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Picture 1 Common Name: Electric Yellow Cichlid. The Beautiful Electric Yellow Cichld Is such a bonus to any Cichlid aquarium Other Name: Yellow Lab., Lemon Drop, Yellow Labidochromis, Pearl Labidochromis, Scientific Name: Labidochromis caeruleus. Family: Cichlidae. Class: African. Distribution: The northwest coast of Lake Malawi. Size: Approx 3 inches. Diet: In captivity, they will take a wide range of commercially prepared foods. Dietary carotene is necessary in order to keep the electric yellow color of the most famous morph. Water Temperature: 75-79 degrees Fahrenheit (24-26 degrees Celsius). Water Chemistry: Hard water, dH of 10-11, pH: 7.5-9.0. Lifespan: 10 years. Description: The standard electric yellow variant is a small, rock-dwelling Malawian cichlid. It is, as the name states, a bright yellow. Its dorsal fin is 1/3 covered with a horizontal black stripe that ends just below the tip. The same goes for the anal fin (which also fades to white at the very tip of the fin). There also exist the Malawian egg spots on said fin. The leading edge of the pectoral fin is white and that half of the fin is black and fades into the yellow just as the fin meets the body. There are also morphs where the yellow is completely replaced by a baby blue. Behaviour: There are mbuna and there are mbuna, which come complete with the anger and territoriality expected of cichlids. Fortunately, these belong to the former group. Thus, they are among the most popular Malawian cichlids. They won't try to hold territory as much as the others, so they will do well in a tank full of conspecifics. They are so gentle that mouth brooding females won't be harassed by conspecific tank mates! Sexing: Other than an anecdotal increase in the level of black in the lower fins of the males, some say that size (larger for males) and more severe forehead contours for males are indicators. These remain hard to sex, though. Breeding: These fish mouth brood but, unlike most other mouth brooding Malawians, the brooding females rarely feel threatened by conspecifics and can thus stay in the display tank. Fry from the electric yellow morph, once spit by the female, should be fed baby brine shrimp for the first month or two. (This helps give the carotene necessary to keeping that yellow coloration.) Natural Conditions: Since they are Malawian cichlids, Electric Blues are lacustrine fish that live in waters of high pH and hardness. They live between 10 and 40 meters deep. Thus, they are virtually uninfluenced by both water pressure and photosensitivity and will do well in a standard Malawi tank. Minimum recommended tank size: 25 gallons. Picture 2/3 The Male/Female Melanochromis Auratus Common Name: Auratus. Scientific Name: Melanochromis Auratus. Family: Cichlidae. Class: African. Location: Southwestern Lake Malawi. Size: Up to 5 Inches but can be smaller. Water Chemistry: Hard Water of 10-11 and a ph of 7.5-8.5 Water Temperature: 22-28 C; 72-8 F. LifeSpan: 10 Years. Discription: The Auratus has a general elongated appearance. The profile of the dorsal area is more curved in than the belly area. The anal and dorsal fins end in a round shape. They do not reach the tail area. The caudal fin is somewhat triangular in shape with a concave end. Females are smaller than males. Coloration: The Auratus have two distinct coloration patterns differentiating the sexes. The females body is a golden yellow. She has a series of three Black to Blue stripes running lengthwise down the body. These are fringed by White strips. The bands are separated with the Golden color of the body. The fins are also yellow in color. The upper part of the tail fin and the dorsal fin have black markings on them, with the tips being highlighted in Red. The male is completely different in color. His body is Black to Blue in color. He has a Yellow stripe edged in white running the length of his body. The males fins are very dark fringed in White. The top of his body is a mustard color which is followed up through the dorsal fin. The upper part of his tail fin has pale yellow spot. Looking at these fish you would not think that they are the same species. Another interesting aspect of the auratus is its ability to change sexes, in an environment devoid of males a female will switch sexes and become male. It has also been stated that the same is true of the males. Maintenance: Melanochromis auratus is an aggressive fish and intolerant of others in its territory. The set up should be a typical Lake Malawi biotope. Provide plenty of rockwork and caves with hard alkaline water with a pH of at least 7.5. The bottom substrate should be of a material that will aid in the pH buffering capabilities of the water. Good substrate choices could be Dolomite or crushed coral to aid in buffering the water. Tankmates should be from the same area and be able to fend off their attentions. Feeding is not difficult as they will accept all types of flake frozen or live. In their home territory they would graze of the algae covered rocks called Aufwuchs, so it is very important to supplement with food containing spirulina and this should be given regularly. Natural Habitat: Lives up to depths of 15-20 Mtrs with a rubble and rocky area of lake Malawi. Minimum Recommended Tank Size: 25 Gallons. |
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| Guarding Duties with a difference. The Above Two Pictures are showing the male and female Auratus on guard in two different parts of the tank One from below and the other from the top, but both protecting the same brood and very successful at it as well. This is somewhat strange as it is normally the female that does this all on her own, i have found this to be the case as the female Venustus is in the Vacinity and is very much bigger than the female Auratus. Although the Female Venustus/ Girafe Cichlid is fairly non agressive she does pose a threat when it comes to breading, as with all females they want to be the top dog and be over protective when breading. |
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