[natalie62]

hi

new to the cichlid tank and have been researching for weeks but still cant decide on how
stock, have 75 gallon tank ready to go but just want a mix of colorful fish and don't want
babies.From what I've read i could do an all male but most of the fish for sale are juvenile.
are there certain species i could mix that would not interbreed?

 

[Cook.MN]

If you don't want to have to deal with fry then just do nothing. It's only when you take the holding mother out and put the fry in a separate tank that you'll have additional fishies. If you just keep them in the tank it will take care of itself.

 

[hollyfish2000]

I offered some help with your question about stocking an all-male tank on your other thread. Yes, obviously an all-male tank is the way to go to get color and no babies. While many times the LFS have only juveniles in their tanks, often they also have mature fish as well. And even with the juvies, you can get a glimpse of color and with the help of a knowledgeable fish store person can pick out the ones most likely to be male. I have not had any trouble stocking an all male tank entirely from LFS.

I wasn't clear about your question about certain species that would not interbreed if you don't want babies.

 

[Dave]

If there are males and females, regardless of species, Malawis are going to breed.

One option is to buy juveniles and weed out the fish you do not want. You can often trade them back to the LFS or to other hobbyists. Another would be to buy sexed/mature fish.

While most fry do not survive in a tank where there is no intervention, this is no guarantee. There are plenty of people that end up with unwanted fry even when they add fish that are likely to predate on said fry (like large haps or Synos).