"Dan White" wrote in message
...
Info I've read says they
are not territorial and are peaceful. However I'm not sure if this is
only if they are kept with other cichlids or if they are good community
fish.
Let me add that most sites say it gets up to 4" long. The smallest tetras
I
have are over an inch and will probably be bigger by the time the cichlid
gets to 4" in a 55g tank.

dwhite


Dan,
Labidochromis caeruleus, while some of the more peaceful cichlid
species, they are still cichlids. They are more peaceful than most of the
other algae grazing cichlids known as Mbuna from Lake Malawi, because they
prey on insects that hide in the algae. Because of this, they don't guard
territories in the Lake. I have seen them guard territories in a tank
however. The four inch mark you read about is total length not including the
tail most likely.
Being from Lake Malawi, the water there is hard and stays alkaline and
pretty constant. The temperature doesn't fluctuate much. The tetras on the
other hand prefer softer, neutral water. Again not a good match. If you like
the Labids, I'd keep them with just other African cichlids that are
compatible. And not all African cichlids are compatible.
Also, Angels and tetras typically don't make a good match. Especially
Angels and small tetras like neons. Since small tetras are what Angel fish
eat in the wild, they tend to do the same in the tank eventually.
http://www.fishaholics.org/show_fish.php?FishIndex=9
A profile for the Yellow Labid at my site.
Tim