# Yellow Lab Overpopulation



## algae eater (Jul 29, 2008)

I have a 55 gal tank. It started off with two or three of several different Cichlid. The Yellow Labs have taken over and comprise over half of the population. I don't like to keep more than 15 or so fish and on one other occassion have had to take some down to the fish store and give away because of over population. It is kind of a pain to do this. Do any of you have to "thin the herd" once in a while? Thanks,


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## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

Oh yes. Big time. These fish breed like rabbits, and even if the females spit in the main tank, in heavy rockwork a few will survive. Try to get a few bucks credit for the ones you bring in, provided you can be reasonably confident they're not hybrids.


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## Kevin007 (Jul 20, 2008)

I'm actually hoping this happens to me, I also have a 55G tank, how did you achieve this? Any tank pics? Thanks


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

Get a gang of syndontis multipunctatus for fry control. And if you're lucky, they'll parasitize the cichlids and you'll get baby cats rather than more cichilds . . .


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

If the tank is a big mix of alot of different species - especially those prone to crossbreed (such as Yellow lab and red zebra) then I would not distribute the fry to other hobbyist. :thumb:


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## malawimix (Oct 8, 2008)

hollyfish2000 said:


> Get a gang of syndontis multipunctatus for fry control. And if you're lucky, they'll parasitize the cichlids and you'll get baby cats rather than more cichilds . . .


I've seen this brought up in another thread before...how exactly do they get the other fish to carry theirs?


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

Kevin007 said:


> I'm actually hoping this happens to me, I also have a 55G tank, how did you achieve this? Any tank pics? Thanks


Yea, me too! Do tell, please!


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## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

malawimix said:


> hollyfish2000 said:
> 
> 
> > Get a gang of syndontis multipunctatus for fry control. And if you're lucky, they'll parasitize the cichlids and you'll get baby cats rather than more cichilds . . .
> ...


They dart in while the cichlids are mating, snack on cichlid eggs while they're at it, and deposit their own for the cichlids to mistakenly pick up. Mamma cichlid carries them to term and cares for them as if they were her own. Or you can strip the cichlid - that way you get more catfish as they even start eating each other if left in the cichlids mouth too long.


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## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

iplaywithemotions said:


> Kevin007 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm actually hoping this happens to me, I also have a 55G tank, how did you achieve this? Any tank pics? Thanks
> ...


The recipe is pretty simple: The males + females and the right size tank, good water quality and plenty of rockwork for the fry to hide in, then just give it time. Many fry will get picked off but enough will survive that your tank population will need to be thinned out within a year or so.


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

Afishionado said:


> iplaywithemotions said:
> 
> 
> > Kevin007 said:
> ...


My 55gallon is on the 2nd floor, so I'm keeping my rocks to a minimum. However, i did place some pvc pipes in the tank. I see the males attempting to breed, but the females give them the cold shoulder after a bit of dancing. Then, the male gets angry and chases around the female for a bit.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

iplaywithemotions said:


> Afishionado said:
> 
> 
> > iplaywithemotions said:
> ...


Yeah - my females wont give the males time of day either. Why not?


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## gmaschke (Aug 23, 2008)

> You'd be surprised at how little extra weight the rocks will add. You are only adding the difference of weight between that of the rocks and that of the volume of water they displace. If three grown men can stand on the floor without concern a 55 with rock wont be a concern. I know it weighs alot but trust me it will hold.


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## gmaschke (Aug 23, 2008)

Darn it I can't figure out the darn qoute fiasco. I tried to quote your concern about the tank on 2nd floor and turned my post into a quote before it was even a post


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## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

gmaschke said:


> You'd be surprised at how little extra weight the rocks will add. You are only adding the difference of weight between that of the rocks and that of the volume of water they displace. If three grown men can stand on the floor without concern a 55 with rock wont be a concern. I know it weighs alot but trust me it will hold.


I use a factor of 2.5 to be safe (ie: 100 lbs of rock displaces 40 lbs of water, so ading 100 lbs of rock to the setup increases the overall weight by 60 lbs). It's a good aproximation for many types of rock, although a few are a bit denser and a few (eg: Texas holey rock, lava rock) are probably quite a bit lighter.


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

gmaschke said:


> Darn it I can't figure out the darn qoute fiasco. I tried to quote your concern about the tank on 2nd floor and turned my post into a quote before it was even a post


lol! Thanks, that does make sense! I have red lava rocks in my tank, and they are sort of expensive. So I guess, I will look for something cheap that looks similar to the kind of rocks I currently have. Then I can stock up on some more rocks. In the meantime, I stuck some pvc pipes in there, and changed my substrate from gravel to sand. Result- my acei is currently holding! Yay! Haha.

But yea, thanks again for the weight of the rocks info!


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

Afishionado said:


> gmaschke said:
> 
> 
> > You'd be surprised at how little extra weight the rocks will add. You are only adding the difference of weight between that of the rocks and that of the volume of water they displace. If three grown men can stand on the floor without concern a 55 with rock wont be a concern. I know it weighs alot but trust me it will hold.
> ...


Awesome, even more info! Thanks!


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