The tank is not big enough for a breeding tank. I would do 3-4 males or 3-4 females but no f/m mix. There is just not enough room for territory in a 35g. As far as bottom feeders and algae eaters you dont need them. The Labs will eat algae that is their main diet in the wild. They are also scavangers and will find every last bit of food.
I disagree. I have breed well into adulthood Labs (and only labs, no algae eater or scavenger as indeed the are not needed) in a 29G, for countless iterations of fry. I did have to move fry away because there was no room comfortably for all the fish and their fry. I also would NOT do 3-4 males of labs, if you go the no breeding route, stay with 3-4 females. While labs are less aggressive, males can be aggressive as they are still mbuna.
I had a 2M:6F adult (4.5"-5") ratio in my breeding tank. It lasted many moons before I got tired of trying to find homes for all the new fishes.
akapaul26 said:
The male will harass the female to death in that small of tank even if you have 5 females
Not in my experience. Yes, you have to be careful. Once the female release, they are pretty much back on the market for more breeding, thus little time to feed and build up reserves for the next 3 or so weeks of no eating. Also note that it is also up to the personality of the fish themselves to determine how many can go in.
Coler said:
that is why it is likely that 3 - 4 males would result 1 - 2 males and then 1 male. 1 male with females would make a lot more sense.
I agree. But then you have to deal with fry - can get old after a while.
As for territory, there is enough room. Now you cant have a plain tank either. I had tunnels (pvc), attached caves (via suction cups), decor that had holes they hide in, gravel they could dig in (small pea size), current they could swim in, and areas where they could dig under things for their spawning.
Also just because this logic works for Labs, does NOT mean it will work for any other MBuna.
ALL THIS IS MY OPINION, TAKE AS SUCH.
Aries
erv:
