Cichlids · Labidochromis
Yellow lab
Labidochromis caeruleus · Lake Malawi: NW coast; electric-yellow form only between Charo and Lion's Cove, Malawi
Photo: Jmatz at English Wikipedia ( Original text: Julian Matz ( talk ) ), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
Water temperature
24–28 °C 75–82 °F
pH
7.7–8.6 hard, alkaline water
Adult size
10 cm 3.9 in
Swims ≈
Mid-water mostly in open water
Keep together
4 or more a shoal feels safe
Current ≈
Gentle a steady gentle flow
Food
Eats most foods
Temperament ≈
Semi-aggressive
Where it comes from
Home water
Lake Malawi: NW coast; electric-yellow form only between Charo and Lion's Cove, Malawi
Lives in lake habitat.
Shaded: the countries it comes from. Map: Natural Earth.
Tank mates
Checked against a roomy 300 L planted tank with moderate flow and plenty of caves. Your own tank may change the answer: try it in Your tanks.
Good together
-
Candy stripe L015
Plecos · 10 cm · bottom -
Zebra L046
Plecos · 8 cm · bottom -
Amano shrimp
Shrimp & snails · 5 cm · bottom -
Boeseman's rainbowfish
Rainbowfish · 10 cm · mid-water -
Bolivian ram
Cichlids · 8 cm · bottom -
Bronze corydoras
Corydoras · 7 cm · bottom -
Cardinal tetra
Tetras · 4 cm · mid-water -
Celestial pearl danio
Rasboras & danios · 2.5 cm · mid-water
Keep apart
-
Need a different pH and small enough to be eaten
-
Small enough to be eaten
-
Aggressive and will eat the yellow lab
In the hobby
Where to find it
No store or breeder we know of has it right now.
Run a store? List the fish you usually have. Breed fish? List your fry.
Tanks with this fish
No shared tanks have this fish yet. Share yours from Your tanks.
From keepers
Notes appear here when a keeper shares a tank with this fish and writes about it.
Questions keepers ask
How big does a Yellow lab get?
About 10 cm (3.9 in) as an adult.
What temperature does a Yellow lab need?
24–28 °C (75–82 °F).
What pH does a Yellow lab need?
pH 7.7–8.6.
Does a Yellow lab need to be kept in a group?
Yes. Keep at least 4.
Is the Yellow lab aggressive?
It can be. It is semi-aggressive, so choose tank mates carefully.
What does a Yellow lab eat?
It eats most foods: flakes, small pellets and frozen foods.
Where does the Yellow lab come from?
Lake Malawi: NW coast; electric-yellow form only between Charo and Lion's Cove, Malawi.
What fish can live with a Yellow lab?
Good tank mates include Candy stripe (L015), Zebra (L046), Amano shrimp, Boeseman's rainbowfish, Bolivian ram.
All the numbers
| Temperature min (°C) | 24 | Sourced |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature max (°C) | 28 | Sourced |
| pH min | 7.7 | Sourced |
| pH max | 8.6 | Sourced |
| Adult size (cm) | 10 | Sourced |
| Flow | Moderate | Estimate |
| Swim level (top / middle / bottom) | middle | Estimate |
| Habitat | lake | Sourced |
| Smallest happy group | 4 | Sourced |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Estimate |
| Diet | Omnivore | Sourced |
| Behaviour tags | eats_small_fish,hard_water | Estimate |
Some values are estimates from typical hobby ranges and haven't been checked against a source yet.