Electric Yellows

[crazyaussie]

hi im just asking what type of fish would do well with a electric yellow ive never had cichlids before and do i have to get a other tank becouse i only have a community live bearing tank and people have told me cichlids dont belong with them

ok thanks

 

[Talleyrand]

Before I set up a Mbuna only tank I had two yellow labs in a community tank with some golden and tiger barbs, black shark, and some silver dollars. I dont know if I would keep them with live bearers as the yellows will eventually get 4-5" long. Your platy's or swordtails will become lunch. One good thing is the yellows are slow growers. it took my largest one, the kids call him Big Yellow, about 2 years to reach 4". So you will plenty of time to get a new tank for the cichlids.

 

[crazyaussie]

thank you for reply

also another question will it go well with fish like dwarf gouramis and will they reach 4'' in a small tank?

 

[Talleyrand]

The dwarf gourami I am thinking of is an inch maybe an inch and half long with long flowing fins? I doubt it. They might pick his fins off. I have kept regular sized gouramis, powder blues and honeys with yellow labs. They are usually larger and more imposing than the yellows.

 

[dthoffsett]

Before I set up a Mbuna only tank I had two yellow labs in a community tank with some golden and tiger barbs, black shark, and some silver dollars. I dont know if I would keep them with live bearers as the yellows will eventually get 4-5" long. Your platy's or swordtails will become lunch. One good thing is the yellows are slow growers. it took my largest one, the kids call him Big Yellow, about 2 years to reach 4". So you will plenty of time to get a new tank for the cichlids.

The dwarf gourami I am thinking of is an inch maybe an inch and half long with long flowing fins? I doubt it. They might pick his fins off. I have kept regular sized gouramis, powder blues and honeys with yellow labs. They are usually larger and more imposing than the yellows.

I hate to be the voice of dissention, but Tallyrand your experiences seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Though yellow labs (labidochromis caeruleus) are considered the most peaceful of the mbuna species (rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa), that is only by mbuna standards. They are far more aggressive than any of your "standard" community fish and can easily kill or stress many community fish to death. Not only that, but they like all mbuna need plenty of space to set up territories and should be kept in a minimum of a 4-ft tank.

Crazyaussie, IMHO you would do best to keep labs in a mbuna community, though people have kept them successfully in "regular" community tanks (as witnessed by Tallyrand) it doesn't happen very often.
-Dawn

 

[crazyaussie]

ive been thinking about it and im not going to get yellows my community tank is allready overstocked and i havint got the money to buy a new tank for cichlids
thank you all for your help