Electric Yellow Cichlid - Labidochromis caeruleus

I saw one of these fish for the first time tonight and thought they were
interesting. Is it possible to keep a small fish like this in with
community fish like various tetras, angels, betta? 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.

thanks,
dwhite

"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

"Amateur Cichlids" wrote in message
. com...

"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

Thanks. Great site btw. My water is very hard and alkaline but I have 7
cardinals and 9 black neon tetras and they are all fine -- good color,
active eaters, etc. They are all over 1" plus tail in length so I wasn't
too concerned about having them in a planted tank with some angels I'm
planning to get. I had cardinals in with angels in a tank before without
any problem. These cardinals are big honkers, too, so I was hoping to get
away with a friendly cichlid. Aside from the water quality issue, what do
you think of their aggressiveness compared to an angelfish? You can see
that I really want to try one of these fish but don't want a disaster on my
hands either.

dwhite

"Dan White" wrote in message
...
Aside from the water quality issue, what do
you think of their aggressiveness compared to an angelfish? You can see
that I really want to try one of these fish but don't want a disaster on
my
hands either.

dwhite



Dan,
IMO, I don't think they'd be a good match for your current tank setup. A
better match, may be a Kribensis or some other West African cichlid. Perhaps
the Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi would be a better fit for your tank. The West
African riverine species can adapt easily to different water conditions and
would just love that planted tank. Check out this pic.
http://www.fishaholics.org/gallery/d...lbum=30&pos=55
Not the yellow of the L. caeruleus, but a beautiful fish in it's own right.
;-)
Tim

"Amateur Cichlids" wrote in message
m...

Dan,
IMO, I don't think they'd be a good match for your current tank setup.
A
better match, may be a Kribensis or some other West African cichlid.
Perhaps
the Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi would be a better fit for your tank. The
West
African riverine species can adapt easily to different water conditions
and
would just love that planted tank. Check out this pic.
http://www.fishaholics.org/gallery/d...lbum=30&pos=55
Not the yellow of the L. caeruleus, but a beautiful fish in it's own
right.
;-)

OK OK. I think it best to yield to your experience. That nicholsi is a
nice fish, maybe one to consider.

thanks again,
dwhite