Discovered single female lab in all male tank, need suggestions

[dsun]

So i just discovered my yellow lab is a female...i got it as a small juvi and she has grown quite fast. I suspected she was female as my lemon jake always follows her and recently became more aggressive to his tank mates especially when they were around her. I vented and she is indeed female.

What can i do? Should i replace her with a male? Should i buy three more female labs and a male lab to create a harem? I wouldnt mind having a yellow lab colony, but im concerned about if 5 yellow labs would get along with the others.

55G
My stock is:
1 red collar M
1lemon jake M
1yellow lab F
1 OB M
1 Bi-color (still too small to sex)
1 regal M
1 Sulfer head M
1 Ruby M
1 sunshine M

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

You have three options.
One add more labs, get 1 or 2 males and 3-4 females. The group should be okay with your current stock.
Second replace her with a male, this may or may not work.
Lastly get rid of the lab and keep or aulancara and haps.


What size tank is this?

 

[dsun]

55gallon

And they are all 2-3inches...largest is the red collar at almost 4, he is the alpha but relatively docile.

Im leaning towards getting 1m and 3 more females.
It be interesting to watch their behavior
Would my lemon jake still try to court the females if there is one male yellow lab?

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

He still probably would. IMO having a female is going to bring trouble. Your tanks pretty full as is, I'd replace the lab with a peacock and leave it alone

 

[dsun]

Easier said than done...she is my wife's favorite, i dont know if she can accept that as she has become attached. You sure there are no other alternatives?

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

Replace her with a male, or hope your males settle down

 

[dsun]

Took your advice and i replaced her with a male...good news is that I picked up a lethrinops mbawa blackfin that just came in from my LFS. That brings my stock to 10...I think i might be good for now in my 55G

 

[TheCommunityCichlid]

Yes IMO your tank is stocked. If you upgrade that will open up some space, but you should be good.

 

[dsun]

Yes IMO your tank is stocked. If you upgrade that will open up some space, but you should be good.

yea, im good for now.

My new black fin is acting weird...i intro'd him along with the yellow lab, yellow lab is doing great, making new freinds and finding exploring all the nooks and crannies.

The black fin has rapid breathing and is hiding in one cave spot, lethargic, I actually saw the yellow lab nudge the black fin and the black fin didnt even move. When he was at my LFS he was fine, when i was acclimating him he was fine too...he was actually trashing around in the net when i transferred and i thought "wow got a feisty one, might be aggressive.." anyone know why he has rapid breathing and is hiding? Test my water and its perfect. Never had this issue before

 

[bmarine]

Has he been chased around?? It could be that he's just not quite used to the new water yet.

 

[dsun]

Has he been chased around?? It could be that he's just not quite used to the new water yet.

no one really pays attention to him, they swim by him, stop, look and move on...the yellow lab playfully nudged his head against him like "hey! lets play" but he didnt even respond. The yellow lab was intro'd at the same time, same acclimation, and it looks like he already feels at home. The black fin moves from hiding spot to hiding spot, i noticed him bumping into my rocks, looks weak.
I didnt notice if he was bullied when I put him in because i kept the lights off.

upon closer look, he kind of looks bloated..his stomach sticks out from the sides a bit and is def. bigger than my other cichlids, but he was fine when I got him. Can he bloat up in a matter of hours??

 

[bmarine]

As i've heard many times, all fish have parasites/diseases, but they only show it when they are stressed (i'm not sure how true that is, but my LFS says it quite a bit). But yeah i think he could get sick that quickly. Is he like running head-on into rocks?

 

[dsun]

As i've heard many times, all fish have parasites/diseases, but they only show it when they are stressed (i'm not sure how true that is, but my LFS says it quite a bit). But yeah i think he could get sick that quickly. Is he like running head-on into rocks?

i saw him drift into it, then he corrects himself..
i just saw him swim up...then sink down and touch the substrate. his belly is much rounder in dimension than all my other cichlids..im thinking of removing him and doing a PWC for my tank.

I dont have a hospital tank but I do have a 5G bucket that i can put in a heater in, do you think that is a good idea?

 

[bmarine]

i saw him drift into it, then he corrects himself.. i just saw him swim up...then sink down and touch the substrate. his belly is much rounder in dimension than all my other cichlids..im thinking of removing him and doing a PWC for my tank. I dont have a hospital tank but I do have a 5G bucket that i can put in a heater in, do you think that is a good idea?

Maybe. But that may stress him even more. Is he still breathing hard? Cloudy eyes?

 

[dsun]

Maybe. But that may stress him even more. Is he still breathing hard? Cloudy eyes?

still breathing hard, no cloudy eyes...i put him in the 5G bucket with heater. I cant have him jeopardize my whole tank.

He was so easy to net, didnt even put up a fight, i could use my hands to scoop him out.

Going to see if he survives the night and go from there. His belly is definitely "plump"

 

[bmarine]

Hmm okay, maybe a type of internal parasite, or bloat, i'm no expert on diseases though. Add an air stone or bubbler or something to help with oxygen exchange and surface agitation. Then put the bucket in a dark place to reduce stress.

 

[dsun]

Hmm okay, maybe a type of internal parasite, or bloat, i'm no expert on diseases though. Add an air stone or bubbler or something to help with oxygen exchange and surface agitation. Then put the bucket in a dark place to reduce stress.

**** i dont have a bubbler or air...ill add some more water for him. Hope he pulls through, ill see if he eats tomorrow.

 

[bmarine]

How is he? And if he is gonna be in there for more than like two days, you need an air pump, because there is no surface movement, which means no gas exchange, and then you are really suffocating/drowning your fish.

 

[dsun]

How is he? And if he is gonna be in there for more than like two days, you need an air pump, because there is no surface movement, which means no gas exchange, and then you are really suffocating/drowning your fish.

he survived the night, I did a PWC change for him today and added Tetra Parasite Guard, my pure metro should arrive by Wed. I soaked pellets in the parasite guard and he ate them. Pooped thin dark poop. Still breathing rapidly, i can see his gills move fast and open/close mouth. Would constant water changes help him breathe? Im going to do another PWC change first thing tomorrow morning

 

[dsun]

Hes still alive and from the looks of it he could be improving.

I did a 90% WC for him today, and afterwards he seemed pretty happy, his breathing slowed down considerably from the last two days. I discontinued treatment today as he has been in Parasite Guard treated water for the last 48 hours but he is still ignoring food. Hes more active and swimming around in his bucket. Id like to put him back in the main tank and see how he does but fear that he might have a turn for the worst.

What do you guys suggest?