Why??

[SharkBait1992]

In my 55 gal cichlid tank we i have 3 yellow cichlids (not sure what they are) i got them all at the same time and when i did they were all the same size and shade of yellow. now one is twice the size of the other two and this big one is an extremely vibrant yellow, one of the smaller ones is super dull, and the other small one whose is a little bigger than the dull one is about the same color as the biggest one anyone know whats going on? i think they might just be different genders. here are some pics

Big vibrant one
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Small vibrant one
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Small dull one
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[Little Embers]

The bigger cichlid is probably the dominant one and may be getting more food than the others. Males are usually brighter in colour. Stress can make fish look dull…is he/she getting picked on at all? May be ill. Feeding a varied diet and proper nutrition will help bring out and maintain their natural vibrant colouring.

[SharkBait1992]

nope not getting picked on, i feed them cichlid flake food and blood worms

[Little Embers]

How long have you had them and are they the only fish in the tank?
The males usually have a much more pointed dorsal fin.

It does sound like stress from something if it was bright yellow when you got it. It might possibly have internal parasites. How is the water quality etc,?

I would also feed cichlid pellets, spirulina and shrimp, as well as the flakes.

[SharkBait1992]

lets see we have 6 chiclids in that tank had them for about a year havent checked the water quality in a few weeks i should probably do that

[kaybee]

In many cases the dominant fish in a species group will grow significantly faster than the others. It's extra vibrant because it is dominant.

However there are a several factors as to why the other isn't as colorfu (genetics, quality of their lineage, response to dominant fish, etc).

Mbuna's use coloration as a form of visual communication. It's possible that the smaller peers of the larger fish are reacting to it as a self-defense mechanism. This will typically occur among males.

Males in full breeding colors will regard other males in full breeding colors as threats. Sub-ordinate males can shift to less competitive coloration to avoid confrontation (until they are equivalent in size and aren't as intimidated to the larger males). Having a larger group of them will typically minimize this from happening because their pecking order will be comprised of more than just three of the species and provide them with more opportunity to display full coloration competively.

The fish they're reacting to doesn't necessarily have to harass or pick on them. Just being in visual proximity can cause this.

As far as what they are, superficially they resemble yellow labs but are lacking distinct black fin markings.

[Little Embers]

:goodpost:

[SharkBait1992]

thanks for the help guys