice... but dont you worry, they'll come back ! ! ! (at least here, they do)


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## Buckeyereavis (Jun 20, 2008)

yeah they sometimes look amazing..


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

If you look at the second photo - that lab on the left (if that is what it is) has no black stripe in the dorsal. If they all came from the same brood - they may be hybrids...


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

The fish that doesnt have the stripe actually looks like a juvinile red zebra to me. Not even a yellow lab


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## Cruiser (Aug 1, 2008)

This is something I was curious about as well. I bought 4 juvi labs about a week ago and noticed the baring. All 4 of them had mild baring while they were in my 10g but all but 1 lost it when they got moved into the 55g. I guess it could be because the other larger lab appears to be dominant (brightest color, chases the barred lab) but the bars are rather dark at times. :? They're very faint at other times but never completely go away like they did with the other 3.

They all eat like crazy, chase each other around and look healthy as could be though, so nothing to worry about in my eyes.


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## Buckeyereavis (Jun 20, 2008)

crusier... i just made my 30 g a lab only tank and made it all nice and they all colored up but one...

the yellow fish w/o black fins is a f salousi...


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## richardsville (Feb 16, 2004)

black bars are normal...they won't be permanant if you have a quality line.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I've upgraded the quality of my labs (by replacing my group with some from a hobbyist who specializes in "clean" labs). IME there ARE quality labs out there who never have the slightest hint of a black bar or even much of a mustache/beard unless they are REALLY, REALLY stressed.

Once you fix the stress problem, you have beautiful solid yellow labs with black fins.


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## Buckeyereavis (Jun 20, 2008)

so now that i moved them into new tank there bars are gone

:fish: =D>


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Just wanted to chime in -- I have two yellow labs from Petsmart. I know one is a female, suspect the other is too. Both are absolutely gorgeous, great yellow color with nice black finnage and NO baring or bearding of any kind. They are very beautiful and I'm still a bit flabbergasted that they came from a big box store. One of them held (at that time I had a third, male lab) and I have two fry. Both are clean as well. I really hate the barring, so I'm very pleased.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

IME the females never get the barring, they are all gorgeous. Only the sexually mature males.


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## t.karkoulis (Aug 21, 2008)

DJRansome said:


> IME the females never get the barring, they are all gorgeous. Only the sexually mature males.


is that a confirmed fact? as in, can we use DJ's info to sex our labs? i have 2 with bars fading in and out, and 1 which doesnt have any bars, and never did.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No, LOL, because I said IME. Since I've only had 36 of the 1000's of labs that exist.

Besides by the time the male is sexually mature, you probably already know the sex of your labs.

Also, I imagine this would apply to pure but poor specimens. You still could have a lab hybrid with bars on both sexes from birth.

I should have been clearer. If you are going to judge whether you have a good strain of labs, IME and IMO you should observe the sexually mature males because the females of the same strain are going to be "cleaner".

In addition, you have to rule out that they might be REALLY, REALLY stressed.


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## t.karkoulis (Aug 21, 2008)

true true...

oh well, back to observing i guess!!!


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

they might be hybrids imo.


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## fajardoacuarista (Jan 16, 2008)

my yellow lab one day hace the black stripe and other days don't why???


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Stress and/or spawning.


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## fajardoacuarista (Jan 16, 2008)

my lap is the only one in my 29g others are aulonocaras juveniles aceii juveniles and 4 adults obliquens...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Stress then. IMO a 29G is to small for adult 5" Africans.


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## fajardoacuarista (Jan 16, 2008)

the lab is only 2 inch long maibe 2.5 the only ones that are 3 long are the obliquens, i have a emperor 400 there water es good .


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