Yellow lab, cool drab?

[derail]

I've got a concern, as I am still really new to cichlids. I've got three electric yellow cichlids in a 30g tank with driftwood, caves, etc. ph-8.2, ammonia-0, nitrites-0, nitrates-5. I recently added the third, which is a juvenile and actually, his curious nature (make that "her") helped the other two stop being so shy. One of my yellows, which my wife has named flash, has taken on...for lack of a better term, a five o'clock shadow! The other, brighter yellow, which has a more pronounced black stripe along the dorsal fin, has a small patch just along the mouth, which I read is normal.

Is the 5 o'clock shadow normal? It seems to cover from the mouth to the gill flap (can't remember the name). Couldn't get pictures, cameras broken

 

[Slade]

This is called "bearding" and is not harmful. I've seen it in mostly my dominant males. I have heard it blamed on aggression and breeding, and will come & go.

Nothing to be concerned about.

 

[ronnieroach]

my male has it & his is actually blue all the time .. my lfs guy says the blue is due to its asian origin .. unsure if its true but he's gorgeous & def one of my dominant fish

 

[Malawi Freak]

I have one that has black spots on it's body.