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Convict cichlid breeding - only supposed to be two females !

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FishEs2978

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Hi all , about two weeks ago I bought two supposed female convicts , they’ve just laid and are defending the eggs , in with them are three clowns , 9 yo yos and 1 key hole cichlid which I think is a male . I have now where to put the fish so what should I do ? As convicts are extremely aggressive when breeding . Thanks
 
Convicts are about the most aggressive of all cichlids. But they will breed with ease. Just let them do their thing. Long term you might want to set your tank up with distinct areas so the other fish know where they are allowed to hang out
 
So they should be fine with the other fish for now then ? It’s only a 190l long and thing though
 
Anything to do with cichlids is touch and go. You always need an escape plan. You always need at least two tanks if you are going to keep cichlids
FishEs2978 said:
So they should be fine with the other fish for now then ? It’s only a 190l long and thing though
Click to expand...
 
okay I will do that next time but I did not realise and unfortunately do not have that option this time
 
So , is it all okay for now ? I realise that I will need to sort something out so am currently cycling another tank however won’t be ready for atleast two weeks , until then will this setup be okay ? And what should I do when they hatch ? I wasn’t orepeared for young as the shop seemed sure they were both females - I shall not be returning ring there
 
If you don’t want babies remove the eggs and then seperate the pair or sell one otherwise they will continue to breed every 3 weeks like clockwork and they can have up to 300 fry every batch. You will soon be overrun. Convicts will also breed with most Cichlid species so if you are 100% sure your keyhole Cichlid is male get rid of the female convict. Otherwise she might pair up with the keyhole if you get rid of the male convict.
 
Ok I’m going to return both and start with another type of fish haven’t decided yet , because if fuel shortage currently can’t get anywhere will this be allright until then ?
 
Left side is the parents
 

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Also can someone tell me why the eggs are going white is there any way to stop this ?
 

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Eggs usually go white if they are infertile; or fuzzy white if they are fungused.
Female cichlids of various species have been known to lay eggs without a male, which would be infertile.
 
Okay thank you , it’s just some though and both are protecting the eggs shall I send a video ? If they are both female then why are they both protecting the eggs and both chasing off other fish ?
 
Essjay said:
Eggs usually go white if they are infertile; or fuzzy white if they are fungused.
Female cichlids of various species have been known to lay eggs without a male, which would be infertile.
Click to expand...
Here are photos of both
 

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They both look female to me. Usually one lays eggs, and the other one isn’t quite ready and just goes through the motions, which looks like it’s fertilising the eggs. It’s still helping to guard them presumably because it has some maternal hormones flowing.
 
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