Say Hello to the Yellow!

[Koikid88]

Photogenic

 

[didysis]

Once you start feeding them they will all come out anytime you come to the tank, My wife calls my fish hungry Hippos, they go crazy when I come to the tank

 

[derail]

So I fed them a few minutes ago...fed them some flakes and they ate...but didn't swim up to do so. When the flakes began to sink, they ate whatever happened by their areas...but when they did start going out to eat it was hilarious, it was like they forgot each other existed and both panicked at the same time and hid again.

Not as stressed about it now

 

[Koikid88]

lol Yeah they are jokes. Mine play peek a boo with each other in the plants and rocks. Then when the 1 is about to pop up and look at the other one again, a yoyo flies by and scares them and they hide lol Sometimes they don't go to the surface for food, and just eat the falling bits.
I vary the food between 2 different flakes, sinking pellets, brine shrimp, blood worms, tubixfex worms, etc. So some foods sink, others don't. I usually make some of the flakes sink though for even feeding.
I'd had fish where they didn't act normal for the first 2 months! Always hid

 

[CraigMac]

Don't worry, once they are comfortable they will swim right to you whenever you come to the tank. I have 4 yellow labs along with other African cichlids and whenever I come to the tank I have 20 fish in a frenzy hoping to be fed!

Just give them a couple days to settle in. A lot of people keep the tank dark for a day or two sometimes eve covering with a blanket so they can adjust.

But once they are comfy they will be super eager to see you!

 

[derail]

Awesome, I appreciate the information. It's different, since I'm used to livebearers and smaller fish and they don't take more than half an hour to get used to their surroundings

 

[Fready]

Is that tank 80cm or 60cm?
I hope you cycled it?

You could have +-10 "small" fish in there imo and 2 ugly monster plecothings
But i dont think your filter is gona do the job is it big enough for the tank?

 

[derail]

Is that tank 80cm or 60cm?
I hope you cycled it?

You could have +-10 "small" fish in there imo and 2 ugly monster plecothings
But i dont think your filter is gona do the job is it big enough for the tank?

Hrm...measured to 75 cm...going with 70 since measured on outside.
Yeah, completely cycled, ran for a week with no fish with PWC's, then added four livebearers to cycle the tank. Kept live-bearers in there for 6 weeks (Molly's and a Platy). Continued with PWC's and all good now. Actually took livebearers out of there when I added the cichlids. PH 8.2, Nitrate's 5, Nitrates 0, Hardness is 20 kh (or dh, can't remember exact unit of measurement).

Filter is rated for a 60 gallon tank, as I understand that you want to a filter that is rated for double what your tank size is. Thinking of adding a second filter to the tank or an air-pump to help irritate the water's surface a little more (in the case of the air pump), or of course, help filter that much more H20 lol.

 

[redsea]

Today I got to purchase my first set of cichlids, and I'm wickedly excited about it, especially since my wife was the one who decided we could buy them now. So now we have two gorgeous electric yellow cichlids, and I wanted to express them to the great people on this site!

By the way, if I'm right in my reading, it looks like a boy and girl, is this correct, or are they too young to tell?

Very nice, I love Yellow Labs!

 

[derail]

lol Yeah they are jokes. Mine play peek a boo with each other in the plants and rocks. Then when the 1 is about to pop up and look at the other one again, a yoyo flies by and scares them and they hide lol Sometimes they don't go to the surface for food, and just eat the falling bits.
I vary the food between 2 different flakes, sinking pellets, brine shrimp, blood worms, tubixfex worms, etc. So some foods sink, others don't. I usually make some of the flakes sink though for even feeding.
I'd had fish where they didn't act normal for the first 2 months! Always hid

Mine have actually started to come out and play a bit. It's fascinating how fast they are, and how in control it is.

I was looking at the pictures you posted of your yellows, good looking fish. I noticed some shoaling fish in there, are those glowlight tetras? Can you keep those with yellow labs safely?

 

[Koikid88]

I was looking at the pictures you posted of your yellows, good looking fish. I noticed some shoaling fish in there, are those glowlight tetras? Can you keep those with yellow labs safely?

Yeah I had a bunch of various tetras in there for cycling. Going to keep the red eyes. Not worried about the glowlights, neons and cardinals right now. I'll eventually take them out in a few months. Even if I don't get around to taking them out, oh well lol may just take the cards out

 

[derail]

Yeah I had a bunch of various tetras in there for cycling. Going to keep the red eyes. Not worried about the glowlights, neons and cardinals right now. I'll eventually take them out in a few months. Even if I don't get around to taking them out, oh well lol may just take the cards out

That's cool to know. So I can keep a schooling fish with labs? Pray tell, I didn't think it would work since mbuna are territorial. Is there a schooling fish fish that can survive in hard, alkaline water?

 

[Fready]

Well everything could be ok when the labs are small but 1 day you will look at your tank with no tetras and maybe blown up yellows
But every cichlid reacts different to other fish if it is worth trying thats up to you.

Nog worth the risk imo

 

[derail]

Good to know. If I put any other types of fish with then, it will be young guppies I've bred for live good. Is that acceptable? I don't want to do anything that will make them sick

 

[Fready]

Well the guppys are gona be stressed to the death if they live they could get sick and infect your other fish.

Totally up to you to try it imo.

 

[derail]

Well the guppys are gona be stressed to the death if they live they could get sick and infect your other fish.

Totally up to you to try it imo.

Oh I'm sorry, I mistyped. I meant would it be ok to use young guppies as feeders?

 

[Fready]

I wouldnt and i dont feed mine foods that look like fish. After all they are herbivores (primarily eat veggie stuff)

 

[kay-bee19]

...they are herbivores (primarily eat veggie stuff)

I agree that guppy fry as feeders aren't required, but a little more info: yellow labs are actually insectivores/omnivores that primarily consume insects and aquatic micro-crustaceans in the wild; they're not algae-grazers like the many of the other mbuna species (and as such they can handle higher protein levels in their diet).

Yellow labs are best kept with other mbuna species. Keeping them in a 30gal may mean the yellow labs may be the only fish in the tamk.

 

[HN1]

Fready is exactly right. Malawi cichlids tend to have a low protein diet. Offering feeders or other high protein foods can lead to "malawi bloat" (google it for more info). Also, the water conditions needed for malawi and SA fish such as tetras is too far different to house them both responsibly IMO.

 

[Fready]

Sorry my mistake i was thinking of most fish in general when i said herbys