Xox-Zip-xoX
New Member
A few months back I bought a mated pair of pink convicts. The pair have laid eggs, and hatched fry at least 6 times since I've gotten them, but for some unknown reason, whenever the fry reach the free-swimming stage they die on me. I know that convicts are known for their being so easy to breed and raise, but I can't seem to get mine to make it. The first 3 times the pair bred was only a couple weeks after I brought them home. I had them housed in a temporary 10 gallon while I fixing a crack in their permanent home, I figured maybe the loses had something to do with the tank they were in, but when I finally moved them back to the larger tank the same thing continued to happen. They'd lay, and hatch eggs, raise the fry until they were free swimming, than within 3-6 days of being free swimming the fry would mysteriously die.
I've been keeping my eyes on the fry, and they'll all be fine, than an hour later when I go to check on them again, I find 100's of dead fry throughout my tank, and what few babies I have left scattered throughout the tank, the parents not even trying to keep them together anymore. I have no clue what could possibly be causing the deaths. I had been feeding them finally crushed flake food, and thought that might have been part of the problem, but my dad who's been in the hobby for years said when he owned his convicts he didn't have to do anything, and he'd still end up with 10 or more making it to adulthood. I've gone over every possibility I can think of, but no matter how I change the conditions they're being raised in, they still end up dying.
Any ideas what could be causing the deaths, and what I can do to stop it? I'm at a complete lose, and very desperate for answers.
I've been keeping my eyes on the fry, and they'll all be fine, than an hour later when I go to check on them again, I find 100's of dead fry throughout my tank, and what few babies I have left scattered throughout the tank, the parents not even trying to keep them together anymore. I have no clue what could possibly be causing the deaths. I had been feeding them finally crushed flake food, and thought that might have been part of the problem, but my dad who's been in the hobby for years said when he owned his convicts he didn't have to do anything, and he'd still end up with 10 or more making it to adulthood. I've gone over every possibility I can think of, but no matter how I change the conditions they're being raised in, they still end up dying.
Any ideas what could be causing the deaths, and what I can do to stop it? I'm at a complete lose, and very desperate for answers.
