Electric yellow cichlid
The mildest of the commonly kept Mbuna and the usual introduction to Malawi cichlids. Requires hard, alkaline water and the counter-intuitive management approach of the group: crowd them, so that aggression is spread rather than focused.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Labidochromis caeruleus
- Adult size
- 10–13 cm (3.9–5.1 in)
- Lifespan
- 6–10 years
- Temperature
- 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- pH
- 7.6–8.6
- Hardness
- 10–25 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 250 L (66 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 120 cm
- Swimming zone
- All levels
- Social
- Harem — at least 4
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Overall confidence
- high confidence
What keeping this species involves
Hardy and long-lived in hard alkaline water, but the stocking and aggression management are unlike anything else in freshwater keeping.
Rocky shoreline of a large, hard, alkaline, extremely stable rift lake.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Electric yellow cichlid
- Scientific name
- Labidochromis caeruleus
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- yellow lab, labidochromis yellow
Adult size and growth
10–13 cm (3.9–5.1 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 6–10 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Water and tank requirements
Rift-lake cichlids are stocked densely to diffuse aggression, and dense stocking of 12 cm fish needs both volume and filtration to match.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 23–28 °C (73–82 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 7.6–8.6 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 10–25 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Carbonate hardness | 8–20 °dKH | Buffering capacity — what stops the pH moving. |
| Minimum volume | 250 L (66 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 120 cm long | Rift-lake cichlids are stocked densely to diffuse aggression, and dense stocking of 12 cm fish needs both volume and filtration to match. |
| Water flow | moderate | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Substantial rock structure with many caves, built up from the tank base. |
Behaviour
- Grazes constantly on rock surfaces.
- Will hybridise with other yellow Malawi species; mixed tanks produce fish that cannot be identified.
Telling males from females
Males develop black fin markings and are usually larger; sexing juveniles is unreliable.
Feeding
Mbuna are adapted to grazing algae-based aufwuchs. Persistent high-protein feeding is linked to the digestive condition commonly called 'Malawi bloat'.
- Diet type
- Omnivore
- Staples
- Cichlid pellets with a substantial vegetable component, Spirulina-based foods, Frozen mysis
- Avoid
- Bloodworm and other high-protein mammalian or insect-larva foods in quantity
Breeding
- Strategy
- Maternal mouthbrooder
- Difficulty
- incidental
- Parental care
- mouthbrooding
Females hold eggs and fry in the mouth for around three weeks and do not feed during that time.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | moderate | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | near-certain | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | near-certain | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | moderate | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | occasional | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | consumes | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Assessed pairings
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Cannot share a tank with soft-water South American fish. The chemistry requirements are incompatible.
- Eats or uproots almost all aquarium plants; hardscape-based aquascaping is the practical approach.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Lake Malawi, East Africa — endemic
- Habitat
- Rocky shoreline of a large, hard, alkaline, extremely stable rift lake.
What the checklists say
5 distribution statements retrieved from GBIF checklists. Establishment means is reproduced from the source where it states one, and left unstated where it does not — a record of presence is not a record of origin.
| Status | Places | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 3 | A checklist states the species arrived here with human help. That is not a statement that it is established, harmful or illegal. |
| Recorded as present, establishment means not stated | 2 | The source records the species as present and does not say whether it is native or introduced. AquariumHQ does not fill that in. |
No checklist AquariumHQ holds positively calls this species native anywhere, so the native range above rests on AquariumHQ’s own reading of the literature rather than on a cited checklist.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Labidochromis caeruleus | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Lake Malawi, East Africa — endemic | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 10–13 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 6–10 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 23–28 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 7.6–8.6 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 10–25 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 250 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 120 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| carbonate hardness | 8–20 °dKH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum group size | ≥ 4 | AquariumHQ editorial position | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against fishbase on 2026-08-11. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. 5 distribution statements held from GBIF checklists — introduced in 3 country. Establishment means is reproduced from the source, never inferred from occurrence.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeOne sourceBased on a verified authoritative source.1 citation, 1 independent origin
A single source: fishbase.
- 8.1 cm — FishBase · Maximum recorded · The range the species is recorded from · checked 2026-08-11
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. One authoritative source, which is what this kind of claim requires. Independent replication would be welcome and is not the standard.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureOne sourceAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.1 citation, 1 independent origin
A single source: fishbase.
- 23–26 °C — FishBase · Tolerated range · The range the species is recorded from · checked 2026-08-11
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. Derived from the observed range rather than copied from it. AquariumHQ advises 23–28 °C; FishBase records 23–26 °C. Lake Malawi is a very large, thermally stable body of water and its surface layers run warmer than 26 °C for much of the year. Two degrees above a collection record for a lake species is unremarkable, and the lower bound agrees.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
phChecked — this source does not publish itAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
A source was opened and checked for this, and does not publish it.
Checked and not published. Checked in the environment field. FishBase publishes no pH range for this species, despite it being a Lake Malawi endemic whose alkaline water requirement is among the best-established facts in the hobby.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Look elsewhere. This source has been exhausted for this claim.
general hardnessChecked — this source does not publish itAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
A source was opened and checked for this, and does not publish it.
Checked and not published. Checked in the environment field. FishBase publishes no dH range for this species. The hardness requirement is real and well documented elsewhere; it simply is not in this source, which is why an absence must be recorded rather than left blank.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Look elsewhere. This source has been exhausted for this claim.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
carbonate hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum group sizeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: group size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Group size and social behaviour
Managed by crowding: a larger group spreads male aggression so no individual is targeted. This is specific to rift-lake cichlids and is not general stocking advice.