Tank advice for Labidochromis caeruleus

Hello,

I've been keeping fish for years in various cities (i.e. various water
conditions). I did Severums, marine fish, and kribs in a plant tank.
In my last move I got rid of all my equipment. Now I'm living in a new
town with hard water and I got a free 55g tank from a neighbor. I got
a HOT Magnum/Biowheel system for filtration, Ebo Jager 150W heater,
and the tank had a glass cover.

My water turned out to be GH 12-13, KH 10-11, and PH 7.5-8. So I'm
thinking african cichlids. I don't want fish that will get too big or
overly aggressive, so I have settled on Labidochromis caeruleus
(a.k.a. electric yellow mbuna, etc.). Other suggestions would be
appreciated.

My questions are this:
How much and what color light should I go with? And is there a cheap
way to do it (e.g. shop lights)?
What substrate/rocks should I use. I know they want a big pile with
lots of caves and hidey holes, so what would be appropriate (e.g.
cheap, non contaminating, not too heavy for the tank, look good with
yellow fish, etc.)?

And any other tips on keeping these guys (other fish that might go
with them, etc.) would be appreciated.

Thanks,
--Todd

Yellow labs are a great little fish. However, while they are at the low end
of mbuna aggression, they can still be feisty, and some of them are
downright tough. However I think they are a beautiful and interesting fish,
and let's face it, they're cheap, especially if you get them as juveniles.
As for lighting, since they are yellow, they really look vibrant under
lighting that is strong in the blue wavelengths.

I found that the best option for lighting freshwater fish is the triple tube
strip light from All-Glass Aquariums. The nice thing about this fixture is
that you can mix your bulbs to get just the right lighting. I have yellow
labs and a couple of really orange ps. estherae, as well as numerous blue
fish. The 3 bulbs I installed: The Hagen PowerGlo, a bulb strong in the blue
wavelengths which brings out my blue and yellow fish. The stock actinic bulb
that came with the fixture, which really makes the orange fish vibrant. A
plain old cool white "shop" light, which also helps the blue and yellow fish
come alive. If you're going all L. careuleus, you can delete the actinic
bulb and go with 2 Powerglos and a cool white. But you can also change the
spectrum any time you want.

Also, this fixture nominally takes only T-8 bulbs, but I also stuck in a
T-10 and it runs fine.

Finally, this strip light fits pretty snug over a glass top with minimal
leakage into the room. All the light goes into the tank. I find most DIY
shop light arrangements tend to bleed light all over the place. But, if
you're really handy, I guess you can overcome this.

As for substrate, I would go darker so that the labs really stand out. I use
a 50/50 mix of Tahitian Moon sand and Gray Onyx sand. The bottom looks great
and is very easy to clean. The fish look great against this backdrop, and
they also like to dig. Many times my yellow labs will appear with a gray
mask, obviously the result of them playing in the sand.

For bolt holes, I use a mix of good old fashioned slate and those Penn-Plax
pseudo-driftwood things with silk leaves coming off them. They have lots of
caves and the leaves also create hiding spots. They're also very light and
are easily re-arranged. A little pricey but they really work. My fish love
these things and are always hanging out inside them. They also make a good
home for a synodontis or other nocturnal fish.

As far as cellmates, socolofi look very good with yellow labs. They are a
smooth blue color with black accents in the dorsal and pelvic fins. In fact,
they almost look like a "blue lab". Peacocks also go well with labs since
they tend to be less pugnacious.

Good luck with your tank.

-Marc






"Todd Edwards" wrote in message
m...
Hello,

I've been keeping fish for years in various cities (i.e. various water
conditions). I did Severums, marine fish, and kribs in a plant tank.
In my last move I got rid of all my equipment. Now I'm living in a new
town with hard water and I got a free 55g tank from a neighbor. I got
a HOT Magnum/Biowheel system for filtration, Ebo Jager 150W heater,
and the tank had a glass cover.

My water turned out to be GH 12-13, KH 10-11, and PH 7.5-8. So I'm
thinking african cichlids. I don't want fish that will get too big or
overly aggressive, so I have settled on Labidochromis caeruleus
(a.k.a. electric yellow mbuna, etc.). Other suggestions would be
appreciated.

My questions are this:
How much and what color light should I go with? And is there a cheap
way to do it (e.g. shop lights)?
What substrate/rocks should I use. I know they want a big pile with
lots of caves and hidey holes, so what would be appropriate (e.g.
cheap, non contaminating, not too heavy for the tank, look good with
yellow fish, etc.)?

And any other tips on keeping these guys (other fish that might go
with them, etc.) would be appreciated.

Thanks,
--Todd

where do you live todd? Someone may be able to get you some fish REALLY
CHEAP.

Todd Edwards wrote:

Hello,

I've been keeping fish for years in various cities (i.e. various water
conditions). I did Severums, marine fish, and kribs in a plant tank.
In my last move I got rid of all my equipment. Now I'm living in a new
town with hard water and I got a free 55g tank from a neighbor. I got
a HOT Magnum/Biowheel system for filtration, Ebo Jager 150W heater,
and the tank had a glass cover.

My water turned out to be GH 12-13, KH 10-11, and PH 7.5-8. So I'm
thinking african cichlids. I don't want fish that will get too big or
overly aggressive, so I have settled on Labidochromis caeruleus
(a.k.a. electric yellow mbuna, etc.). Other suggestions would be
appreciated.

My questions are this:
How much and what color light should I go with? And is there a cheap
way to do it (e.g. shop lights)?
What substrate/rocks should I use. I know they want a big pile with
lots of caves and hidey holes, so what would be appropriate (e.g.
cheap, non contaminating, not too heavy for the tank, look good with
yellow fish, etc.)?

And any other tips on keeping these guys (other fish that might go
with them, etc.) would be appreciated.

Thanks,
--Todd

Thanks for the tips! I've been thinking of getting some pvc pipe or
terracotta pots, cutting them in half, and gluing them together to
make a pile that would have lots of caves. I was thinking to aquarium
glue the substrate to the tops and some slate to cover it all and make
it look nice.

I have cats who like to sit on top, so I need to make rather hefty
tank cover to go on top of everything, and all the 48" lights tend to
stick over the edges a bit. So I got two 24" strips which are
actually only about 22", so I have the room to spare.

I'm in the East side of the San Francisco Bay Area by the way.

Are there any plants that I would be able to find that grow in these
water conditions?

I've had this empty tank sitting next to my desk in my home office for
a few weeks now just taunting me, I can't wait to get it all put
together and cycling.

--Todd

Oh ps, how many of these guys should I get? I was thinking of doing
them as the main feature and then extra fish as tank size permits. I
understand they like to be in groups?

Thanks,
--Todd