Mating pair?

[bunzplayer]

I believe I have a mated pair of African cichlids. I believe they, or at least one, is an electric yellow, and the other is mostly just yellow. Have had them now for about 18 mths. I think this one is the male
[URL="http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6004&pictureid=67966"][/URL]



This one is the one carring the eggs....is this the Female? They just had about 10 offspring maybe 2 months ago. There are at least 5 of them that already have that yellowish look to them, the rest are striped.

[URL="http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=6004&pictureid=67967"][/URL]
Questions: Will they stay a mated pair for their lives?
Which carries the eggs?
Would it make sense to keep them in their own setup?
How big of an enclosure do I need for a growing family of these fish?
Is the male usually the bigger?

Any thoughts, suggestions, or info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[Larz]

Labs are polygamists, the male will mate with any willing female.

Females caring the eggs.

They will do fine in a community tank, unless you really want to make sure the fry all survive.

As for the tank, a 55 gallon will do, but larger is always better.

Males will be about 25% larger, with egg spots on the anal fin.

HTH