Animal Stories - Electric Yellow Cichlid


Animal-World Information about: Electric Yellow Cichlid

The bold striking colors of the Electric Yellow Cichlid have certainly helped it earn its name!
Latest Animal Stories
Kristina - 2021-08-03
Help, have yellow that is holding but she is the only yellow in the tank. Other tank mates are an albino Kribensis, breeding pair of Kribensis and 8 Frontosa. (Large tank) I’m confused as to what she could have bred with šŸ¤”šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø

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Famous Jones - 2017-08-09
I have a 55 gal tank which is a month old. I currently have 5 Tiger barbs, 3 swordtails, 2 Black Mollies and 2 Bristlenose plecos in the tank. I am thinking of adding 3 Yellow labs to the tank. Can I do it with a PH of 7.4 - 7.6? Can the Yellow labs co-exist with the rest of the fish?

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  • Anonymous - 2019-11-11
    I know this is answering an old question but since no one else did I will say that your plecos will be fine but the others I would be leary if there was a breeding pair of yellow labs they can get quite agressive. They need their own space. Mine move the gravel out from under the rocks they have and create caves and tunnels. I have a 75 gallon with one breeding pair and 2 catfish and a pleco and a bunch of young fry that I let fend for themselves. They quite often get eaten. I had about 6 other African cichlids, including 2 other yellow labs, which all got killed by my overly aggresive momma.
  • Gus - 2019-11-11
    I know this is answering an old question but since no one else did I will say that your plecos will be fine but the others I would be leary if there was a breeding pair of yellow labs they can get quite agressive. They need their own space. Mine move the gravel out from under the rocks they have and create caves and tunnels. I have a 75 gallon with one breeding pair and 2 catfish and a pleco and a bunch of young fry that I let fend for themselves. They quite often get eaten. I had about 6 other African cichlids, including 2 other yellow labs, which all got killed by my overly aggresive momma.
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Josiah - 2015-05-26
Hi, I recently bought 2 yellows to add to my tank which holds1 and a small peacock in a 20 gallon. i plan on moving them to a 36 gallon. how big a tank is required for 4 large yellows. They are all about 4-5 inches. Also how can you id the females? the guy at the pet shop said one was a female but im not sure? any advice? Thank You

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  • Clarice Brough - 2015-05-31
    These are not overly aggressive cichlids, except with fish that look similar. Your 4 fish are pretty large and are the same color... so 50 gallons or more can probably work as long as you have lots of rocks and driftwood type decor with caves and crevices for them to retreat into.  But of course a bigger tank will work even better, and I would keep an eye on them to make sure no one is getting bullied. Though the males are usually a bit larger, they are hard to sex unless the males are coloring up to breed.
  • kaycee - 2017-04-09
    They will be. OK. I have an peacock female in my20 gal,andi will be putting. In yellows soon,
  • oldman river - 2019-02-04
    tank to fit your need MUST be 50 Gallon or you call for disaster
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Tc - 2016-03-28
Hi, I just started a new 20 gallon tank with 2 electric yellow cichlids, day 1 they both zoomed around like they needed ridelin day 2 one of them is on the bottom of the tank having a hard time trying to stay upright. I removed this fish thinking she was on her way to the big tank in the sky but wasn't out yet so I put it in a bowl with tank water. 3hourslater she seemed fine & I put it back in the tank , immediately went to the bottom & the bully started pecking at it. Removed it again & it is still alive this morning. These were both in the tank together in the store so I figured they would get along. What should I do ? My water was tested to be fine. Feeding cichlids pellets. These are the only fish in the tank please help.

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  • CM - 2016-03-31
    So assuming your water parameters are good like you said. Your ammonia and nitrite should both be zero and nitrates less than 20ppm. Lower nitrates the better though. If just got them it may have been a problem that carried over from the fish store you purchased them from. Is the belly swollen? Malawi bloat can be a common issue with these fish if they are overfed or fed a diet too heavy with hard to digest foods. Two mbunas in one tank of any kind are never a good idea. Generally these fish are kept in large groups to spread out aggression. These fish will out grow your 20 gallon pretty soon. I'd recommend a bare minimum of 29gallons with 55 gallons being ideal. I'd do large water changes like 50% every other day. Make sure the temp is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I'd do some heavy research on keeping african cichilds. Youtube and african cichild hub are both great resources.
  • Cole - 2016-06-13
    So you really shouldn't have these fish in that sized tank. They are on the low agressive end of the spectrum... of a group of very agressive fish. african cichlids need a large tank and a large group of fish. if you have just 2 fish, once they get comfortable one will assert their dominance over the other, and peck them to death. you need to keep these fish in a large group so aggression is not focused on one individual like it sounds is happening in your tank. most would say minimum tank size is 55 gallon, but I would recommend larger. I keep a 90 gallon with 22 individuals, cichlid only. overstocking prevents them from singling anyone out to badly and all stay healthy as long as I stay on top of water changes (10% once a week has done the trick).

    So if you are going to have a 20 gallon, I am sorry to recommend you take those guys back to the store and pick out fish more suited to that size tank.
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Wroblewski Jacqueline - 2016-04-10
My electric yellow appeared to have a big chin and had stopped eating five weeks ago. I separated her and only three days ago finally spotted one tiny baby had been released. The number of fry in her breeding net fluctuate hour to hour from one to four to one to three to... and she still has a large chin and won't eat so appears to still be holding eggs/fry even when four are visible swimming. Is it normal behaviour? Am I right to assume this is for survival of the fry. They appear to be keeping away from their mother and she appears to be trying to catch them a lot of the time. Could it be that instinct says that when she can no longer catch them they are safe to stay out as other fish will be less likely to be able to eat them?

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  • Wroblewski Jacqueline - 2016-04-11
    I have now removed her as I counted 13 fry and her face looks normal. I am yet to witness her eating.
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aiden - 2014-09-10
I have a 50litre tank and am looking at these wonderful fish and was wondering: How many do I get? Do they go well with bristlenose catfish? How aggressive are they? what cheap fish do they go well with? Thanks everybody!! Sincerely Aiden

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  • Clarice Brough - 2014-09-10
    Heya Aiden, if you add your aquarium where it says 'Enter a Freshwater Aquarium' (in the care parameters just below the intro) you will get the 'Fish Finder'. This cool tool let's you compare fish that are compatible and work with your tank.
  • Glenn - 2014-09-14
    For a 50 L, 2 or 3 breeding pairs would work great. I have a single one with 4 cherry barbs, an angelfish, a red fin shark, clown loach, and a bristle nose pleco. I have had no problems. They have a pretty mild temperament and are a very hardy and nice fish. I wouldn't get crabs ,shrimp etc though. They would get along well with the catfish, unless it is twice the size, and has a temperament. Tiger barbs are cheap and playful, especially in a school of 5 to 8. They are also very colorful, and have a perfect match for temperament with the cichlid.
  • Bianca - 2016-02-02
    50L is only 13 gallon!
  • Dan - 2016-03-09
    Electric yellow cichlids? I think what you have are yellow pseudotropheus cichlids from Lake Malawi in Africa. Do a search, and see if this is what they look like. African Cichlids are very territorial. These guys are among the most docile; however, don't be surprised if they pair up and stake out territory. If they do, they will likely kill your other fish. It is generally OK to mix various African Cichlids together. It is usually a big no-no to mix them with other tropicals. They need very alkaline water (pH of 8.0 or above), and they need a high veggie diet. I suspect that you bought these at a a big box store. No privately owned fish store would sell these to you without explaining their behavior and care. If you want to keep these and your other fish alive, educate yourself by going online. YouTube has lots of videos on fish behavior and care.
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Pauline John - 2015-05-22
I have a yellow lab cichlid and believe she's holing. Because she was in with other cichlids I moved her to a 30 gallon tank to not be hassled. Lots of rocks for hiding and waiting for her to spit them out. It's been about 2 weeks. I think it's odd that she hides all the time. I do offer small amounts of food every day and she'll seem interested then not eat, so I syphon out the waste. Water tests are good. Is it normal for her to stay hidden all the time?

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  • Clarice Brough - 2015-05-22
    It sounds like you have rock work with hiding places, so it should feel secure. Maybe add another peaceful cichlid, like a Peacock Cichlid, to encourage a more natural behavior. Often times fish will get behavior cues from other tankmates... like eating more readily and swimming around the tank more when another fish does.
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Christy - 2015-05-05
I have a yellow lab ciclid. It has always been very yellow. In the last week I have noticed that it is staying hidden in a cave but it has a pretty big double chin. However, it is not eating and it acts like it can't see. It is also losing its color - looking white. Any advice?

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  • Lindsey - 2015-05-05
    Sounds like it's holding eggs.
  • Clarice Brough - 2015-05-07
    It does sound like it's holding eggs, and color changes can happen with these cichlids at times and could indicate a poor strain or possible hybrid. However a lump under the mouth could also be a parasitic infection, and the other problems, like not eating, make me think their may be something wrong with the tank parameters, i.e. ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels.
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Sarah D. - 2010-12-12
I have a 300 gal cichlid tank. jeweled, electric yellow, electric blue, calico, convict, and fire mouth.. I only have 1 actual pair of fish which are the jeweled, but my electric is on her 2nd set of babies :o) Can an electric yellow cross breed? I'm really not sure what it could be breeding with in there, because as I said, one of each kind of fish. I really don't have a great knowledge of fish. I kind of stepped into owning them by accident, but I must be doing something right, I have only live plants, and lots of rocks for hiding, and apparently a breeding pair, Can someone help me? If you know if they can cross breed, can you let me know. The babies are all different colors. All are very similar to their mother, ( all a base color of a creamy yellow) but some are dark, some are striped, others just have the black fins. Thanks so much...

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  • Anonymous - 2011-01-17
    Hi yes the yellow can cross breed with many other mbuna cichlids but if I had to guess I would say it is breeding with the electric blue.
  • matthew - 2014-04-09
    I do believe they can cross breed. I have a male and female yellow lab, and three snow whites, two females one male, that are breeding, one batch is all yellow, so I know the yellows breeding. The albinos fry are pale yellow with blueish fins and black tip fins like the yellow labs, very cool looking. My big male yellow lab just started turning grey on the lower half of his face, looking sick in a way but acting and eating healthy, he was so sharp looking, flawless all around. Now this started about three weeks ago after my heater failed and brought the temp over 110, surprised all my fish survived other than the three yellow peacocks... Could this colour change in the male lab be from that, him almost dying?
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matthew - 2014-04-09
I do believe they can cross breed, I have a male and female yellow lab, and three snow whites, two females one male, that are breeding, one batch is all yellow, so I know the yellows breeding. The albinos fry are pale yellow with blueish fins and black tip fins like the yellow labs, very cool looking. My big male yellow lab just started turning grey on the lower half of his face, looking sick in a way but acting and eating healthy, he was so sharp looking, flawless all around. Now this started about three weeks ago after my heater failed and brought the temp over 110, surprised all my fish survived other than the three yellow peacocks... Could this colour change in the male lab be from that him almost dying?

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  • Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2014-04-12
    Yes a major change in temperature could cause a temporary or possibly permanent color change.
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