Reply To: Labidochromis Caeruleus
your fish are super stressed right now, apply adequate salt if you havn’t already and go easey with full lights right away, on/off gonna freak them out being so bright.
the barring shows their stress or horrible bloodline, hopefully stress. The bar going through the eye is mostly stress and found, in my experience: the ones with bars ended being males, but the may not be ‘fact’.
any way give them a few days to settle in and they should color up. have you decided on any other tank mates? tri and stay way from yellow/orange fish and nothing to aggressive. labs are prob. the least agressive mbuna, so find something who wont bully and out grow them.
jus remember not get to excited and add a bunch fish right away. let the tank work up its bio-load with the labs, and so on with each group of fish you buy.
overstocking a lil bit wit mbuna is good and keeps territorial disputes low, jus always be ready to pull out a bully fish, as that is the only way to protect your investment.. you can call it.. at the end