Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Electric Yellow Cichlid
Labidochromis caeruleus Fryer, 1956
Also called Yellow lab, Electric yellow, Lemon yellow lab, Blue streak hap, Yellow prince
From Lake Malawi, East Africa: the north-western shore. The bright yellow form is found naturally only in a short stretch between Charo and Lion's Cove.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Small, elongated mbuna cichlid
A neat, torpedo-shaped cichlid. The popular aquarium form is a vivid lemon yellow with dark markings in the fins. Males grow a little larger, colour up more strongly when spawning and show more black in the fins.13
Personality what they are like
Peaceful for an African rift-lake cichlid, though males become territorial when spawning. It fits well into a specialist Malawi tank rather than a mixed tropical community.13
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Active and constantly exploring rockwork; males dig pits in the sand when breeding.13
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Hard, alkaline water with regular water changes and plenty of stacked rocks to create caves.1
Home where they are happiest
Minimum base about 90 x 45 cm (around 150 litres) with rocky caves over sand. Temperature 23-28 °C, pH about 7.7-8.9, hardness 10-25 dGH.123
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Plant-leaning omnivore. Spirulina flakes, cichlid pellets and blanched greens, topped up with frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp, krill or bloodworm.13
Company who they like around
Best kept with one male to several females. Combines well with peaceful haps and other mild mbuna; avoid other Labidochromis species as they may interbreed.12
The story where it all began
Geoffrey Fryer described the species in 1956, and it first reached the hobby under the wrong name L. tanganyicae. The yellow form from the area around Lion's Cove went on to become one of the best-loved Lake Malawi cichlids in aquariums worldwide.31
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
The famous yellow colour form is uncommon in the wild; most wild fish of this species are whitish-blue.1
- 2
Females carry the eggs and then the young in their mouth for about three weeks.3
- 3
It was first imported under the mistaken name Labidochromis tanganyicae.1
- 4
A brood is small for a cichlid, usually around 5 to 30 eggs.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 22 June 2018)2
- Taxonomy
- Described by Fryer in 1956; a mbuna cichlid of family Cichlidae3
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Electric Yellow Cichlid. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish: Labidochromis caeruleus seriouslyfish.comused for range, size, care, water, diet, behaviour, colour, breeding, history
- FishBase: Labidochromis caeruleus fishbase.seused for distribution, max length, temperature, IUCN, stocking
- Wikipedia: Labidochromis caeruleus en.wikipedia.orgused for names, describer, size, pH, temperature, breeding, diet
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.