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i think this is the name, anyway i haven't been finding them around to much, and no idea what lake they are out of but i know africa,

anyway my question is a lfs has the yellow ones, but in a book i was looking at it says that they are all yellow, just mature males will turn blue. and yellow=female/jevi colors.

they are about 1.7-2 inches and all yellow, are these still babies?

and are they like some salt water fish, that if there is a popualiton on solo females that one can change into a male?

Auratus are a lake Malawi Cichlid.
They can change gender, but do not become blue.
They are a yellow, white, and black fish that
grows to about 5 inches.
They are one of the most aggressive african cichlids,
and will terrorize the community tank.
Best kept only with aggressive hardy tank mates that wont eat them.
Heres a bunch of info:
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/auratus.xml
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10afcichlid_auratus.htm
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_auratus.php
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/mel_auratus.htm
http://www.timstropicals.com/Inventory/African/AuratusInfo.asp


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on the subject of color change

All quotes taken from www.cichlid-forum.com

Males, on the other hand, display light stripes on a darker blue background. Their colors can become dull or brown if their diet does not include enough vegetable matter, but can be restored to their true vibrancy if fed accordingly.

Fry are quite large, and grow quickly, reaching a size of 1" within 3 months. Males begin to change color some time between the 6th and 9th month. □

If the males are blue they could be

Melanochromis chipokae

They are similar to the auratus. The males however get blue and the females don't have the top white edging on the black stripes.

ok thanks, i will look it up, just looking at the book, but it shows a yellow and a blue one, and the blue is labeled male.

A dominant male in good condition will tend to be totally blacked out. Shows some yellow with the black when relaxed.

oops it is a chipokae

yeah Auratus can change gender depending on the needs of the community. I've only seen males turn black with a white stripe, but the transition coloration is ugly: sort of a doo-doo brown with a beige streak. If you look very closely when you buy them, you might be able to select a female by avoiding the ones with the egg spots on the anal fin. Put her in with a male and you should be set.

I'm not to sure about the changing color to fit the community.....
Pretty sure only Marine fish can do that...I've been keeping Lk. Malawi cichlids for a long time and never have i came across anything that even suggests that.

Auratus do not have the clownfish hierarchy where the dominant fish can change sex.

Auratus among many cichlids, such as kenyis,peacocks and haplochromis, are born the same colors as females to provide protection from dominant males and predators. This allows them to grow large enough to a size where they can show off their colors - that is why some subdominant haplochromis and peacocks will be faded - to prevent the dominant fish's aggression.

Basically, the fish you get can either be male or females. The males will show up after they feel secure.

Whether females can turn into males has not been proven - nor is there support for it.

Edit: Males can have a black body with white, grey, yellow, blue stripes, though some may differ.

Last edited by inkodinkomalinko at 06-Nov-2005 01:28

Thats what I was thinkin' Inko.