breeding cichlid fish

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I want to breed my electric blue cichlid I have 4
females and 1 male what do I need to do so
they can? Also how should I set up my tank it's
a 55 gallon tank and also I have a 40?

ANSWER: Hi Brent,
  All you really need to do is make sure that the water quality is very good, feed them well, and the rest is up to them.  4 females with 1 male is a good sex ratio and your odds of success are good.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: how should I set up my fish tank for my fish is it better for sand or rocks on
the bottom and should I have plenty of plants and big rocks?

ANSWER: Hi Brent,
  Ideally you would have some sand and some rocks.  Maybe put most of the sand at one end and a pile of large rocks at the other.  Plants are harder to say.  Many areas of Lake Malawi don't have any aquatic plants so they are a little out of place, but they do break up the space and that is a good thing.  The better situation would be to have LOTS of large rocks creating a complex series of caves and cracks.  Be very sure that the rocks are stable and are not going to fall down. Be sure that the bottom layer of rocks is on the bottom glass and not on gravel, because the fish can dig out gravel, causing the overlying rocks to fall down.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I also wanted to no if one of my female electric blues had some baby in her
mouth could I still do my week 25% water change will it not kill the little
ones?

Answer
Hi Brent,
  I am generally very careful about doing water changes when a female is holding.  It is good to still change the water, but you dont' want to unncessarily disturb or frighten the female, so be particularly careful.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>