electric yellow chilchid
- Thread starter fishlover1
- Start date
Labs are generally peaceful compared to other mbuna, far from peaceful compared to community type fish.
It's usually a pretty safe assumption that the labs are to blame for your shredded paradise fish, of course there's a possibility that he might have gotten in a fight with someone else...like the gouramis.
Either way the labs have specific needs (diet, tank size, tankmates and decor) different from that of the fish you have now. They'll max out at 6" and wouldn't think much of ripping some frilly fish (no offence, I like them too) to shreds.
Your best off taking the labs back.
It's usually a pretty safe assumption that the labs are to blame for your shredded paradise fish, of course there's a possibility that he might have gotten in a fight with someone else...like the gouramis.
Either way the labs have specific needs (diet, tank size, tankmates and decor) different from that of the fish you have now. They'll max out at 6" and wouldn't think much of ripping some frilly fish (no offence, I like them too) to shreds.
Your best off taking the labs back.
IMO, labs are only good tank mates with other Mbuna. Not because they might not get along, but because I don't necessarily like mixing fish from different continents. That's not to say I've never done it.....or don't have some that aren't the same, but I just wouldn't recommend it. It's just my personal opinion.
hey i woke up today and saw all of these comments, thank you all. ok so i did take them out and put them in a 15 gallon long tank(that my crayfish was in but i gave it back to petland) and bought a blue african chilchid around the same size. but i have a question all they do in that tank is swim up and down the glass, is this normal? also do they really need a heater because my cray didnt need any, and i just wanted to know if i have to buy one for them.
this is the tank:
this is the tank:
The blue fish is Pseudotropheus socolofi. Better choice of tankmate. 
Unfortunately the 15gl tank won't last them very long. Although I've seen people use 40 or even 30gl tanks for mbuna I like to recommend a 55gl tank as a bare minimum as it is easier to overstock a tank this size be accidentally or intentionally without too many problems.
Heavy filtration is necessary to keep the fish in top shape if you've overstocked your tank which means you'll need filters with higher ratings or more than 1 filter. For example, I have 2 AC110's (500gph each) on my 60gl tank.
Yes, a heater is necessary to keep the water at an acceptable temperature. I recommend you keep the water at 78-80F for them.
Limi is right in how they need rock formations to create caves and devide territories. They are rock dwellers in the wild and very territorial. Each fish should have it's own "cave" to call it's own, even though they may not always use it.
If you went with a 55gl it would be a beautiful set-up if you kept groups (6 of each) of both labs and socolofi in there. Their colors contrast very nicely.
Unfortunately the 15gl tank won't last them very long. Although I've seen people use 40 or even 30gl tanks for mbuna I like to recommend a 55gl tank as a bare minimum as it is easier to overstock a tank this size be accidentally or intentionally without too many problems.
Heavy filtration is necessary to keep the fish in top shape if you've overstocked your tank which means you'll need filters with higher ratings or more than 1 filter. For example, I have 2 AC110's (500gph each) on my 60gl tank.
Yes, a heater is necessary to keep the water at an acceptable temperature. I recommend you keep the water at 78-80F for them.
Limi is right in how they need rock formations to create caves and devide territories. They are rock dwellers in the wild and very territorial. Each fish should have it's own "cave" to call it's own, even though they may not always use it.
If you went with a 55gl it would be a beautiful set-up if you kept groups (6 of each) of both labs and socolofi in there. Their colors contrast very nicely.
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In a few months time the fish will be 3 or 4" (bad fights start at 3" when the fish bein to sexually mature) and trying to kill eachother for space/territory. They're aggressive fish, overcrowding is used for a reason. They can't kill a target that keeps gettin lost in the crowd. Get a bigger tank as soon as you can or find the fish a new home.
I'm saying that after 3" they will fight, lock jaws, nip fins and likely try to kill each other in a tank that small so you need to upgrade soon or get rid of them. Whether one of them succeeds in doing so is dependant on the individual personality of the fish. They sexually mature at around 3" so that's when the really aggressive territorial behavior starts.
Till then I'm simply letting you know that you'd be asking for trouble if you were to leave them in there longer than advised. These fish are very active, unpredictable and agressive. If you've never kept them before then I wouldn't expect you to know this already but I'm not a stranger to this group of fish (mbuna) or their individual personalities so I'm just giving you sound advice. These aren't just 3" fish in a tank that seems like "more than enough room", the simple fact is that it's not. And if one of those fish feels like one of it's tankmates are intruding upon it's territory (because there's not enough room) you'll know it.
Do some research on them. That's the best thing you can do for them right now.
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ok it sounds alot like oscars. i had 2 of them, just to show you one here it is:
i had another the same size in the 30 gal i have, and yes they locked jaws alot and you would here thumps once in a while. it was amazing that none got badly hurt the worse was scrathes. but eventually i had to give it to petland and got gouramis to replace them. if they have that type of behavior then yea now i kno why you say this. ok i just heard that my dads friend is giving aay his tank and it very big so i might get lucky and get it. 2 more questions, do you kno how to sex the labs and what is the coral for, petland told me that it would be good if i put coral and those rocks that have a round whole in the middle that also look like coral
i had another the same size in the 30 gal i have, and yes they locked jaws alot and you would here thumps once in a while. it was amazing that none got badly hurt the worse was scrathes. but eventually i had to give it to petland and got gouramis to replace them. if they have that type of behavior then yea now i kno why you say this. ok i just heard that my dads friend is giving aay his tank and it very big so i might get lucky and get it. 2 more questions, do you kno how to sex the labs and what is the coral for, petland told me that it would be good if i put coral and those rocks that have a round whole in the middle that also look like coral
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Coral as a decoration? or as a substrate?
When coral dissolves (very very slowly) it adds calcium and other minerals into the water that keep it hard or alkaline. You don't need coral decor or crushed coral substrate if your water is already hard with a pH of at least 7.8 and high on the hardness scale.
If your water is closer to neutral or acidic I'd recommend a crushed coral sand substrate over coral skeleton for decore as these are harvested from reefs and I do not condone harvesting for commercial use.
As for sexing, both species (L. caurueleus and P. socolofi) are monomorphic meaning both mae and female look the same. Females may be smaller or might be less vividly colored than males but that doesn't hold true much of the time. Some may see egspots as an indictor but again, not reliable. The only reliable way to sex them would be to vent them. Observing for differences of their vents.
http://www.fishhead.com/articles/ventsex.htm
One time that you can tell a female for sure is when you find her holding.
Female P. socolofi (albino)
http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
Female L. caeruleus
http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
She'll have a distended throat after spawning and taking her eggs into her buccal cavity to incubate them.
When coral dissolves (very very slowly) it adds calcium and other minerals into the water that keep it hard or alkaline. You don't need coral decor or crushed coral substrate if your water is already hard with a pH of at least 7.8 and high on the hardness scale.
If your water is closer to neutral or acidic I'd recommend a crushed coral sand substrate over coral skeleton for decore as these are harvested from reefs and I do not condone harvesting for commercial use.
As for sexing, both species (L. caurueleus and P. socolofi) are monomorphic meaning both mae and female look the same. Females may be smaller or might be less vividly colored than males but that doesn't hold true much of the time. Some may see egspots as an indictor but again, not reliable. The only reliable way to sex them would be to vent them. Observing for differences of their vents.
http://www.fishhead.com/articles/ventsex.htm
One time that you can tell a female for sure is when you find her holding.
Female P. socolofi (albino)
http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
Female L. caeruleus
http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
She'll have a distended throat after spawning and taking her eggs into her buccal cavity to incubate them.
when i do water changes i take water from my kitchen sink which has a filter and then since its cold i heat it up on the stove and put it in the tank that way i asure myself of no or very little chlorine and ph basic. but what i dont kno is teh hardness, do you think this water would be hard. and yea he told me that crushed coral as a substrate like the gravel. so i dont need the coral looking rocks? sorry for the questions im new to chilchids its my first time i always had community,except for the oscars which werent as complex.thanx for the help your giving me.
Can't get hot water from your tap?
I used to heat the water on the stove as well when I was startin out. It's tedious and risky. Sometimes you don't know the exact temp you're introducing to the tank and that can lead to annoying problems like ick.
If you could get a couple of cheap heaters (Radiant HOB's go for a couple bucks each online) and heat the water in the bucket, checking the temp with a thermometer would probably be a lot easier.
Chlorine is removed through aeration. You can let it stand open for a day or run an airline and airstone in a buck full of water for 12 and the water's safe to use. The recent problem is that many districts are adding chloramine into their municipal water sources and chloramines are not neutralized by aeration. A water conditioning prodict like Amquel+ or Prime will remove/neutralize both chlorine and chloramines.
To find out whether your water is alkaline or acidic you can get yourself some test kits or a master test kit. I really think you should look into purchasing online as supplies will usually be much cheaper there (even after shipping charges) than in a retail shop. Find a master test kit if you decide you can spend the money on it. This will come with pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and GH/KH test kits (some kits may not have everything). These come in very handy. A crucial element for any serious fishkeeper are tests to know exactly what's going on with their water. Use the pH and GH/KH kits to find out what your water's like. I believe chain stores (Petco or Petsmart) may test the water for you but I've never asked.
You don't need coral skeletons. What you need is plenty of caves and hiding places for those fish.
You should also research on what their diets consist of. In the wild these fish feed on algae growing off the rocks and the tiny organisms living in the algae. In the aquarium they are considered herbivorous and should be fed a diet that comprises mainly of veggie and algae based formulas, fresh veggies, the occasional "snack" (community diets) or well rounded formulas that will not give your fish bloat. NLS is a popular diet reputed to give a herbivore all the exceptional nutrion it needs as well as not causing bloat. Stay away from live-foods, worms especially. Animal protein rich foods will cause a condition known as "Malawi Bloat". These fish may or may not swell, stop eating and waste away. I've killed several mbuna (including yellow labs) during my first weeks of keeping these fish by giving them such meaty snacks and can tell you it's a sad thing to see your fish starve to death, not being able to do anything about it and realizing that you were the cause.
Anyhoo, just to let you see just how I kept my mbuna and shed some light on the whole "decorating with rocks" idea here's a photo of my 60gl.
You can see many more examples here.
I used to heat the water on the stove as well when I was startin out. It's tedious and risky. Sometimes you don't know the exact temp you're introducing to the tank and that can lead to annoying problems like ick.
If you could get a couple of cheap heaters (Radiant HOB's go for a couple bucks each online) and heat the water in the bucket, checking the temp with a thermometer would probably be a lot easier.
Chlorine is removed through aeration. You can let it stand open for a day or run an airline and airstone in a buck full of water for 12 and the water's safe to use. The recent problem is that many districts are adding chloramine into their municipal water sources and chloramines are not neutralized by aeration. A water conditioning prodict like Amquel+ or Prime will remove/neutralize both chlorine and chloramines.
To find out whether your water is alkaline or acidic you can get yourself some test kits or a master test kit. I really think you should look into purchasing online as supplies will usually be much cheaper there (even after shipping charges) than in a retail shop. Find a master test kit if you decide you can spend the money on it. This will come with pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and GH/KH test kits (some kits may not have everything). These come in very handy. A crucial element for any serious fishkeeper are tests to know exactly what's going on with their water. Use the pH and GH/KH kits to find out what your water's like. I believe chain stores (Petco or Petsmart) may test the water for you but I've never asked.
You don't need coral skeletons. What you need is plenty of caves and hiding places for those fish.
You should also research on what their diets consist of. In the wild these fish feed on algae growing off the rocks and the tiny organisms living in the algae. In the aquarium they are considered herbivorous and should be fed a diet that comprises mainly of veggie and algae based formulas, fresh veggies, the occasional "snack" (community diets) or well rounded formulas that will not give your fish bloat. NLS is a popular diet reputed to give a herbivore all the exceptional nutrion it needs as well as not causing bloat. Stay away from live-foods, worms especially. Animal protein rich foods will cause a condition known as "Malawi Bloat". These fish may or may not swell, stop eating and waste away. I've killed several mbuna (including yellow labs) during my first weeks of keeping these fish by giving them such meaty snacks and can tell you it's a sad thing to see your fish starve to death, not being able to do anything about it and realizing that you were the cause.
Anyhoo, just to let you see just how I kept my mbuna and shed some light on the whole "decorating with rocks" idea here's a photo of my 60gl.
You can see many more examples here.