Labidochromis caeruleus

[colen]

Hello everyone,

Recently I rescued 3 electric yellow cichlids from a local pet store and I am seeking some advice for these little guys.

I have never kept cichlids before, only other tropicals (mostly barbs). I am working on setting up a proper tank for them and giving them the best that I can, in anyway that I can.

First off, there new tank is a 55 gallon tank, they seem to be doing very well and are eating some flake foods, frozen brine shrimp, and shrimp pellets. I have a lot of questions, maybe some are best asked else where in the forum, but I will start here as I am sure you all have gone through this.

1) Fisrt thing, I am working on getting my PH levels up a bit. I have added a few large sea shells, is this going to help raise my PH a little?

2) I have some drift wood in this tank, this will apprantly lower the PH levels of the water. I would like to keep this peace in the tank if possible, as I have 2 small plecos that love it. Is there a point that drift wood will stop lower the PH? By this I mean if it has been in tank for the last few years is it still lower the PH levels? BTW my current PH is at aprox 7.6.

3) DIET. Tonight I read the pinned topic about "Feeding Mbuna". I would like to "Perfecting the Mbuna Diet" for these cichlids but I am not EXACTLY sure what to be feeding them. They are eating for me which is good, but I need to know exactly what sort of diet I should work out for these fish. "Worms are just the fatty, slimy food to quickly cause the fatal bloat." Can I feed these fish blood worms? Or are these the worms that this article, or post, that the thecichlidaddict are talking about?

4) Next question/problem. aerition, how much is to much? I ask because I have several smaller filters running on this 55 gallon (aqua clear 200's). They creaite a fair bit of water movement, and I am wondering if this will creaite to much aerition? Is there such a thing as to much aerition?

Sorry about this post, but I am a bit overwhelmd at the moment with my new little fish friends. I am just trying to do my best for these fish as I absolutely love them. They are by far the nicest fish I have ever owned, and I hope they all make it through my new learning curve.

Thanks again for all the help, along with your patience

Tale care.
Colen.

 

[freddyk]

Yellow labs are great mbuna to start with because they really are about as easy to keep as fish get.

Diet is simple: Flakes, pellets, frozen/live brine shrimp or mysis on occasion if you want, perhaps small pieces of krill or shrimp, and even insects. Blood worms are best avoided even for these guys.

PH of 7.6 is absolutely fine.

Wood may have some effect on the water, but not much unless you're really loading it up in there. I wouldn't worry too much, just don't overdo it. If your PH is stable at 7.6 I wouldn't change a thing.

Filttration is always good and it sounds like you're starting off a good home for them.

Make sure you have some hiding spots for these rock dwellers and you're set.

 

[Angry_Platy]

EDIT: double post

 

[Angry_Platy]

1) Fisrt thing, I am working on getting my PH levels up a bit. I have added a few large sea shells, is this going to help raise my PH a little?

I wouldn't worry about your pH too much. Yes, African cichlids like their pH to be higher than yor standard tank however as long as your pH isn't drastically low (i.e. below 7) and it is stable they will be fine. I keep my africans in a pH of 7.4 and they breed and are thriving.

2) I have some drift wood in this tank, this will apprantly lower the PH levels of the water. I would like to keep this peace in the tank if possible, as I have 2 small plecos that love it. Is there a point that drift wood will stop lower the PH? By this I mean if it has been in tank for the last few years is it still lower the PH levels? BTW my current PH is at aprox 7.6.

I have not had any driftwood I put in the tank change the pH at all. Keep it in there as the plecs love it and my africans nibble on it as well (especially when algae starts growing on it)

3) DIET. Tonight I read the pinned topic about "Feeding Mbuna". I would like to "Perfecting the Mbuna Diet" for these cichlids but I am not EXACTLY sure what to be feeding them. They are eating for me which is good, but I need to know exactly what sort of diet I should work out for these fish. "Worms are just the fatty, slimy food to quickly cause the fatal bloat." Can I feed these fish blood worms? Or are these the worms that this article, or post, that the thecichlidaddict are talking about?

You shouldn't be feeding any worms to your labs at all. They contain high protein which can be fatal for them sicne they cannot handle the protein. when buying foods read the label and look for the lowest protein content ones. Do not trust it just cause it says "for african cichlids"....I have seen special food with higher protein than what I feed my other fish. Mine love algae, they will eat it of your ornaments/rocks. I feed them spirulina tablets everyday as well as vegies like cucumber, broccoli, zucchini......

4) Next question/problem. aerition, how much is to much? I ask because I have several smaller filters running on this 55 gallon (aqua clear 200's). They creaite a fair bit of water movement, and I am wondering if this will creaite to much aerition? Is there such a thing as to much aerition?

Unless you are growing live plants in the tank than you cannot have too much aeration/oxygen in the water. These fish live on the rockey edges of Lake Malawi where current is high hence oxygen levels are higher. I have 2 Aquaclear 300s and an Eheim on my 75gal tank and the cichlids love it

 

[freshcichlid]

Angry_Platy

Unless you are growing live plants in the tank than you cannot have too much aeration/oxygen in the water.

how many plants are too much and what are some ideal plants for mbuna ?

 

[Angry_Platy]

Personally I wouldn't grow live plants with mbuna as they tend to dig and will most likely eat the plants. Their natural habitat is rocks....

 

[vantgE]

Java fern is usually what works though the mbuna don't eat it and you can attach it to rocks

 

[freddyk]

Anubius is also good

 

[sylvia]

It's the fatty stuff in worms that causes bloat - not the protein. Regardless, yellow labs, unlike most mbuna, are insectivores so they can actualy handle this sort of diet. Still, stick to shrimp and vegetables and spirlina flake to be on the safe side and so that your fish won't need to adjust to a new diet when you add other species (which you are bound to...). Don't worry about the pH as long as it's stable.

 

[Angry_Platy]

Actually it is the protein....as it is the protein in other fish who get dropsy after organ failure...basically the fish cannot tolerate too much protein, and this is any fish, not just Mbuna cichlids. Mbuna cichlids are more prone to it since their digestive system is a lot different to other tropcial fish.

 

[colen]

I want to thank you all for the help.

I have added a few good sized shells in hopes to raise the PH (this was done before my post). I am not wondeirn if I should remove them, they have been in there for about 2 days now, I am about to go test the water and see if it has moved at all. I'll keep everyone updated.

EDIT: MY ph is still sitting at the same 7.6.

Anyways, tjese shells have been sterlized and have been in my tanks before, I now need to know if they will release anything else into the water that might not be good for my fish?

Thanks.

 

[freddyk]

Shells are good for your tank - they won't make a noticable difference either way, but if they did it would be benificial.