[Shill]

I found a great deal on some yellow labs at a local fish store. However, they were in a mixed babies tank. $3.99/fish and if you buy 3 you get the 4th free! They let me pick out what I wanted so I only picked yellow labs.

In the other forum they told me to post photos to make sure I actually have labs and not hybrids. I'm not really planning on breeding but I paid for 6 and got 8 of these guys and IF (ha ha WHEN) they start breeding, I'm not really set up to handle an over abundance so I might be giving away some surviving fry. I thought it best to make sure.

Anyway, I've compared these guys to several photos online and they look they way they are supposed to as far as I can tell. BUT I do not have a trained eye.

Do I in fact have yellow labs?

 

[cichlidaholic]

They look like the typical tank raised Yellow labs you see in the LFS.

That doesn't mean that I'm 100% certain they aren't hybrids! Only time will tell!

Kim

 

[Shill]

Hey Kim,

Most are a really pale yellow. They are only about an inch or so long so I know they are young but one or two are a really pretty yellow.

Is this an age thing, a nutrition thing, a stress thing, or all three?

If it is stress, they seem really happy in their new tank and maybe it will right itself. Right now I'm just feeding them some inexpensive Cichlid flakes I bought when I got them. If it is age, how old are they before their color really deepens?

Thanks!

 

[cichlidaholic]

I've had very pale young grow up to be gorgeous deep yellow...Don't worry about that part. The white bellies may disappear, too. The barring should also disappear, it's likely from the stress of being in new surroundings.

You can expect to see dramatic changes in their appearance colour wise between 2-3 inches. At that point, you should be able to tell if they are going to turn out the way you want them to be or not.

I don't care for the white bellies, but it's hard to find young ones that don't have white bellies these days.

I'm overly suspicious about LFS yellow labs these days after buying and raising what I thought was a perfect group of them, only to find out they were producing obvious hybrid fry later on!

All you can do is grow them out and see! I'm waiting in line for some F1's right now after getting burned on the tank raised ones.

Kim

 

[Shill]

Thanks

I do have one I'm suspicious of. He has very obvious barring but it is almost grayish. Not like the typical barring of light and dark yellow. Other than the grayish in his bars, he looks the same. (I don't think I caught a photo of him)

I'm calling him a "he" because I see a little black on his under fins (the two little fins below his face). If the LFS told me right, that means male???

 

[cichlidaholic]

LFS told you wrong...I've had great looking females with black pelvic and anal fins!

The only way to accurately sex Yellow labs is to wait for them to mature considerably and vent them. Or wait to see them spawn! :lol:

Kim

 

[Shill]

Good info. Thanks for setting me straight. I looked at that article on venting and the males & females look so similar that unless I had a male in one hand and a female in the other to compare, I wouldn't have a clue! I'll just have to wait and see who does what.

I got another shot at that grayish looking lab. Not sure if it will matter or not. But he's really the only one I visually suspect at this time.

Sir Suspect is the one on the right.

ha ha... every time I look at his mouth it makes me laugh. Almost looks like I drew it in. But it's his real mouth.

 

[cichlidaholic]

He does seem to be a bit dark...But yellow labs show dark markings sometimes, so I wouldn't be overly alarmed just yet. These guys are still stressed from the move...See how their fins are clamped? That and the barring is a good indicator that they haven't settled in just yet. But they will...Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks!

As far as venting goes, I'm horrible at it. The longer I look, the more confused I become. So don't feel so all alone!

Kim

 

[CichInTheMind]

In my experience females will stay smaller as the males tend to have a growth spurt between 2"-3" Another way I sex mbuna when theyre small is when you feed them the females will stuff their bucchal cavities and you can see the difference in males/females. Keep in mind that is NO GUARANTEE but I find it pretty effective for me.

 

[Lampy]

Not that it is 100% fool proof, but with yellow labs, the FEMALE is the one that sports the black in the pelvic fins, much like apistos.

 

[cichlidaholic]

Not that it is 100% fool proof, but with yellow labs, the FEMALE is the one that sports the black in the pelvic fins, much like apistos.

Not a good way to tell, either. Both males and females can have black in their pelvic fins.

Kim

 

[Ispintechno]

Yeah my male and female have black fins while the second adult female doesn't. Colouration doesn't mean a whole lot for these guys/gals or egg spots.