a general cichlid question

[Gemstone]

I have quite a laaaarge tank (bought for my adult severums) that is filled with livebearer fry at the moment...but am sitting with two smallish tanks...one with baby severums...*largest about 1 and a half inches* and the other which is overpopulated with baby texas cichlids.. I am considering putting all the baby cichlids together into the large tank and the guppies can be split easily between the two smaller tanks..I do have a buyer for all cichlids, but they need to be a little bigger before they can go...and he is also at present remodelling his store...

would this be viable??...do you think?? I reckon the cichlids will have a happier time in the large tank..but can I mix the different species like this while they are still so small?

[toddnbecka]

Mixing the cichlid fry should be fine provided there isn't a large difference in size between the species. Are the sev's large enough to eat the texas fry? Cichlids in general will eat other fish up to about half their own size, possibly larger if the shape is right.

[Gemstone]

ooooopsssss......ok.....what I can do ...is put the texas cichlids into the beeeeg taks...together with the smaller severums...and the remaining severums can stay where they are....and then use the texas cichlids' tank *which is bigger than the one the severum babies are in*...for the live bearer babies....that could work?

[toddnbecka]

Or you could just toss them all into the larger tank and let them sort themselves out. Chances are you'll lose a few that way, but most will be fine. It's better to raise a smaller number of healthy fish than a larger number that suffer from the effects of overcrowding.

[Gemstone]

Yup......troo....thanks.

[Lady Hobbs]

They're be a whole lot harder to catch when the buyer gets them.