Fish Have Discovered Viagra

[TooManyFish]

HELP! I've got a 55gal of Africans and I swear my fish have figured out how to hit the internet and order viagra... the breeding has GOT TO STOP! I took 18 large (5"+) and the 9 medium (3-5") I could net to a local pet store today (no profit). I still have (at last count) 23 left (18 juveniles) - the tank started with 6 (small) fish about 2 years ago.
I enjoy having a FEW cichlids, but this has gotten out of hand. I tried turning down the temp to about 70 degrees, and I still have fry popping up all over. Other than changing filter cartridges once every 4 months or so, feeding them, and topping off the tank with some tap water once every other week I don't DO anything to encourage breeding. I don't vacuum or water change (except MAYBE once a year).
How do I get them to at LEAST slow down on the breeding frenzy? HELP!

[jonah]

If you remove all of the decorations once in awhile (after a couple of days of not feeding) they'll eat the extra fry. I've dispatched hybrid fry 2" long this way.

[truckpoetry]

OR, get a second tank with a big ole Oscar in there. My albino oscar Herb would just LOVE to play tag with your fry every now and then...lol

Cm

[aharris]

Or, just go with an all-male tank although I don't know how possible that is with mbuna.

[truckpoetry]

Yeah - an all male tank is definitely possible with mbunas, I've seen some fabulous show tanks done this way (nice and colorful), but you'd have to be careful what species, I suppose.

If it were me, I'd just start letting the parents eat whatever fry they can, the rest I'd feed to my oscar if they are hybrids, and any purebreds, I'd let grow up or take to the lfs.

Cheers!
Cameron

[DevilDude]

my friend kept a livingstoni, that damn thing was all over every fry that was ever in that tank