Breeding Convicts

[hotdogoramer]

Hi - sorry I've only just noticed your reply. If your convict was showing an orange tummy then, yes, it's a female at spawning stage. They do become extra aggressive at this time and trying to pair her up with a male is probably not a good idea right now.

It's likely that she was originally paired up with a male in another tank and whoever gave her to the LFS might not have realised which of their fish was her mate - or it could be that she was in a tank at the LFS with several other convicts and staff may have sold her mate to someone else. I guess it must be like going on honeymoon with someone you love, only for the hotel management to insist that you have to share a room with a total stranger instead of your partner! LOL

Adding a male to her tank now will only upset her as she will see him as a threat.

Do you have another tank you can put the male in for now? Or a tank divider? That might be a good idea because that way they can't hurt each other (or rather she can't bully him) but she will get used to seeing him around and once she's out of the spawning phase she might calm down and come round to the idea of another convict husband! Trouble is they are so loyal to their partners it does take time to get them re-partnered up again. You sometimes have the same problem if one of a pair dies.

How are they doing now, anyway? It's been a few days since you posted so maybe they've settled down already?

Regards, Athena

Actually they have paired up, colored up nicely, and spawned. I have put them in a tank that has aggressive fish because i heard convicts are brutal, well in my case the convicts are constantly harassed and i think the eggs might have been eaten too. So now i dont know what to believe, these convicts are very docile, i think i might have to put them in my other tank, but what if they are too aggressive for my other tank? The other tank has kribs and rams. Also my 1 inch female krib, who is also half their size, is tearing at the convicts too!!

 

[kaivalagi]

Wait a while I'd say before making any decision...how long have you had the convicts for so far? Ideally a breeding pair of any cichlid should be either in a tank alone or in a big enough tank to give everything space....I'd say the 49G tank with all that stock Iincl african cichlids!) is asking for trouble (either for or against the convicts).

 

[Ste_1]

The convicts should be on there own. Both male and female become aggressive when they have fry but the males can become super aggressive. So much so the male may even head butt the tank, with surprising force, when you get too close. Putting them with other fish regardless of their ability to withstand the aggression or give it back is going to stress them or result in the fry ending up eaten.

As yours are being put on the back foot they are likely to be very stressed. For example my current breeding pair have a towel put over the front of their tank when I get home because the male gets so angry. If I put my hand over the tank to feed he doesn't hesitate to try and bite me.

Put them in a tank on their own with a nice place for the female to hide, another place for her to put the fry and another place for the male to hide. A good little cave is what they want not just a plant pot on its side. This will increase the qty of fry overall and strengthen the couples bond as they wont be so worried all the time. You will know when they are settled as they will begin moving everything inside the tank and they wont stay hidden all the time.

If they stay stressed and the fry do survive they will stay in one spot and as close to the bottom of the tank as possible.

You really need to look after these fish as they are very tough and tolerate alot of variances so its hard to tell by their behaviour what the water quality is like.

 

[hotdogoramer]

Wait a while I'd say before making any decision...how long have you had the convicts for so far? Ideally a breeding pair of any cichlid should be either in a tank alone or in a big enough tank to give everything space....I'd say the 49G tank with all that stock Iincl african cichlids!) is asking for trouble (either for or against the convicts).

The fish i have in there are not that aggressive, and the tank is fairly big since its only 17 inches tall, so its fairly big for that stock, since those fish are not that big in size, the biggest is the Krib and he is 4 1/2 inches, but not very aggressive. its the firemouth tthat goes after them, and he is not much bigger than them, and its the female krib too, she is tiny though only 1 inch.

 

[kaivalagi]

Wait a while I'd say before making any decision...how long have you had the convicts for so far? Ideally a breeding pair of any cichlid should be either in a tank alone or in a big enough tank to give everything space....I'd say the 49G tank with all that stock Iincl african cichlids!) is asking for trouble (either for or against the convicts).

The fish i have in there are not that aggressive, and the tank is fairly big since its only 17 inches tall, so its fairly big for that stock, since those fish are not that big in size, the biggest is the mbuna and he is 4 inches, but not very aggressive. its the firemouth tthat goes after them, and he is not much bigger than them, and its the female krib too, she is tiny though only 1 inch.

They might not have been that aggressive before but now there are new fish in there...cichlids are funny beasts sometimes.

I would think twice about mixing african and american cichlids too, it is NOT a good idea...those Kribs might not be big but I bet they wont back down, likewise as those mbuna get older they'll cause you more problems...(I'm assuming the mbuna is still very young?)

Like I said give it time, the convicts once settled properly will look after themselves I am sure, they only small right now yes? Wait until the male hits 3-4"

 

[Ste_1]

It will end in tears if they are kept with others. You need to keep a close eye on them if you insist on keeping them with others, you may find one day they have flipped and smashed every other fish to within an inch of its life in your tank regardless of how big they are.

 

[hotdogoramer]

I added these fish about 6 months ago, the male krib (4 1/2" male, 1" female) i have had in there for 2 years though. Only the convicts are new. I guess I might have to just watch and wait it out to see if any of the eggs or fry will survive. The africans havent shown their brutal side YET, especially to the shark. This surprises me, beacuse i had a shark with the kribs before, and they shredded him in 1 night. So far its peaceful so lets hope for the good.

 

[kaivalagi]

I added these fish about 6 months ago, the male krib (4 1/2" male, 1" female) i have had in there for 2 years though. Only the convicts are new. I guess I might have to just watch and wait it out to see if any of the eggs or fry will survive. The africans havent shown their brutal side YET, especially to the shark. This surprises me, beacuse i had a shark with the kribs before, and they shredded him in 1 night. So far its peaceful so lets hope for the good.

The kribs has settled into "their" tank for some time, so no wonder the cons are getting abused, especially if the male krib is over 4"! The cons have "invaded" the kribs territory

I personally think you need to decide on whether you want african or american cichlids, and keep one of the other (unless you can split them across 2 separate tanks)...

Also...if you've had a shark shred by african cichlids before why have the same situation setup in the tank again?

I don't mean to belittle what you've done but it does sound wrong to me...I am just being honest

 

[Athena]

Have to agree that it's not a perfect combination you have in that tank, unfortunately. But don't put them in the other tank with the Rams - that's not a good mix either - two types of cichlids, both very similar in behaviour, except the rams are much smaller and not as sturdy as the convicts so are likely to come off worse in any confrontations.

Convicts are not really the monsters some people believe. The majority of the time they are peaceful if kept in the correct manner. Sometimes the male and female fall out and have "sparring" sessions. Or you may see lots of activity going on at spawning time with plenty of chasing around! Occasionally things do get a bit serious if the female becomes exhausted and to avoid her becoming ill she may need to be separated from the male for a few days with a divider to help her recharge her batteries LOL.

But if you put them in a tank with other fish, especially fish that are also territorial, there's bound to be problems sooner or later.

It's a mistake I made when I bought my pair of pink convicts. I was told they were community fish - so in they went with sailfin mollies, guppies, rainbow shark, aquatic frogs etc... everything was fine until they spawned for the first time. Then it was mayhem in the tank. Caught sight of the male dragging one of my frogs along by its leg to the other side of the tank and spitting him out (unharmed thankfully)!

Luckily I was already cycling another tank at the time so I was able to move all the other fish into that soon after.

Not sure what you can do in your situation, if you don't have a spare tank to separate the convicts from the others. If things start becoming a worry, then I guess the only thing would be to get a tank divider - or rehome some of the fish?

Regards - Athena

 

[roadmaster]

Convicts in my view are a nasty fish with well deserved name.
They aren't community fish for most tanks,they don't get along with very many fish at all(even other convicts), and you can't give the babies away for these very reasons.
Have seen these fish sit in tanks in fish stores for months and months. Don't know why anyone would want to breed them other than all it takes is male/female + water.
They have a well earned bad reputation in my humble opinion.

 

[Athena]

Awww, poor convicts - well I'm a huge fan of them. Mine have been an absolute pleasure to keep and watch (despite the few problems in the beginning but that was my fault for buying them before researching).

I think they are like Marmite - you either love 'em or hate 'em LOL

Athena

 

[kaivalagi]

I adore my HRP, a close relative...the male takes on anything though and no matter how many times he's moved between tanks he's always been the boss!

 

[hotdogoramer]

I understand what you are saying, but its been working for me since i have had the krib in there, i have been putting all types of cichlids in with him, they get along fine, he never comes out of his cave, only at night, and when i m feeding them. His only territory is the cave, which he protects with his life, he has not harmed any of my fish in this setup. the shark was shredded, because he was much smaller, and less agressive than the shark i have now, the shark i have now used to attack my leleupi, but now they all just get along. I bet if you came over and saw my tank, you would be surprised at how well its working. My only problem at the moment is the firemouth, i might get rid of him though.

i can't use a divider, beacause it will bother my pleco a lot

 

[roadmaster]

I understand what you are saying, but its been working for me since i have had the krib in there, i have been putting all types of cichlids in with him, they get along fine, he never comes out of his cave, only at night, and when i m feeding them. His only territory is the cave, which he protects with his life, he has not harmed any of my fish in this setup. the shark was shredded, because he was much smaller, and less agressive than the shark i have now, the shark i have now used to attack my leleupi, but now they all just get along. I bet if you came over and saw my tank, you would be surprised at how well its working. My only problem at the moment is the firemouth, i might get rid of him though.

i can't use a divider, beacause it will bother my pleco a lot

Indeed one convict, may or may not get along with tankmates. But in the first post of this thread mention was made of the intent to breed them.
A pair of breeding ,or spawning convicts is a whole different story with respect to the health of the other fishes in the tank at this time.
If the tank is quite large, and other fish stay clear during spawning or nesting, then perhaps all will be well but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.