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demasoni, sand, yellow lab

2K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  DJRansome 
#1 ·
my first question is why some of my electric labs have grown to almost 3 inches since i got them and others only 1 inch, i have had them for 7 months. they dont have any black stripes (eyes or fins). i know for a fact these are not hybrids. The dealer that i got them from only keeps species specific tanks. So why are there not growing?

my other question is i plan on keeping demasonis and i really want no cross breeding and wanted to be sure that they wont crossbreed.

my last question i promise; on the selection of sand. my LFS has the marine sand which is really fine vs. the aragonite sand which is a little larger. *** heard that the finer sand is hard to maintain and could damage the impeller just wanted to hear your thoughts on those

thank you for all your help
 
#2 ·
mark0420 said:
my first question is why some of my electric labs have grown to almost 3 inches since i got them and others only 1 inch, i have had them for 7 months. they dont have any black stripes (eyes or fins). i know for a fact these are not hybrids. The dealer that i got them from only keeps species specific tanks. So why are there not growing?
Sorry to say - it they do not have black on the fins and the were in fact sold as Labidochromis caeruleus (Lion's Cove) trade name 'Electric Yellows'- they are hybrids, this not even a question.

'All yellow electric yellows' are a cross between Labidochromis caeruleus (Lion's Cove) and Metriaclima estherae (Red Zebra). This particular cross has become ubiquitous.

I believe the size difference between males and females can account for delta in growth, especially if they are fed too well.

mark0420 said:
my other question is i plan on keeping demasonis and i really want no cross breeding and wanted to be sure that they wont crossbreed.
Any two mouth brooders can hybridize, but, if these two species are kept in proper Male:Female ratios/group sizes the odds of hybrids are as minimal as you can get with mouth brooders.

mark0420 said:
my last question i promise; on the selection of sand. my LFS has the marine sand which is really fine vs. the aragonite sand which is a little larger. I've heard that the finer sand is hard to maintain and could damage the impeller just wanted to hear your thoughts on those

thank you for all your help
Nothing wrong with going the whiter sand if you like the look.

As another option, you should be able to find 20# (read grit for #) Silica sand at your local home improvement store for between $10-$15 for 100 lbs. It is the same thing as pool filter sand.

Too me, it gives a more realistic and natural look.

I have 20# Silica and 3M ColorQuartz S Grade (small) in 2 tanks each for years now - no issues with impellers.

I believe the issues you hear about impeller problems come from people using play sand which can be pretty much anything including very, very fine particulates or they don't clean the sand well enough before putting it in the tank.

The small substrate just takes a little practice with the syphon to just wave it over the surface to pick up waste.

Good Luck.
 
#3 ·
PFS is the way to go. It looks natural and does not get picked up by your pumps. Also my yellow lab loins cove have the black on them. There is one that doesn't have very much I think that one got the short end of the stick for genetics from its patents though.
 
#4 ·
but the ones that dont have the black stripe dont have any egg spots or black stripe thru the eye or anything so i dont know if its in a growth stop but again the dealer that i got it from only kept like species it wasnt a fish store just someone selling from his basement. the other fish that have the dominate behavior have the black fins etc.
 
#5 ·
Well my males show black fins big time when they put their breeding dress on. My males grew faster as well. I have herd other ppl say that their male labs grew faster too. Do you do weekly water changes. I know that helps fry grow better, not so sure about after that.
 
#6 ·
If it is a yellow lab, it has the black dorsal stripe at least. If the fish is sub-dominant it may turn the color down so you can barely see it, but you will see a little something on the dorsal fin of the meekest females.

All five of mine have all fins black.
 
#7 ·
All of my Yellow Labs have black dorsal's, it's the Anal and Pectoral fins that don't have the black when it comes to females and non-dominant males. The dominant males have DARK black on all fins, and all mine are from PetSmart, which are supposedly "all hybrids" Mine look identical to real lion's Cove Yellow labs and i picked my very selectively from about 7 different locations.
 
#10 ·
I bought six labs as juvies and I don't know for sure the sexes yet since they haven't spawned, but there are two that grew much quicker than the rest and are the most aggressive of the bunch (assuming males). These have black on all fins. There are 3 that have black on the dorsal and I can see some black on the pecs. The smallest one has only a faint hint of black on the dorsal. Even my biggest two are smaller than 3". I'd question the quality of your stock since they still aren't showing any black. It doesn't mean that the dealer is deliberately lying to you. He may be getting bad stock from his sources. But somewhere along the line, it seems like something is up.
 
#12 ·
well its just one of them that doesnt have any black on him/her also the smallest one about 1.5 in i started feeding NLS on a regular basis about 3 or 4 months ago and saw a jump in growth but maybe cause earlier i was feeding them hikari staple and was too big for them to eat

Seperate question i am debating on getting a powerhead/wavemaker any suggestions if the yellows like it?
 
#13 ·
mark0420 said:
debating on getting a powerhead/wavemaker any suggestions if the yellows like it?
It's not necessary unless your filtration is less than 7X gph. But all fish seem to like to play in current as long as they are not getting blown around. :thumb:
 
#15 ·
magic10 said:
I think you have pseudotropheus sp. Daktari(yellow acei). It happens all the time at my lfs!!
yep that would be the one. it does have a similar body type but only one egg spot with no black and the dorsal fin is a bit more "buzz cut" look

on a different note i found a baby today but just one, i didnt even notice anybody holding and everyone was eating. my largest male somehow dug all the way underneath one of my rocks and constantly guarding it and excavating it. it is protected by egg crate at the bottom so no worries.

is it normal for the first clutch to just have one fry?
 
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