Swimming with the big guys

[Ayi]

I have about 20-25 yelllow lab fry that are about 2cm (.78 inches). About a week ago I put one in the 36g with the bigger guys and hes doing pretty good, growing, coloration and whatnot. He's been living in holes on the base rock I have in the tank. Anyways, is it okay to put the rest in there? There are 45 total fry, but the others are still pretty small.

Thank you

 

[Tbox]

How many bigger guys do you have? Do you know the sex of all the current residents?
ID Say no if you have 5 or more.

 

[molliwopp]

Its a 36gallon tank and is already unsuitable for the adult mbuna you have in there, so adding 45 fry would be a really bad idea in a really big way. I would seriously consider Rehoming the fry or sell/give them to your lfs. Again, i cant stress enough that 36gallons is a long way off being a suitable home for adult mbuna as it is. And adding another 45 is an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Ayi]

Its a 36gallon tank and is already unsuitable for the adult mbuna you have in there, so adding 45 fry would be a really bad idea in a really big way. I would seriously consider Rehoming the fry or sell/give them to your lfs. Again, i cant stress enough that 36gallons is a long way off being a suitable home for adult mbuna as it is. And adding another 45 is an accident waiting to happen.

All I have in the tank is 1 lab, 1 cobalt zebra, 1ob peacock and an auratus (which I'm giving away because he killed off the rest of the labs) all about 3 inches. Everybody has their own territory too. Why is the tank so far from being suitable?

 

[molliwopp]

The tank isnt big enough for the adult length of these fish, ob peacocks can grow to 6inchs easily and need more open water to stretch fins. Also i believe that your ob will start munching and half of these fry will be killed and eaten.

 

[Ayi]

So I should regime everyone and start over?

 

[molliwopp]

Well, i know it sounds drastic and i cant make the decision for you. Cant you find a 55 cheaply? If you're taking back the auratus maybe you could do a deal with your lfs for the fish and your fry.

Or simply rehome your existing fish and keep the fry. Once they show their gender keep 3or4 females and 1 male and give the rest away, this way you can still produce fry if you wanted to.

 

[Ayi]

I was only go just to keep 5 or 6 of the fry and try to make a deal with the lfs for the rest. I was going to let them reach 1.5 inches then sell them. I don't want of give away the fish I already have because I've spent about $200 on rocks, food, fish etc. Other than the auratus they're pretty docile with each other. A while back I had a thread about adding more fish to my tank and that was when I had the other labs. I just don't know why to do...

 

[Rare]

Go on c.list and try finding a bigger aquarium or at least an aquarium for the little guys. My yellow also had fry & I had her in her own small tank till I got the fry out. Now they are in their own tank for now. There was 18 in total & I gave 6 each to 2 friends of mine who have cichlids. I have a 130g with 21 cichlids and no way these guys will make it in there.

 

[Ayi]

Go on c.list and try finding a bigger aquarium or at least an aquarium for the little guys. My yellow also had fry & I had her in her own small tank till I got the fry out. Now they are in their own tank for now. There was 18 in total & I gave 6 each to 2 friends of mine who have cichlids. I have a 130g with 21 cichlids and no way these guys will make it in there.

The fry are in a 10g which I do water changes in every other day and they're growing pretty fast too.

 

[Tbox]

Agreed^
That's tough info to hear about your 36g and current stock.
You should go all out and get that 55g for your current fish and turn the 36g into a South American tank. Apistogramma, Crenicara, and Microgeophagus are a few very interesting genus examples to look into

 

[Ayi]

I would get a new tank but I'm only 13 and have NO money at all and my mom doesn't want to spend much money on my fish.

She thinks I should flush the auratus but I'm taking him to the lfs for sure.

 

[Tbox]

Yeah, no flushing. That's the wrong answer to your situation. Sorry mom, but really?

Take some good pics of your fish/fry to your LFSs and try to cut a deal for in store credit.

 

[Ayi]

So the best thing is to rehome all my cichlids?

 

[Tbox]

Well you could gamble for a while with a species only 36g. Your Labidochromis caeruleus at a ratio of 1male to 3-4 female could be worth a shot given your circumstances. It will be a fry producing factory, but it sounds like you are already well on your way there.
They'll reach 5-6inches when fully grown, and They will require every square inch of the tank for their territory. Other Mbuna or Aulonocara species will stress the tank to a bad ending.

 

[Ayi]

What if I just kept a few peacocks, including the one I have now, until I can get a bigger tank?

 

[Tbox]

Sure but upgrade soon!

 

[Ayi]

I'll try my hardest to get her to buy a new tank!

 

[Rare]

x-mas gift. Off set the cost if you sell the 36g...

 

[Ayi]

Okay, I'm about to go to the lfs. What should I take to them?