Hi, i'm only been in the fish hobby less than 4 yrs and probably about 2 1/2 years now raising large cichlids such as umbee, dovii. buttikoferi, red devil, midas, isletas and some gold barred midas. So i have multiple tanks. I'm not an expert on this but have successfully bred multiple pairs of umbees and doviis. I currently own 3 pairs of doviis with males around 13' - 17'. Two pairs are in the 20 gal long and the larger pair are in the 46 bow front tank. All three pairs are breeding non stop. Female likes to spawn in the terracota pot (2) that i picked up at Walmart and thriftstore. I've arrange some flat pieces of slate rocks on top of some thick ones for hiding spots for female as sometimes males get aggressive. Pick up the slate rocks at our local plant nursery for 10 cents/pound. Put a divider such as egg shell crate when starting for pairing. They will let you know when they are ready. My two pairs of umbees are in the 30 gal and 56 gal column. Males are around 11" and 18'. Those guys brred like rabbit as well. They spawn on top of some large pieces of flat slate rocks that i put on top of some thick pieces. I have two terracota pots on each end of the tanks where they put the frys when they hatch. I also have some large pieces of drift wood for the female to hide just in case. I hope that this helps and you're welcome to reach out to me for question. God Bless.