I'm not an expert on breeding. In fact my Kenyi just spit out about 20 fry 3 days ago. The only things I did was I traded any Mbuna that were bullies back to the FS. So the fish I have all get along, no one gets picked on.
I feed them nothing but NLS Cichlid Pellets. Never Blood worms or any other supplemental food.
My water temp is at a constant 80 degrees. I know it seems a little high, but the fishes behavior displays that they prefer 80 degrees to even 78 degrees.
Every Saturday and every Wednesday I do 30% PWC, without fail.
Next thing I know my female Kenyi is carrying.
I've only had her since Sept. 2010. She's under a year old but she did great as a first time Mom.
It isn't easy creating a stress free Mbuna tank given their predilection for aggression. But with anything it's a mix of the right personalities, even fish.
I absolutely love these fish, but it was important to me to not have to deal with battling fish.
It turns out that no battles, good food and good water leads to making fry, IMO.