Lemon yellow lab facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lemon yellow lab |
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| The naturally occurring yellow morph of L. caeruleus is popular with aquarium hobbyists. | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Genus: | Labidochromis |
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L. caeruleus
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| Binomial name | |
| Labidochromis caeruleus Fryer, 1956
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The Electric Yellow Cichlid (scientific name: Labidochromis caeruleus) is a bright and popular fish. It's a type of cichlid fish that lives only in one special place: Lake Malawi in East Africa. This means it is endemic to that lake, found nowhere else in the wild. You might also hear it called the lemon yellow lab, blue streak hap, or yellow prince. These names depend on the fish's color. The bright yellow version, found naturally near Lion's Cove, is a favorite among people who keep aquariums.
Electric Yellow Cichlids like water that is a bit alkaline, with a pH between 7.8 and 8.9. They prefer warm water, ideally between 23–26 °C (73.4–78.8 °F). Big male Electric Yellows can grow up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long.
Contents
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Like some other cichlids, the Electric Yellow Cichlid is a maternal mouthbrooder. This means the mother carries her eggs and young fish in her mouth. She keeps them safe in her mouth (called the buccal cavity) for about three weeks until they hatch and grow a bit.
These fish are also ovophiles, which means they lay their eggs on a surface. The male fish digs a small pit in the sand in his area. The female then lays her eggs in this pit. After she lays them, she quickly scoops the eggs into her mouth. The male then fertilizes the eggs while they are in her mouth.
Aquarium Care for Electric Yellow Cichlids
Electric Yellow Cichlids are known for being quite peaceful compared to many other African cichlids. However, like all cichlids from Lake Malawi, they do best in special cichlid aquariums. They should be kept with other fish from the Mbuna group.
It's not a good idea to keep Electric Yellows with common freshwater fish like Zebra Danios or Neon Tetras. This is because African Lake cichlids need different water conditions than most other fish. Also, they might nip the fins of very peaceful fish. They are much happier in an aquarium with other fish from Lake Malawi.
Setting Up Their Home
In an aquarium, you should try to make their home look like their natural habitat. This means adding lots of rocks and caves where they can hide and explore. The bottom of the tank should have sand.
What to Feed Them
Their main diet should be special cichlid pellets or flakes. You can also give them treats like krill, bloodworms, brineshrimp, and Spirulina flakes. It's important not to feed them feeder goldfish. Feeder goldfish can carry diseases that might harm your Electric Yellow Cichlids.
See also
- Mbuna
- List of freshwater aquarium fish species
