For my operation the two factors would be what type and size fish are in the main tank as that will help to tell how large the grow out fish have to be to go into the main tank. To do this the new fish will have to be large enough that they are not viewed as something to eat or they have to be good at hiding. I find I can put yellow labs in a tank at a smaller size than some of the haps. The labs come trained to hid in the rocks and survive at a smaller size. The haps I've tried (hap ahli) do not know about hiding and are eaten almost immediately. They go up to the top and are dead in minutes.

The second factor is how many fish you want to grow out. You can grow out many, many small fish like labs to an inch long in a ten gallon if they will then be able to go in the main tank. If your main tank requires fish to be three inches long to survive, a ten gallon may only support one fish to that size. For my Africans, I find a ten gallon grow out works fine. If they are of a type that needs more grow out size, I just thin them as they grow. I find adding new fish to existing tanks to be far less trouble than I often read about.

If they are not breeding competition and not eating size my fish ignore them.

 

I don't really know what I would go for but I tend to stick to the medium to small sized cichlids.

I like the idea of growing a cichlid from fry it seems pretty interesting to see the development from the very start. I want to see it 3 years down the line as an adult and say I saw that grow.

Every cichlid I have bought were around half an inch to 2 maybe 3 inch when I bought them.

I am not fussed at all with what to grow out - I do have a breeding pair of JD's that are looking like breeding again in a week or two and I will have some free swimming fry so lets focus on JD fry for now?

 

I'm not too much up on JD as they are a bit too large and tend to be a bully. Maybe named after a fighter should tell me that? I like calmer fish. I also find it much easier to raise the African mouthbrooders as well. They do all the work and when the fry come out they are pretty well prepared for things. For JD growout, I would think a twenty gallon would be my choice. A group could be held there and as they get larger you can sort them for which you might like to keep. The trouble with many of the large fish is that as you raise them they reach a really awkward state where they are not quite ready to look really good to sell but they also are beginning to take up quite a large space in the tanks. I'm really enjoying some rainbow cichlids right now. They are a really small nice colored fish that really are amazing how well they tolerate fitting in with other fish close by. I have one pair guarding the spawn while another pair laid eggs within 8 inches of them. Really tolerant fish if you ever get a chance to raise some.

 

I've used both a 10 and a 20 gallon for my JD grow out tanks. I prefer the 20 a little better because of the larger water volume, I don't worry as much about fouling the water with the baby brine shrimp feeding.

I guess the most important thing is make sure the tank is cycled. You can have some sponge filters in some of your other established tank and just move them into the grow out tanks when you have fry, or buy some cheap fish like platies and keep them in the grow out tank with the sponge filters.

 

For me when i raised my trimacs years ago, I started them in a 10 gallon. then at around 1/2" or so I moved them to a 20 gallon or so rubber maid until they hit 1-2", when they looked craped or when they were killing each other i up'd the tank size. They ended up in a 55 gallone until the last 3 where 6" or so. out of about 1500 fry I sold about 300 between 2-5".

This process of stepping up the tank size is critical, I think, Because at a length of 1/2" a 55 gallon offers too much area for the food to be missed by the fry. In a 10 gallon all of the fry can see all of the food.

for all of the centrals I have raised I have used this method of growout. the rubber maids worked really well for the short time they were used by the way. I just reenfored them with a 2x4 frame and wow, I had a tank. I hope this helps you in some way, good luck in raising some fry.

 

HEADSUP
When you are planning to use Rubbermaid type stuff for holding water full time, it may be worthwhile to hold it up to a light to look for thin spots in the botom. By the way they are made, many have some spots where light shows through the plastic. Those can turn out to be leakers.

 

Ya i've been through the leaks once before. Now i don't breed anything that needs to be in rubber maids. I do keep my goldfish in them during the winter but it's usually 4 months at most. The dark colored ones seem to be the worst for spliting on me though, i don't know why

 

I was just really surprised when I started sticking my head inside and looking up at the lights. I'm can of surprised they last as long as they do may times. Mostof them I've looked at have round super thin spots. It has to be part of the forming process that leaves the thin spots. Too many have them to be mistakes.

 

Oh ya, i mean their not made with holding water in mind. I've had them bust open from the bottom with just cloths in them.