Lab with kribensis and yellow coloration

[rapidox8]

I've done my research on Malawis, know their water needs and all that. I've got a 450 litre Juwel tank with 4 large clown loaches, 10 full-grown tiger barbs, and a kribensis. The yellow lab is a beautiful fish, I've ordered 4 from my LFS and they'll arrive in a week. I've warned them, if there's any issues, they're going back. My PH is currently 7.8-8.0, which might be a bit high for them, but I've got a plan. I've got plenty of plants, caves, and coconut huts, and I'm mixing crushed coral into my gravel to keep the PH stable, as I've got some bogwood that might bring it down a bit. Has anyone kept labs in a non-cichlid tank with a kribensis?

[bould]

Honestly, I gotta say, your tank setup doesn't sound ideal for Malawis. I know loads of people keep them in community tanks, but it's not really fair on the fish, is it?

[legumea]

Honestly, I gotta say, your tank setup doesn't sound ideal for Malawis. I know loads of people keep them in community tanks, but it's not really fair on the fish, is it?

I'd appreciate it if you could elaborate on that. I'm not arguing with you, I just want to understand your point.

A friend of mine has a mixed Malawi and krib tank and apparently it's working out fine for them. Is it purely a setup issue, or is the pH and other water parameters the main concern?

[rapidox8]

My LFS guy swore it was doable, had a pair of kribs and labs in the same tank, no issues whatsoever. He did say the labs loved munching on his plants, lol. I asked about potential problems and he said unlikely, maybe one rogue lab but that's a 5% chance. He seemed pretty confident so I figured it was worth a shot.

[rivelo]

I'm sure you could make it work, I've seen some unusual fish combinations that surprisingly did fine. Different pH levels are required for both, but I've seen cichlids that prefer high pH thrive and breed in about 7.1pH. It's not your typical setup, like having cichlids from the same lake or discus with small schooling fish. I guess what I'm saying is, it's not like the usual cookie-cutter setups. But in terms of working or not, only time will really tell.