[Funagi_Wasabi]

I am in the process of clearing up a 29 gallon tank that I have just gotten bored with. I LOVE cichlids and so far have a mbuna tank and a pair of salvinis in another. I would love to have some other cichlids in my 29 gallon and would like to see some parenting behavior and produce some occasional (key word) fry. I like convicts and have easy access to get them, but I don't want to be overrun or overwhelmed with the fry that a breeding pair might produce. My fear is that I am going to have them breeding all the time and not be able to sell or give the fry away fast enough. Are there other options? My local guy has some firemouths and could probably order whatever fish I was after. If I am wrong on the convicts and they don't breed like rabbits then I might consider it.

Thanks for the help!

 

[hollyfish2000]

I love my rainbow cichlids and they'd do fine in a 29 (especially if it's planted). Mine breed regularly and are very good guardians, although generally no fry grows to maturity unless I intervene. (In neither tank are they the only inhabitant, though.)

 

[Funagi_Wasabi]

Could you elaborate on your setup? I was under the impression that a breeding pair of cichlids would be intolerant of any other fish in the tank and would probably kill them, am I wrong on this or are the rainbows, or this case, an exception? What other fish do you have with your jewels?

Thanks for the help

 

[Chubbs the Jellybean]

Why not just keep convicts in the 29 and remove the fry after 2 weeks and feed the fry to the mbuna?

Disease-free live food is a nice treat once a month (esp. since it's only fry, and not goldfish)

 

[Funagi_Wasabi]

I agree that they would be a disease free live food, however my mbuna are herbivores and even though I doubt the frequency of live feedings would be enough, I would rather not risk any cases of malawi bloat.

If I decided I did not want to get into the whole breeding thing, could I house a female convict with say, a female firemouth or some other medium cichlid? If so, could I house other small dither/community fish with them as well?

 

[hollyfish2000]

I have rainbow cichlids in a 40 gallon breeder and a 58 gallon. (both are 36" long.) In both tanks, they are joined by tetras, cories and BN plecos. They defend a relatively small area when they have eggs, wrigglers or fry and they have never hurt any of their tankmates. However, the tank mates must eat the fry (I'd guess at night) as the swarms are smaller and smaller each morning. Eventually the parents seem to lose interest or abandon them and start courting again.

 

[ClearMud]

well if you want cichlids you could try south American Ram cichlids would work. they would like a planted tank too and if you want central than go with rainbows.