chiclids having babies

Question
i have a 50 gallon tank thats almost to the limit full of african chiclids.and two different kinds of had babies.a bumble bee chiclid and an auratus.is it bad that they are not the same breed? and i was wonderin how many they have at a time?i could only find 2 the last batch this year and one more from this new one.will this ever stop or will this keep on happening,with 3 new fish my tank will be too full.i also have anothertank that the babies stay in a5 gallon for when they are just born and the 2 old ones are in another 45 gallon.should i put the mother in ther with them or will she just eat them.is there any thing special i can do?thanks

Answer
Hi Steve,
  Are you saying that the bumble bee is breeding with the auratus?  If so, that is not good. It creates hybrids.  The two different kinds of cichlids are not different breeds, they are in fact different species and so to have them breed together creates something that is a cross between those species.  

 I would NOT put the mother in with the babies, she will eat them.

 How many they have at a time is a function of the size of the female. A small female might have 5 or 6, while a large one might have 20 or more at a time.

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