Unexpected Fry!

[DuckOfDoom]

About a year ago, I set up my first Tanganyikan tank (20 gal) with four cichlids and a plecostomus. The four cichlid, suggested by a local, high quality shop, were Neolamprologus brichardi, Neolamprologus multifasciatus, Altolamprologus calvus (inkspot), and Neolamprologus marunguensis. Generally, they tend to keep to themselves in their own hideouts without interacting too much. Today, I noticed that the area where the brichardi hangs out is swarming with 10-20 very small fry and 2-3 larger fry. The adult seems to be protective of that corner of the tank.

Is this a normal occurrence? Do the different species ever successfully mate? Was this a virgin spawning?! ;)

Now that some of the adults have grown a little and there seem to be an abundance of young ones about, I'm tempted to move forward on my plan to get a larger tank (50-75 gal). Does anyone have suggestions on how to divide the species? Just toss them all in, have a large brichardi-only tank, or have a large multi-species tank and a small brichardi-only one?

[IanR29]

You may want to get rid of the fry. Bricardis are like the convicts of lake tang. They will take over your tank. After this fry, there will be another, then another, then another Ect. While it is exciting to have fry, sometimes it's best to just let nature take its course.