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1. I would say so, they are some of the less aggressive mbunas . I have some and I just love them to pieces.

2. Rocks... and sand... and more rocks. You need lots of med/large rocks for them to hide in/around; the best stuff for em is that texas holey rock. It will buffer your ph and provide a network of little holes for them to swim through.

3. Some people put BN plecos with them.

I was thinking about keeping 8 to 10 Electric Yellows in my 55 gallon aquarium. It would be a species tank! I just have a couple of questions:

1. Are they a good cichlid for someone who has never had a cichlid before??

2. What kind of decor should I have??

3. I would also like to know what you could possibly put in with them as far as catfish & algae eaters.

Thanks for all of the help!!!

A general rule of thumb is to stick to the topic of the threads. TGD obviously didn't do that and because he had nothing more to contribute to the conversation, he decided to take a shot at someone. If u disagree with someone, prove them wrong in a respectful manner. Although on this one, you can't prove them to be wrong because they aren't. While yellow labs are on the lower end of the mbuna aggression scale, they can rip through very tough cichlids with ease. They definatly can have temper tantrums, but aren't unmanageable.

the golden dojo thinks only in black and white. he obviously hasnt seen my overly aggressive female yellow lab kick the crap out of a bunch of mbuna. loosen up boy!!!!

The golden dojo are you a member of the cichlid-forum?

TGD,

I'm annoying? Hmmm that's really nice. I checked out your stupid aggressive rating game, now that's annoying. From your threads it looks like you've just got a lot of extra time on your hands. You just keep being nice...it'll get you right where you want to be

They aren't agressive, not as far as Malawi cichlids go. You're really annoying.

I started my 35 gallon tank with four Yellow Labs (two males and two females) a year ago. Also I included about 5 or 6 fish of other species (mostly Mbuna), and a Pleco and nine Ruby Barbs. The Labs breed like crazy...I have more than a dozen now and one of the females has a mouthfull right now. (The last barb finally died, but the cichlids never bothered them anyway.) So you may want to consider if you want that many Labs down the road if you start with that many. Plus, the males will all fight each other. Better to have some other species (not male/female pairs) to take some of the heat off of the Labs in the lower ranks.

And I don't care what anybody says about Yellow Labs not being "that aggressive". They are mean as hell and the males fight constantly. The larger of the two original females is really aggressive too, and will probably become the dominant fish of the tank if she outlives the current reigning male.

Just make sure that you have plenty of substrate and rocks because cichlids love to dig caves.


[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-06-23 00:47][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-06-23 00:51][/span]

i have to say that 55 gallon tanks are 48x13x21 not 18". that ddoes make it 55g. 46g tanks are 48x13x18.

second, i would aggree that 15 yellow labs may be a bit too many, but it may work out. since it is a species tank, it may work better than a mixed tank. i would go with at least 10 and max 15. try to only get a few males and it should work out.

one thing i see wrong with this last statement. the one inch per gallon rule is really a guidline for guesstimates an shouldnt be used as a law. another problem with this rule is with cichlids it doesnt work at all because they are territorial.the larger the tank the less the 1 inch per gallon really works. most people crowd cichlids to keep agression down. this isnt allways needed but i guess it works. i wouldnt crowd unless its a must. unlikely the labs will push 5 inches, prolly 4 is the normal size give or take a half inch.
my suggestion would be go with 8 labs an see how it goes, then if you have a problem with agression then you have room to adjust if need be.there is allways a bad apple in the bunch, they call it the dominant male heheh. problem is when the dominate male can focus on one fish to much an stresses it out constently. more fish more targets. also more likely to have more females per male.

Hello Again,

A few comments.

First, I think suggesting up to 15 Yellow Labs in a 55 gallon tank is rather over-doing it, and not recommended.

Why?

First consider that a 55 gallon tank does not mean 55 gallons of water. Do the math. 48 x 12 x 19 divided by 231 (standard 55 gal. dimensions) = 47.37 gallons . . . if you go by the outside dimensions of the tank. Now, subtract the thickness of the glass, as well as the water displaced by the decor, and you have more like 35 to 40 gallons of actual water in that tank.

Next, 15 full-grown Yellow Labs at 3" per fish = 45 inches of total fish in 35 to 40 gallons of water.

But what if those Labs actually reach 5" each. Whoah! That's 75 inches of fish in 35 to 40 gallons of water.

Get the picture? Of course, if you don't mind more frequent water changes due to the heavy bio-load and pollution level, well . . .

Now, to balance my answer. While the Yellow Labs are very young, yes, you could put 15 of them in what is advertized as a 55 gallon tank, but within a few month's time, you are going to have the problem described above, and will either have to do away with some fish, or shop for a much bigger tank...which means more money.

My recommendation: 4 to 6 Yellow Labs, or similar-sized peaceful Mbunas at best. They can grow to their full adult size in that size tank, and will be happy and healthy.

A comment to Rick:

Rick, I am sure that many here will agree with me when I say that a lot of African cichlids LOVE sand...even if they are bottom dwellers who hang around rocks, as the Yellow Labs do.

Previously, I had three tanks with just gravel bottoms. Yes, the fish were happy, but when I decided to put in some sand, boy did they enjoy it, and continue to enjoy it. My Copadichromis Borleyi in particular are always sifting the sand for whatever they can find living in there . . . and of course, the male has made a nice nest in it for his lovely lady fish . . . well, they are actually rather drab compared to him.

There is a danger with sand though which you need to watch out for when using a UG filter, which I also use on all tanks. If it gets packed too tight, the sand will prohibit water circulation, which could result in dead areas where you get anaerobic bacteria developing, instead of aerobic bacteria -- that is, the good guys -- nitrobacters and nitrosomonas -- which are the little miracle workers behind the nitrification process.

So, what I have done in all of my tanks, is have about two inches of regular gravel directly on top of the UG plates, and then I have 1-2 inches of sand on top of the gravel. The fish have loads of fun moving, digging into and sifting the sand, but do not disturb the bacteria colonies growing in the gravel bed underneath the sand.

Aside from their sifting the sand, I keep the environment healthy by using strong powerheads on both ends of the tank on theUG filter lift tubes, so that we get good water flow through the sand and gravel. I also use Penguin 330 Biowheels on the back. I stick one every two feet of the length of the tank.

As a final safety measure, I use my trusty turkey baster -- bought especially for this purpose -- to dust all of the rocks a few times a week, and also to stir up the sand and keep it loose and fresh.

In short, go for the sand. I think you will be glad you did...and your fish will thank you with pretty colors, natural behavior, and fun in the sand!

Oh, one other related point, if you go with sand, be careful when cleaning the inside of the glass with a sponge, as if you get small particles of sand in the sponge, you could easily scratch the glass.

Hope this helps,

Mr. Syklyd

Is it worth it to switch to sand
I have 25 lbs of PFS to change out if I need to
but the tank is almost ready
PH is 7.6
Ammonia is 0
Nitrite is 2.0
water is clear Tetras are happy, PL*CO is hiding in his glass cave.
if I tear into the gravel will that upset things Cycle wise
or just stirr up a poop storm?
I did vacuum it 2 days ago

Electric Yellows are actually omnivorous, and in the wild they are found feeding on snails and insects. Their flexible diet is one of the reasons why they are such versatile tankmates to other Lake Malawi species.

In my aquarium I have observed them occasionally grazing on algae, although they are by no means an effective method of controlling it.

In which case a bristlenose would be an excellent choice for algae control in a 55G with labs.

Why bother even getting an algae eater when Mbuna eat algae themselves?

Yup, the Electric Yellows were my first cichlids, and they've been great little buggars.

I've had them both on sand and regular gravel and they have done fine with both. But they do have a rocky landscaping which they much rather enjoy. The more rocks the better, just as long as they still have adequit swimming space too.
My pH stays at about 7.6 in that tank.

[span class="edited"][Edited by AngelZoo 2004-06-10 12:03][/span]

Yes, they're less aggressive than other Mbuma & they prefer Sand & Rocks. If possible, lots of Rocks.

As an Algae Eater, i have an CAE but most people will suggest a BN.



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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

You could probably do more than that, up to about 15. But, as they are quite peaceful, it isn't necessary and understocking is always easier to manage than overstocking.

As others have mentioned, BN's are good tankmates, you could also get some synodontis catfish that love the same conditions. Synodontis multipunctatus are a cute little catish, they grow to around 5" and like to be kept in groups.

I'd avoid putting driftwood in, it can lower ph which is exactly the opposite to what you want! Having said that, I have a piece in my 120 gallon with anubias on it, but in a tank that size it doesn't do anything to the ph.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

I should also say, incase you don't know they need alkaline water from about 7.6 to 8.6 but somewhere in the middle is best.

1. They are the best beginner cichlid, IMO.
2. Lots of rocks, driftwood, sand bottom, and soke Vallisneria!
3. They graze on algae (albeit not very good), so that shouldn't be MUCH of problem.