Labidochromis Caeralus are a somewhat hard fish to figure out for me at least. I have read that they are a good fish for a beginner, and I still consider myself a beginner. However, over my cichlid keeping experience, I have lost 4 Yellow Labs, as they are commonly called. My first set was not too aggressive, but they were both killed by a Maylandia Lombardoi (which I no longer have due to a freak accident with a heater.....long story) 2 more were later killed by the male Caeralus. They did mate once and one fry survived, so he is growing up in a small 5 gal tank, along with a smaller fry I purchased from a LFS.
This particular strain of Caeralus I have are referred to as Lemon Yellows, because of thier lack of black striping Most Yellow Labs will have a black stripe on teh top of thier dorsal fin, and black on thier pectoral fins. Mine are pure bright yellow and beautiful.
Males and Females look very similar when young. However, as they grow, the male gets to be a brighter yellow, and slightly larger then the female. The females I had almost had a "peach" type color as opposed to the lemon color of the male.
Ratios should be kept at about 1:5 male:female, and at least 6. I'm having a hard time keeping up that number, since I only want the Lemon Yellows.
John Carr's African Aquarium
