Yellow Labs and Kenyi

[KCCichlid]

I just got a 30gl, It should be cycled in about a week. I have 6 small Kenyi that I want to put in it. Can I add some Yellow Labs to the tank or is there something different that would work better?

Also, Do I need to add lots of caves for the Kenyi?

[SGypsyMermaid]

kennyi and yellow labs are not a good mix--kennyi are much more aggressive than yellow labs. and in such tight quarters, the problems would be multiplied. and yes, you do need lots of caves. if you want to add more fish, maybe a couple of red zebras would work. what kind of filtration are you using?

[Melanochromis_J]

for one, 6 kenyi's is enough for a 30 gallon.... if you DO indeed over stock further, you should definately double your filtration or you will be water changing very frequently, due to excess waste.

The red zebra's will do alright with the kenyi, but i'd suggest something more like [i:522e7d2273]melanochromis auratus[/i:522e7d2273] so as not to mix breed the fish, the zebra's are closely enough related for the inbreeding to take place, so you'd be better off with something of a different genus. And ALWAYS remember the sexing ration, 1 male to 5 females is optimal, in your case, so try and make sure you only have the one male, if you do intend to get other species make sure that they are evenly numbered because a tank with 6 kenyi and 3 zebras for example, will end up with only the 6 kenyi, so take into consideration the dominance of a species, and the sexing.... other than that your main concern should be extra filtration, and/or a larger tank.

Sorry about the rambling but i like to elaborate.
-Rich from Pittsburgh

[Woot]

I just got a 30gl, It should be cycled in about a week. I have 6 small Kenyi that I want to put in it. Can I add some Yellow Labs to the tank or is there something different that would work better?

Also, Do I need to add lots of caves for the Kenyi?

Kenyi (M. Lombardoi) were one of the first African's that i started keeping in my 30 gallon. Things were good when it was all females mixed with some others (Young M. Johanni, Ps. Socolofi, Ps. Acei). Not knowing how aggressive them male Kenyi are, I got two males for the 30 gallon. Well lets say I ended up buying a 55 gallon soon after because the two males were pretty intollerant of eachother. Even in the 55 gallon its hard to keep more then one male. Of the 4 females I bought to begin with, only 1 is still alive :( and like 6 3" juvis from one of them. Not to say it can't work, but they are aggressive little guys and do better in larger then 30 gallons. On the otherhand, the Yellow labs are what I keep in the 30 gallon now. 1m/1f and about 20+ fry :shock: oh and shes holding again LoL. Anyways, good luck with your tank.

[WorldNation]

wow, i cant wait to have a breeding experience:) lol

i dunno, everyone says they're very agressive, but i got 2 in my 100 gallong tank(not sure if females o males) and they're pretty dosile.

[Woot]

Pretty easy to tell a dominant male, he will be a yellowish gold color. Will have some faint barring if hes alittle sub-dominant. My female mated at around 2.5-3".. btw 100 gallons is quite a bit bigger then 30 gallons :P Mine seem to like to claim about 30 gallons of a tank, in the 55 gallon that is the center of the tank. Leaving just the two sides open for free swimming.

Here is one of my brutes at around 4.5"
http://www.cichlidgallery.com/albums/woot/kenyidom2.sized.jpg

Here he is with sub-dominant color
http://www.cichlidgallery.com/albums/woot/kenyidom3.sized.jpg

[WorldNation]

wow, i cnat wait till mine gets like that:)

[KCCichlid]

You answered the big questions that I had. I think I will wait for them to grow up a little and wait to see what the sex ratio is before I start trading in fish.

Thanks for the advice.

The tank came with a Whisper PF 2. I also have a UGF w/ power head for current.