yellow lab

">>Such a helpful post from Cray. And even top-posted to break my
>>newsreader. "

This I don't quite understand, but anyway.

Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric Yellow) likes hard alkaline water around
76-82 degrees with a ph of at least 8 but preferably 8.2. It is really not a
good idea to play around with a fish's PH. Most people don't understand how
PH scale works. The pH scale runs from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline), with
neutral pH 7 in the middle. The pH scale is logarithmic, which means, for
example, that pH 5 is ten times more acidic than pH 6. So by taking a fish
that likes 8.2 & placing it in a tank with a Ph of 7 or 7.5 you are
basically placing it in water that is 10X more acidic than they are supposed
to be in. How would you like that. Also in the wild they live between 6 to
120 feet where they feed on mostly insects & snails. So feeding them a
traditional tropical fish diet is not great.

I did not mean to sound crass before but I think people should provide the
proper environment for their fish if they are going to keep them.

Craig
________________________________
www.CanadianCray.tk
www.Bluecrayfish.com
"Larry" <klkm.RemoveThis@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:0ao4v01n70ak70js6i8qpqcdbrrjfnmqck@4ax.com...
> Hi Elaine,
>
>>Such a helpful post from Cray. And even top-posted to break my
>>newsreader.
>
> Love your style ;-}
>
> <snip>
>>Cichlids don't generally need a "buddy" though. They are quite happy as
>>the king or queen of their own tiny little world. And you don't have to
>>worry about a lone lab pairing up and breeding.
>
>
> I was going to ask Craig where I made mistake but decided to check out
> the specs on the fish. Most seemed compatible with my soft water- ph
> about 7.5-8. Specs said all my fish would eat almost anything so I
> just left it at that. You are right about the lab and soft water.
> Hope he/she adjusts.
>
> Maybe I can ask you or others about food selection. Right now I mixed
> some veggie flakes, tetra mix type flakes and a pinch of dried blood
> worms for each small meal. Any other suggestions?
>
> Thanks Elaine and others who might help me on the food thing.
>
> All the best,
>
> Larry
> Ontario
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab 

> >
>pH 7.5 to 8 doesn't sound so soft to me. Do you get any residue in your
>shower or on drinking glasses? You might ask your LFS if they've tested
>the local tap water and whether it's soft or hard.
>
>I'm not sure you should be feeding the algae flakes, but I'm curious to
>hear what others think. You didn't mention any algae eating fish in
>your first post. I'm sure your fish relish the dried bloodworms and
>they're great for insectivores like your yellow lab.

<snip>

Thanks Elaine,

Played chemist (my wife thought maybe vacuuming the house would have
been a better use of my time), and here are my specs.

ph 8.0
GH <1
KH 11

I have soft water because of the water softener attachment if that
explains anything. I have no algae eaters yet. Two corys though.
LFS sold me the veggie flakes (not sure why). I'll discontinue them.
Fish seem to prefer the coloured ones anyway ;-}

All the best,

Larry
Ontario
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab 

If it's HBH 8 veggie flake then it's a perfectly fine food for them, mine
thrive on it intersperces with outher foods of course. I'd be more cautious
about the bloodworm though I guess an insectivore might be less susceptible
to the problems other rift lake cichlids can have with them.
My water is also soft(ish) but with a high pH, as is lake Malawi, where the
labs come from originally, so long as there's enough kH to keep things
stable then I think you should be OK, some salt added and some marble or
coral crush substrate would make it a bit harder which wouldn't hurt from
where your water is right now.
My real concern is the 26 gallon part, I know there' anecdotal evidence that
labs are ok in smaller tanks but mine were pretty agressive even in thier
55G and didn't settle (read stop killing each other) till they got into the
7 x 2 x2. However I did have a dispopoortionate amount of male fish which
would definately make them meaner.
I still fear that even being the only of it's kind once it gets bigger other
fish might find thier buttocks being handed to them.
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab 

My yellows showed no signs of bloat when pseudotropheus species were
dropping all around them, I keep mine with haps now and the diet has them
spawning constantly.
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab 

OT

why does top posting matter?

I hate having to scroll down to find the reply to the post i just read . . .

top posting lets me read in sequence . . .

I've always wondered why people make such a big deal about it.
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab 

Question on chemistry . . .


if pH 7 is neutral (neither acidic or alkaline)

and pH 8 is 10x more alkaline

10 X 0(neutral) = 0


back to reality (just saying 10X is not really our experience of the log
scale of pH)

a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 hardly affects the biology
my experience is that a consistent pH is far mor important (for fresh water)
than being "right on the number"





"CanadianCray" <amgclk55.TakeThisOut@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:7evId.67973$W33.2083520@news20.bellglobal.com...
> ">>Such a helpful post from Cray. And even top-posted to break my
> >>newsreader. "
>
> This I don't quite understand, but anyway.
>
> Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric Yellow) likes hard alkaline water around
> 76-82 degrees with a ph of at least 8 but preferably 8.2. It is really not
a
> good idea to play around with a fish's PH. Most people don't understand
how
> PH scale works. The pH scale runs from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline), with
> neutral pH 7 in the middle. The pH scale is logarithmic, which means, for
> example, that pH 5 is ten times more acidic than pH 6. So by taking a fish
> that likes 8.2 & placing it in a tank with a Ph of 7 or 7.5 you are
> basically placing it in water that is 10X more acidic than they are
supposed
> to be in. How would you like that. Also in the wild they live between 6 to
> 120 feet where they feed on mostly insects & snails. So feeding them a
> traditional tropical fish diet is not great.
>
> I did not mean to sound crass before but I think people should provide the
> proper environment for their fish if they are going to keep them.
>
> Craig
> ________________________________
> www.CanadianCray.tk
> www.Bluecrayfish.com
> "Larry" <klkm.TakeThisOut@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
> news:0ao4v01n70ak70js6i8qpqcdbrrjfnmqck@4ax.com...
> > Hi Elaine,
> >
> >>Such a helpful post from Cray. And even top-posted to break my
> >>newsreader.
> >
> > Love your style ;-}
> >
> > <snip>
> >>Cichlids don't generally need a "buddy" though. They are quite happy as
> >>the king or queen of their own tiny little world. And you don't have to
> >>worry about a lone lab pairing up and breeding.
> >
> >
> > I was going to ask Craig where I made mistake but decided to check out
> > the specs on the fish. Most seemed compatible with my soft water- ph
> > about 7.5-8. Specs said all my fish would eat almost anything so I
> > just left it at that. You are right about the lab and soft water.
> > Hope he/she adjusts.
> >
> > Maybe I can ask you or others about food selection. Right now I mixed
> > some veggie flakes, tetra mix type flakes and a pinch of dried blood
> > worms for each small meal. Any other suggestions?
> >
> > Thanks Elaine and others who might help me on the food thing.
> >
> > All the best,
> >
> > Larry
> > Ontario
> >
> >
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab 

a comment on live food

I raise snails in all my tanks.
Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) are the best for not messing with my live
plants.

RamsHorn are best in an unplanted tank (or a tank wiuth javamoss which grows
faster than anything can eat it)

I daily crush a few snails against the glass as a "live food" treat for my
fish.

Because it is raised in the tank it is gauranteed to have no foreign
parasites or diseases.

Clown loaches seem to eventually get all snails but MTS

weather loaches let a few RamsHorn live, but not overpopulate the tank.







"Phil" <meh.RemoveThis@netspace.net.au> wrote in message
news:ctikoc$29co$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
> If it's HBH 8 veggie flake then it's a perfectly fine food for them, mine
> thrive on it intersperces with outher foods of course. I'd be more
cautious
> about the bloodworm though I guess an insectivore might be less
susceptible
> to the problems other rift lake cichlids can have with them.
> My water is also soft(ish) but with a high pH, as is lake Malawi, where
the
> labs come from originally, so long as there's enough kH to keep things
> stable then I think you should be OK, some salt added and some marble or
> coral crush substrate would make it a bit harder which wouldn't hurt from
> where your water is right now.
> My real concern is the 26 gallon part, I know there' anecdotal evidence
that
> labs are ok in smaller tanks but mine were pretty agressive even in thier
> 55G and didn't settle (read stop killing each other) till they got into
the
> 7 x 2 x2. However I did have a dispopoortionate amount of male fish which
> would definately make them meaner.
> I still fear that even being the only of it's kind once it gets bigger
other
> fish might find thier buttocks being handed to them.
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab 

Gordon James wrote:

<friendly_mudflinging>

> why does top posting matter?
See below ;)


> I hate having to scroll down to find the reply to the post i just read . . .
I hate having to scroll down, reading everything in my path just to know
what people are responding to

> top posting lets me read in sequence . . .
not top posting lets you (and everyone else) know -exactly- what you're
commenting on, without having to cross reference to 10'ish odd posts below.
</friendly_mudflinging>


> I've always wondered why people make such a big deal about it.
hope this explained it - atleast in part.

/Tommi
 >> Stay informed about: yellow lab