Electric Yellow Cichlid (Labidochromis caeruleus) is one of the most popular representatives of African cichlids. This species was introduced to Europe in the 80s of the last century. The fish owe their fame to their bright, eye-catching colors and rather peaceful behavior compared to other cichlids.
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Electric Yellow Cichlid Description and characteristics
- Fish size :8-10 cm.
- Temperature: 24-28 ° C
- pH of water 7.2-8.8
- Behavior: Peaceful
- Habitat layer: Middle and bottom
- Flock: Single
- Water type: Fresh
- Complexity of content: Easily
Like many representatives of the cichlid family, Electric Yellow Cichlid has an elongated streamlined body, slightly flattened at the sides. Adults in natural conditions grow no more than 8 cm in length. When breeding in an aquarium, fish can reach up to 10 cm.
There are about a dozen color options for Electric Cichlid, but yellow forms are considered the most attractive.
In such fish, the scales throughout the body have a pleasant yellow-lemon hue. Black stripes are clearly visible on the dorsal and anal fins.
The pectoral fins may be dark or also have only darker stripes. Black areas also pass through the eyes.
Sexual identity is not very pronounced
Usually, only the dominant male can be distinguished. It has the brightest color of any fish in the school. The rest of the individuals, regardless of gender, are practically indistinguishable from each other and look paler. Youngsters, in principle, have a more modest color, which increases only with age.
Electric Yellow Cichlid Habitat in nature
- Labidochromis caeruleus “Electric Yellow Cichlid” refers to the endemic species of the large African lake Malawi. This species is included in the Mbuna group. Its representatives feed mainly on plant foods and may exhibit more aggressive behavior compared to their carnivorous neighbors from the Utak group. Specifically, in yellow labidochromis, aggression manifests itself closer to spawning.
- Mbuna is translated from local languages roughly as “a fish that lives in rocks.” Labidochromis caeruleus var. Electric Yellow Cichlid also prefers to live in the rocky coastline area. This feature must be taken into account when designing an aquarium.
Electric Yellow Cichlid Care and Maintenance
Many will consider this fish “golden” not only because of the name but also due to the unpretentiousness of the Electric Yellow Cichlid, coupled with simple breeding and high resistance to various diseases. No wonder this cichlid can be bred by aquarists of almost any level of experience.
It is better to keep the fish in a group of one male and 3-4 females. The neighborhood of several males is undesirable since there will certainly be clashes over territory.
Even representatives of other fish species with similar color and size can automatically be perceived by the dominant male as rivals for the female’s attention.
To keep a flock of 1 male and 3-4 females, an aquarium with a volume of 100 liters or more is required. Experienced aquarists recommend using a minimum of decorations to decorate your aquarium. Electric Yellow Cichlid is very fond of putting things in order. For the same reason, it is better to refrain from landscaping or use hard-leaved plants. Neighborhood with bright African cichlids can withstand:
- cryptocorynes
- anubias
- duckweed
- cinema
In the aquarium, use sandy soil, coral chips, more rocks and grottoes to simulate a natural habitat with rocky lake shores.
WATER PARAMETERS FOR IDEAL growth of Electric Yellow Cichlid
For a comfortable existence Electric Yellow Cichlid (Labidochromis caeruleus). It is recommended to maintain the following hydrochemical parameters:
- temperature – 24-28 ° C;
- hardness – 10-20º;
- acid-base balance – 7.2-8.8.
Every week it is necessary to replace 1/5 of the volume of water in the aquarium with fresh water. The installation of a powerful external filter and aerator is mandatory.
Fish are very sensitive to nitrogenous compounds in the aquarium. For this reason, experts advise to regularly siphon the soil.
HOW TO FEED Electric Yellow Cichlid?
- Electric Yellow Cichlid is an omnivorous fish. In nature, they get food with their sharp teeth. With their help, cichlids get food from cracks in rocks. When kept in an aquarium, you can include both live and frozen or dry food in the diet of Electric Yellow Cichlid.
- From live protein foods, small crustaceans and insect larvae are suitable. Chopped spinach, peas, or lettuce can be used as plant foods. Some owners of the African hummingbird cichlid plant Vallisneria not for decorative, but for gastronomic purposes.
Many aquarists note that feeding with bloodworms and tubifex is categorically contraindicated, as it causes bloating in fish. On the other hand, some fish owners advise pre-treating such live food with iodine or methylene blue.
Dry food is in many ways preferable for cichlid owners due to the variety of industrial product lines, which, at the same time, do not pose the same health risks to pets as live or frozen foods. Among the specialized feeds, the following are most often distinguished:
- Tetra Cichlid Color is a special dry food with nutrients that help to maintain the bright color of decorative cichlids.
- TetraPro Algae – Spirulina dry flakes can also be used to feed Electric Yellow Cichlid caeruleus var. “Yellow”.
- Tetra Malawi is a food with a high content of herbal ingredients. Designed specifically for Malawian cichlids, contains nori and spirulina.
- Tetra Cichlid Algae Mini is a pellet pellet food that contains a lot of nutrients and algae needed for Mbuna fish.
- Dajana Pet Cichlid Gran – dry granules for feeding small breeds of cichlids, well suited for feeding Electric Yellow Cichlid, which belongs to dwarf cichlids.
- Sera Granugreen – dry granules with a lot of herbal ingredients, ideal for fish of the Mbuna group, who often prefer algae to protein food.
- Aqua menu Active is the main food, which, according to the manufacturer, can be used for feeding both African and South American cichlids.
It is recommended to feed Electric Yellow Cichlid 2-3 times a day in small portions. Ideally, all the food should be eaten in a couple of minutes so that the excess does not settle to the bottom and create an excessive concentration of organic matter in the aquarium. Also, aquarists advise to spend a fasting day once a week to improve the health of the fish.
Electric Yellow Cichlid Breeding and reproduction
It is quite simple to breed Electric Yellow Cichlid. Many fish owners claim that spawning can also be done in a shared aquarium. This statement is more likely to apply to a species aquarium, as neighbors belonging to other species may try to feast on cichlid eggs. To preserve the offspring, it is still better to use a separate aquarium.
- In the spawning grounds, it is necessary to raise the water temperature by 2-3 degrees compared to that in which adults live.
- During the spawning period, the male looks for a suitable stone, or digs a depression in the sand, where the female can sweep away eggs.
- The throwing process takes from 40 minutes to an hour. When the eggs are fertilized, the female will collect them and place them in a special throat bag.
- The incubation period can take from 25 to 40 days. All this time, the mother does not eat, which is why she loses much weight. The size of the hatched fry is only 2-3 mm.
- The first time after their appearance, the female still hides the children in her mouth at night, or when the offspring is in danger.
Live dust, milled dry food or special food for fry can be used as feed for young animals. The female takes care of the offspring for about 3 weeks. Under good conditions, the fish live in the aquarium for up to 7-8 years.
Electric Yellow Cichlid Mates in Tank
As practice shows, Electric Yellow Cichlid practically does not show aggression towards other fish that have different colors and sizes. For this reason, African cichlids may sometimes not even notice their neighbors. With the right selection of inhabitants for a common aquarium, lemon Electric Yellow Cichlid behaves very peacefully and calmly.
According to experts, the best neighbors for Electric Yellow Cichlid are:
- melanochromies
- pseudotrophies
- iris
- labeo
- ancistrus
- battles
When kept in a spacious aquarium Electric Yellow Cichlid can be combined with pterygoplichts and synodontis.
Next to Electric Yellow Cichlid should not be used for fish with veil fins or fish that are too small, as cichlids can harm them.
Electric Yellow Cichlid similar species
Despite the fact that among all Cichlid, the golden form has perhaps the highest popularity, it is worth mentioning two more species that can interest lovers of African cichlids.
- Labidochromis sp. Hongi. A fairly rare fish, only earning popularity among aquarists. Attractive for its unusual color. Males are blue or blue-white with yellow or orange dorsal fin, occiput and front of the head. Females and juveniles are distinguished by brown scales and yellow fins. The fish got its name from the name of the settlement, near which it was first caught. It grows up to 14 cm in length. Belongs to the Mbuna cichlid group.
- Labidochromis Nkata Bey. Another fish, whose name comes from the settlement, near which it was first found. Outwardly, it looks more like a yellow labidochromis. Only the main color of the scales differs – white, shimmering with shades of mother-of-pearl. Like the lemon cousin, the dorsal, anal and lateral fins have black patches. When artificially kept, it grows up to 8 cm in length.
Tips and advice by Electric Yellow Cichlid Keepers
- When decorating aquariums with Electric Yellow Cichlid, many fish owners use a decor technique called pseudomore. With its help, you can better reveal the decorative qualities of the bright African cichlid.
- Only live or frozen food should not be included in the diet of Electric Yellow Cichlid. This will lead to disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system. Plus, fish can get infections and parasites through such food.
- If the cultivation of Electric Yellow Cichlid is carried out in a common aquarium, it is better to install more shelters. There the fry will be able to hide after the mother stops protecting them.
