Maria - 2011-05-30 Hi, my brother is out of town and left me with his yellow fins. In these three months of taking care of them I saw never saw any strange behavior until I got to my office this morning and saw that one of them (if not mistaken, female) was lying dead on the sand without and eye and a hole on its stomach...I've been feeding them properly and last night when I left they were all doing great. Can someone please tell me what happened? I'm new to fish caring and would like to know a bit more on how to take good care of them. From what I read, the tank my brother has put them in (now three, used to be four) isn't too big and I've seen them push the sand so it caves up. I currently have two male and a Female in the tank, is there anything I need to be aware of?
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David Brough - 2011-06-06 Actually, it sounds like aggression on the part of one of the fish. It could be breeding behavior or just territorial in nature. How big is the aquarium and how many yellow fins do you have in it? Is there any sign of one of the fish being aggressive towards any of the others?
raghu - 2011-08-09 Dear Maria, what substrate do use? There could be a chance of fish trying to dig and ended up with a piece stuck in its throat or it could have hurt its eye to your rocky arrangements. Or it could be due to stress.
Chris - 2012-05-13 2 males and 2 females in a tank is a bad ratio to have. You want to have at least 3 females for every male in the tank, or they will be harrassed to death. They have been mounding up the sand to establish a breeding area, which makes me think the female was killed because she wasn't interested in breeding at that time. I know this is an old thread, but I figured I should respond to help others with the same problem.
Daryl - 2012-04-13 It would be highly inaccurate to say this fish is not territorial. All cichlids hold a degree of territorial nature. I have three labs, a kenyi and a red zebra, each of which have their own homes and the yellow-like other cichlids-will defend their territory. While they are possibly the most peaceful cichlids (passed by the kribensis), they are still aggressive and territorial
Jamie - 2011-10-20 Ok I have an electric yellow a common orange, a bumble bee and a red jewel. We now have babies, for the life of me I can't figure out who the breeders are. Any ideas?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-10-21 Beats me but possibly you will be able to tell when they achieve full coloring. Why worry - they obviously figured out what to do. Just enjoy.
Sandy - 2011-11-15 I had one Kenyl that mated with an Electric Yellow cichlid and had babies. I thought that was bizarre. Sandy
jane - 2012-02-17 i think my male yellow lab chilid is dying. He is always on the bottom of the tank not eating and he is turning green. My females and the the other chilids I have are fine. Can you help?
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Clarice Brough - 2012-02-26 Yeah, he sounds like he's not doing well, but not sure why he's turning green. You may want to move him into a separate tank and try to determine if he is having any illness. Here's a link that can help: Aquarium Fish Diseases and Treatments
ザフラ エリック ヴァン - 2012-01-16 Hi, I recently got addicted to this hobby. I have 3 yellow labs in my tank about 3 inches in size with haps, peacocks and a few pseudotropheus. I was surprised however to see one yellow lab carrying eggs in her mouth the other night. Would it hurt just to leave her in the tank or should I isolate her before the eggs hatch? Thanks!
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Charlie Roche - 2012-01-17 Yes, you should remove her to another tank ASAP. This is an article I found on mouth brooding cichlids that I thought you might be interested in Mouth Breeding Cichlids and I thought it looked good.
ザフラ エリック ヴァン - 2012-01-19 Thanks for the info and nice read! I still have much to learn in this hobby. >* ))))><
kari - 2012-01-03 I have a 46 gallon bowfront tank with 5 yellow lab cichlids and last night I found 2 fry how many will they have at one time and will I find more? I read that I should have at least 6 cichlids in my tank should I get a couple more or is 5 safe for the size of tank I have?
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Charlie Roche - 2012-01-03 The Electric yellow cichlid is a mouth breeder and they will a when they are younger and inexperienced usually have between 1 and 3 dozen fry - that number goes up as they gain experience. You don't need a 6th as they will live singly or in pairs. You don't NEED 6 but many enjoy them all in pairs.
Robert - 2012-01-05 Actually the Lemon Yellow shouldn't be put in with your mollys as mollys are a community fish and the lemon yellow is an aggressive fish. I'm surprised he didn't kill it competely.They should be put with other ciclids
Jay Trebilcock - 2011-08-30 Anyone know what a typical brood size is? And can these guys mate with the common orange African cichlids you see for sale in the chain pet stores all the time? I think its a orange chromatid maybe?
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Jay Trebilcock - 2011-08-30 thanks Toby, very helpful info!
Jay Trebilcock - 2011-08-30 I had a male Yellow from when I first set-up the tank and got a female about a 3 weeks ago. I don't if I purchased her pregnant (she was really small) or if the male did it but we found 4 small fry today, they are about small bean sized. I missed the whole mouth brooding stage.
edo - 2011-08-03 Yellow labs, are territorial, they will defend it, and cichlid should only be in tank with other cichlids. Otherwise they will eat/attack/kill the other fish, like I read here at some comments.
When the female isn't eating, she is pregnant. It's all normal behavior.
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Charlie Roche - 2011-08-04 Good to know I didn't know they didn't at when pregnant.
Shannon - 2011-06-14 They are the least agressive of all Cichlids for a community tank. I have always had 5 - 8 Electric Yellows in a 20 gallon tank and over the years they have been calm with mollies, guppies, loaches and algae eaters. They have always been comfortable and breed like crazy!!
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Love IsPower - 2011-07-14 I have 8 yellow labs with mollies and guppies and they all get along great...
The bold striking colors of the Electric Yellow Cichlid have certainly helped it earn its name!
Hi, my brother is out of town and left me with his yellow fins. In these three months of taking care of them I saw never saw any strange behavior until I got to my office this morning and saw that one of them (if not mistaken, female) was lying dead on the sand without and eye and a hole on its stomach...I've been feeding them properly and last night when I left they were all doing great. Can someone please tell me what happened? I'm new to fish caring and would like to know a bit more on how to take good care of them. From what I read, the tank my brother has put them in (now three, used to be four) isn't too big and I've seen them push the sand so it caves up. I currently have two male and a Female in the tank, is there anything I need to be aware of?
Actually, it sounds like aggression on the part of one of the fish. It could be breeding behavior or just territorial in nature. How big is the aquarium and how many yellow fins do you have in it? Is there any sign of one of the fish being aggressive towards any of the others?
Dear Maria, what substrate do use? There could be a chance of fish trying to dig and ended up with a piece stuck in its throat or it could have hurt its eye to your rocky arrangements. Or it could be due to stress.
2 males and 2 females in a tank is a bad ratio to have. You want to have at least 3 females for every male in the tank, or they will be harrassed to death. They have been mounding up the sand to establish a breeding area, which makes me think the female was killed because she wasn't interested in breeding at that time. I know this is an old thread, but I figured I should respond to help others with the same problem.
It would be highly inaccurate to say this fish is not territorial. All cichlids hold a degree of territorial nature. I have three labs, a kenyi and a red zebra, each of which have their own homes and the yellow-like other cichlids-will defend their territory. While they are possibly the most peaceful cichlids (passed by the kribensis), they are still aggressive and territorial
Ok I have an electric yellow a common orange, a bumble bee and a red jewel. We now have babies, for the life of me I can't figure out who the breeders are. Any ideas?
Beats me but possibly you will be able to tell when they achieve full coloring. Why worry - they obviously figured out what to do. Just enjoy.
I had one Kenyl that mated with an Electric Yellow cichlid and had babies. I thought that was bizarre. Sandy
i think my male yellow lab chilid is dying. He is always on the bottom of the tank not eating and he is turning green. My females and the the other chilids I have are fine. Can you help?
Yeah, he sounds like he's not doing well, but not sure why he's turning green. You may want to move him into a separate tank and try to determine if he is having any illness. Here's a link that can help: Aquarium Fish Diseases and Treatments
Hi, I recently got addicted to this hobby. I have 3 yellow labs in my tank about 3 inches in size with haps, peacocks and a few pseudotropheus. I was surprised however to see one yellow lab carrying eggs in her mouth the other night. Would it hurt just to leave her in the tank or should I isolate her before the eggs hatch? Thanks!
Yes, you should remove her to another tank ASAP. This is an article I found on mouth brooding cichlids that I thought you might be interested in Mouth Breeding Cichlids and I thought it looked good.
Thanks for the info and nice read! I still have much to learn in this hobby. >* ))))><
I have a 46 gallon bowfront tank with 5 yellow lab cichlids and last night I found 2 fry how many will they have at one time and will I find more? I read that I should have at least 6 cichlids in my tank should I get a couple more or is 5 safe for the size of tank I have?
The Electric yellow cichlid is a mouth breeder and they will a when they are younger and inexperienced usually have between 1 and 3 dozen fry - that number goes up as they gain experience. You don't need a 6th as they will live singly or in pairs. You don't NEED 6 but many enjoy them all in pairs.
Actually the Lemon Yellow shouldn't be put in with your mollys as mollys are a community fish and the lemon yellow is an aggressive fish. I'm surprised he didn't kill it competely.They should be put with other ciclids
Anyone know what a typical brood size is? And can these guys mate with the common orange African cichlids you see for sale in the chain pet stores all the time? I think its a orange chromatid maybe?
thanks Toby, very helpful info!
I had a male Yellow from when I first set-up the tank and got a female about a 3 weeks ago. I don't if I purchased her pregnant (she was really small) or if the male did it but we found 4 small fry today, they are about small bean sized. I missed the whole mouth brooding stage.
Yellow labs, are territorial, they will defend it, and cichlid should only be in tank with other cichlids. Otherwise they will eat/attack/kill the other fish, like I read here at some comments.
When the female isn't eating, she is pregnant. It's all normal behavior.
Good to know I didn't know they didn't at when pregnant.
They are the least agressive of all Cichlids for a community tank. I have always had 5 - 8 Electric Yellows in a 20 gallon tank and over the years they have been calm with mollies, guppies, loaches and algae eaters. They have always been comfortable and breed like crazy!!
I have 8 yellow labs with mollies and guppies and they all get along great...