breeding yellow labs

Having problems getting my yellow labs to breed, I have 9 total in a 55 males and females, have had them for 6+ mos now and have never seen any of the females holding. My lfs told me to increase the temp which I did still nothing. From what I've heard these are supposed to be one of the easiest cichlids to breed, any help would be appreciated.

I'm not too sure, but I've got two more you can have! Giving them away as they were some extras I had..... Just thought it might help increase your odds.   I think they are male and female but not sure, both around 3" . I actually think the ob peacocks are the easiest to breed, mine are always holding.... I live in spanaway.....pm me if you want to increase your odds (interested in two more)

I would try two things. I started to have breeding success by raising my ph and using API natural trace cichlid.

okay to start were going to need a lot more information to be able to properly help you, tank dimensions, ph lvl, decor/substrate, temperature, filtration systems, and a chemical rundown. without these base things i cant say for sure what may be going on with your tank. to start i would not alter the ph unless its absolutely necessary (say its 5.0 out of your tap) GL to ya and get back with more info so we can properly diagnose and help you. also pics help

sharkeye wrote:Having problems getting my yellow labs to breed, I have 9 total in a 55 males and females, have had them for 6+ mos now and have never seen any of the females holding. My lfs told me to increase the temp which I did still nothing. From what I've heard these are supposed to be one of the easiest cichlids to breed, any help would be appreciated.

the only thing I can suggest is try to mimic their environment in the wild, water quality, swimming room, aquascape, etc...

i learn over the years that i've been breeding african cichlids, strong water current, maintaining the water quality, and consistent water changes are the key if you want to breed african cichlids.

and also, the aggression level in the tank must be put in account, having the comfortable ratio for the breeding group needs to be considered. you need to have a big group or you will need another slightly peaceful tank mates, but off course your main breeding group needs to be the one that needs to dominate the tank if your going to do that...

good luck... ^_^

we're here if you need more information's...

I've always bred them in tapwater. What indicator are you using to tell males from females? Depending on the quality of the labs some like black on the fins etc don't always work. As I worked in a store that specialized in Africans for a long time. I start by making sure people aren't sexing fish by egg spots. This is not a good indicator of sex.

A large water change with cooler water replacing what I took out often times get mine to spawn. (I wouldn't do a large water change if you haven't been keeping up with regular water changes and have good parameters, etc.)

 
Cooler water changes help just about every fish spawn. And as Cory said, egg spots aren't reliable to tell the sex. Buying groups of fry, even if it's a large amount, won't always net you the sexes you want. It's best to buy in groups of 8, but it's still possible to get all males.

Keep them happy (hiding places, variety of food, proper aeration and water movement) and they will spawn. Dropping the water level for a few days then filling it back up with cooler water will help more than an instant water change. I mean, who wouldn't be happy with a few more inches to live in! lol

Anthraxx wrote:okay to start were going to need a lot more information to be able to properly help you, tank dimensions, ph lvl, decor/substrate, temperature, filtration systems, and a chemical rundown. without these base things i cant say for sure what may be going on with your tank. to start i would not alter the ph unless its absolutely necessary (say its 5.0 out of your tap) GL to ya and get back with more info so we can properly diagnose and help you. also pics help

My setup is a 55 gal not set up in a traditional cichlid fashion but plenty of bogwood and caves to hide in. ph is 7.0 temp 82(I was told raising the temp would help) other tankmates big common pleco and a royal pleco. Weekly water changes, rena Xp3 and 2 aquaclear 50's. some jungle val and hygrophila angustifolia.

Aquarium Co-Op wrote:I've always bred them in tapwater. What indicator are you using to tell males from females? Depending on the quality of the labs some like black on the fins etc don't always work. As I worked in a store that specialized in Africans for a long time. I start by making sure people aren't sexing fish by egg spots. This is not a good indicator of sex.

I know Cory, bought some of them from Jim, some have no black at all and they are close to 3 in so I assume they are females, Jim told me to try raising the temp so I have it at 82 now. From what I'm hearing on this site, they say adding cold water helps the process. I talked to geiller Aquatics, and he says he breeds all his fish at 72-74 degrees. I thought these guys would breed easily.

No black at all?  What about the dorsal? Male and female L. caeruleus should have black on the dorsal.

Betty wrote:No black at all?  What about the dorsal?  Male and female L. caeruleus should have black on the dorsal.

No black maybe it's rare?

They should definitely have black on their dorsal,and pelvic fins,and anal fins.
If your fish has no black,they are either not Yellow Labs,or they are Hybrids.
Either way in this case breeding should not be your 1st priority,but instead identifying your fish should be,

i agree with chi here on this one, no black = no bueno. if they lack black markings completely you should probably just start over with proper stock. especially if breeding them is a priority for you. you are in luck however as i have a ton of fry available that are already showing good amounts of black, ive gotten many comments on how nice these guys are (and im sure a few of the african keepers will chime in as well ) really dont want to burst your bubble here or anything but we african keepers are a tough, no-nonsense group of people. as for the bogwood i would dump it as it will only help to keep the ph lower, temperature i wouldnt go above 78 degrees. talked with many other african keepers over the years (many of whom have visited the lakes themselves) all report that the lake rarely sees above 72-76F.

for breeding purposes sometimes it just takes FOREVER. ive had groups of fish try breeding literally out of the fish bag.. and others take YEARS to figure it out. it is by no means a proven science but by given them stable conditions and regular water changes sooner or later they will get to it (given you have the correct ratios of M-F) if your serious about setting up an african tank id also suggest you rehome the plecos. sooner or later with africans they will get picked to death or bash themselves on the rocks (which u need tons of). i really do wish you the best of luck but please take all these tidbits to heart.. its hard to get africans right.. but once you do youll never go back

No black is most likely a hybrid. You find these a lot of so called labs in your common pet store. Yours are probably mixed with zebra's. Anyways I got a pair of Labs in my 55 with a mix of other Africans and they breed like crazy! Both show black baring male and female. But of course males black is more stunning.