I recently purchased a tank for my Lake Malawi cichlids, but also working on overstocking them in order to help reduce aggression.
And the most recent addition are two Labidochromis caeruleus (aka Electric Yellow Cichlid or Yellow Lab) and is found in the central western coastal region of Lake Malawi in East Africa.
These are absolutely beautiful fish that tolerate a 73.4-78.8 F temperature and a pH between 7.8 and 8.9 and large males can reach almost 6 inches in length.
They are among the peaceful compared to the African Cichlids but I got Dazz (a male who is three inches in length) and Lad, who is about almost two inches in length.
Pretty much to tell if they are male or female is the egg spot in their anal fin, which you can see on Dazz.
In my tank, Dazz has usurped Puna the Red Zeebra as the Alpha Male of the tank. He likes to patrol every tunnel and lay claim to all of them. So, I had to think carefully of how I’m going to make sure all cichlids have tunnels and for the most part, Dazz doesn’t interfere with them at night, mainly during when the day (or when lights are on).
Dazz had the same mannerisms at the pet shop I got him from. He did not want to be around the other yellow lab cichlids, he chose to stay in a place he could hide. But while he still likes to hide, he’s also become the boss of this tank. Mainly because of his size but immediately when introduce, he let Puna the Mbuna know that he is the boss, which Puna was the most aggressive, not anymore. Puna is now chill because he’s always trying to stay away from Dazz and find refuge in a tunnel.
It’s important to note that I had to create stackable rocks to create a multiple cave system for many of the cichlids and some manage to dig their way and create their own tunneling system.
But his rival is Puna the Red Zeebra, who was the tank boss but now Dazz has become the alpha male.
Lad, like Gizmo, is curious and he is aloof. Does what he wants but stays away from Dazz.
These cichlids are ovophiles, mouthbrooders in which they dig pits or holes in which the female lays eggs in the pitt and then the female puts the eggs in her mouth. The male then fertilizes the eggs by producing sperm from its tail to the female’s mouth.
But overall, I’m glad that I got these two from my local pet shop and they definitely add things interesting. If anything, I think adding these two definitely made my albino strawberry peacocks much more chill than before but also add quite a bit of activity to my Lake Malawi tank.
