Golfnut Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 I didn't realize there 3 different yellow labs out there... http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=713 http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1665 http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1669 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsmith Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 I seem to remember reading before that Lion's Cove II aren't really exported, rather, the ones we see with white bottoms are just lower quality due to inbreeding. Let's wait and see if I remember correctly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 According to the book "Malawi cichlids in their natural habitat 3rd edition" there are many more then 3 locations/varieties of L.caeruleus. But i believe only the solid yellow lions cove have been exported Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevchewy Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 (edited) There are more than 3! http://www.malawi.cichlids.ru/articles/art051.shtml check that link out! some of those would be really cool if they could be found locally. nev Edited February 9, 2006 by nevchewy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 The Nkhata Bay variants are seen around occasionally, though I nothing locally (just very poorly coloured yellows passed off as white). I had the white ones from Undo Point years ago, and am in the process of getting some back again (they were really a favourite). And there was also a new location of solid white ones (no black) discovered while I was there on the West coast, I even had a tank full of them (and wish I'd have brought some back). As far as there being '3 different yellow labs', unless you're getting wild caught fish, it really doesn't mean boo. I can just see all the people over on C-F 'well I think I have Lion's cove I b/c of their white bellies' (nothing to do with the fact that they're just crappy line-bred fish). Nothing like encouraging the breeding of sub-standard fish (with newbies) just b/c C-F figures there are different variants out there. Maybe we'll all get lucky and they'll 'suddenly' find a location with solid yellow labs, so all those with hybrids will now have 'pure' fish that are ok to breed with others. Yes, I'm a cynic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 Just to stir the pot ...... IMO the initial two Labidochromis caeruleus "Electric Yellow" collected by Eric Fleet did not come from Mbowe Island as Ad Konings has previously suggested, but in fact came from Lion's Cove, with one of the fish carrying a recessive allele for the half white/half yellow variant. Once their offspring were repeatedly inbred, the result was the odd "Electric Yellow" lab showing up as the half white/half yellow variant found in Lion's Cove. (if you have two fish with a recessive allele there is a greater chance that the progeny will show that recessive trait) These two variants are also found in very close proximity (in Lion's Cove), so the odds of the two variants cross breeding in the wild is certainly possible. These half white/half yellow labs can be found in LFS's world wide (and have been for many years), so in my opinion it's the only plausible explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lax_champ Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 some of those are super nice wouldn't mind findin a few of those Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 I ran my theory by Ad Konings about how/why many of the tank strains of yellow labs in the hobby have so much white on them, and his response is below. Having never seen any of Brichard's original yellow labs, Ad's theory makes more sense. My F1 male does indeed have white on the bottom portion of his lower jaw, and under the right lighting you can see a definite change to a lighter shade of color from the top half of the fish, to the bottom. I guess the labs in the hobby showing white bellies are nothing more than genetic throwbacks caused from numerous inbreeding. Hi Neil,it maybe a possible theory but I still think that the original Brichard caeruleus came from Mbowe Island. The very first shipment Brichard made from Burundi with this species showed an all-yellow variant, not even a little white streaks on the lower jaws (visible on those of Lion's Cove). Secondly, in the early days it became quickly apparent that islands had new species and the chance that Mbowe Island was fished for the ornamental fish trade before Lion's Cove is much more likely. Not long after the yellow lab was introduced via Brichard, Laif DeMason discovered and brought back some yellow forms from Lion's Cove and some white forms from Nkhata Bay into the hobby and those may be the ones that showed the sometimes white ventral part on the body. Almost all the ones that Stuart Grant brought into the hobby came from Lion's Cove. Enjoy your cichlids, Ad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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