Breeding Electric Yellow Cichlid (Labidochromis Caeruleus) In The Aquarium

Electric Yellow Cichlid, Yellow Lab, Lemon Yellow Lab, Lemon Drop Cichlid, Blue Streak Hap, Pearl of Likoma, White Lab, Yellow Prince, Electric Yellow African, Golden Mbuna, Yellow Labido, Yellow Lab Cichlid, Pearl Lab, Yellow Zebra Cichlid, Electric Yellow Mbuna.

Occurrence

The freshwater species is endemic to Lake Malawi in Africa. It is found in the northern part of the lake, both within the rocky and vegetated coastline, at depths of about 20-25 meters.

Physical appearance

Due to the diversity of natural habitats, there are many color variants of this fish. However, its basic coloration is yellow. We should not be surprised by the addition of blue or white color, especially around the abdomen area. A distinctive sign for this cichlid is black, quite broad fin edges: dorsal, ventral, and anal with a narrow, bright margin. The tail fin is yellow. Males are usually slightly larger and more colorful compared to females, their black fin edgings appear wider.

Disposition

It's a peaceful representative of cichlids who should be kept with other peacefully oriented, African cichlid species (e.g., from the Haplochromis, Aulonocara, Lamprologus, Cyathopharynx, Gephyrochromis, Iodotropheus etc. genus) or large species that like hard water (e.g., Rainbowfish). During spawning, the yellow cichlid becomes territorial, and males a bit aggressive towards each other and females (they persistently try to bring about spawning). If we decide to keep a group of these fishes, we should ensure the dominance of females. The more fish, the less aggressive they are. By nature, they are predators (not herbivores) that mainly hunt insects and their larvae. They swim in search of food almost all the time. The yellow cichlid is curious, intelligent, can burrow the substrate, and may nibble on plants. This species is recommended for people interested in starting their Malawi cichlid adventure.

Aquarium

The best solution is to keep this species in a spacious Lake Malawi biotope aquarium - with numerous hideouts among rocks, caves, stones, with open swimming spaces, and with soft, sandy substrate. Plants are not necessary. Darker tank arrangements make the fish beautifully colored. Good oxygenation of the water is essential, as are regular partial water changes and effective filtration - fish are very sensitive to ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites.

Reproduction

This species is oviparous. Under appropriate conditions, fish can reproduce without intervention in a general tank. Such an aquarium should be adequately large, equipped with flat stones, open sand areas, and numerous hiding places for females, with pH=8.5, temperature around 26°C, and hard water. There should be at least 2-3 females per male, and it's important that all fish are of a similar age. Fish are encouraged to spawn by more abundant feeding with live food or more frequent and larger water changes. Before spawning, the male cleans the hard surface on which the egg will be laid, and then intensely colors. At this moment he can be very pushy towards females - it doesn't matter to him whether the female is interested or ready for spawning. The encouraged female swims to the place selected by the male and lays the eggs. She then picks them up in her mouth, and the male fertilizes them. On his tail fin, there are bright, oval spots that resemble eggs. The male places his anal fin on the surface where the eggs were previously. The female, thinking it's eggs, tries to collect them in her mouth, and the male fertilizes the gathered grains at this moment. The female holds 5-20 eggs in her mouth. During this period, she does not eat. If stressed or frightened, she might abandon the eggs or even eat them, so you can carefully move her to a separate tank. After 28 days, fry begin to appear, which start to feed. The mother takes care of the fry for an extended period. The fry are also very sensitive to water quality.