yellow lab/socolofi behavior? do i have breeding pair of labs?

[AquariumNoob13]

it appears to me that my dominant yellow lab and dominant socolofi are having competitions with each other. although the socolofi is almost 2 times the lab's size, it appears to be evenly matched. (when i say competitions, i mean when its feeding time they will shove each other out of the way to get food first.) is this behavior okay? or will the socolofi hurt the lab? also, i have 3 labs, one of them has lots of black on itself (so i figure this is the dominant male), one has partial black on its top and lower fins, and one has not black at all other than its eyes. is it likely that i have a male and 2 females? from what i have observed from the dominant lab's behavior, it gets along very well with the lab with no black on its fins. possibly a breeding pair?

[kay-bee]

Typically (though not always) socolofi outclass yellow labs in aggression. However, most cichilds (in regardless of species) will try to hog all the food. Most will not try to harm others during feeding time, though anything is possible. Most likely, as your socolofi matures, it will establish a territory and defend it and will drive out the yellow lab if it enters it's zone (and harm it if it doesn't retreat), but that's a totally different (yet potential) scenario.

In regards to the yellow labs, it's hard to determine gender by your description as well as actual observation with this species. The one with the boldest black fin markings and dominant demeanor is likely a male, but the others can be either or.

I had a batch of about a dozen yellow labs I was growing out, and the most dominant one had the boldest black fin markings and was at least half again as large as the second largest lab (and they were all the same age, being siblings from the same brood). All of the others either had very faint fin markings. I sold the male and several of the others and within a couple of weeks, some of the one's which had barely any fin markings, developed bold markings and had growth spurts and soon became identical to the first male to develop.

Females, immature males and some sub-dominant male yellow labs may be indistinguishable from each other (at least in appearance alone). You'll have to also take into account how they behave as well, and the more mature they are the easier it will become to determine gender.

An again, these fish don't pair up, like other mbuna species, they're polygamous breeders. If you happen to have 1 male and 2 females, the male will attempt to breed with both of them (rather than exclusively with one as a "breeding pair" would indicate).

[AquariumNoob13]

alright. so there is a chance that i have a m/f? the socolofi does attack the lab whenever it enters it's territory, but the lab swims away really quickly. also, my fish have this sparkly stuff on their gills. is this normal? or should i add a product to the tank?

[kay-bee]

There's a chance you have a m/f among the trio.

Can you take a photo of this "sparkly stuff on their gills"? I wouldn't recommend adding anything until the ailment (if it is indeed that) is clearly identified. Might just be the sheen of small scales, though, that's my guess.

[tarheels910]

alright. so there is a chance that i have a m/f? the socolofi does attack the lab whenever it enters it's territory, but the lab swims away really quickly. also, my fish have this sparkly stuff on their gills. is this normal? or should i add a product to the tank?

My labs have sparkles on their gills. It is normal.

From what Ive seen (pictures) your labs are still a little young and immature to breed. The male might be ready, but the female still has some growing to do.

Good luck with the breeding. Keep us updated.

[AquariumNoob13]

ok. i'm less worried about it now, but i will get some pics up soon as i can.