Convict Intelligence Quotient

[skiltrip]

I am probably going to add a Black Convict Cichlid to my tank. How intelligent are they (on a fish scale of course)? People say they have real individual personalities. Anyone have any cool stories of interesting stuff their cichlids (especially convicts) do?

- Kip

 

[impur]

Well from my experience with my pink/albino convict, i would say they are pretty dumb. Mine regularly goes into my 4" GT's cave and gets beat down pretty badly. Her tail is just now grown about half way back. She also comes very close to getting sucked up the siphon tube when i do WCs. I will say she isn't scared of my hand like my GT and JD are. But she does get beat up by my other 2 cichlids in there quite often.

 

[skiltrip]

how big is your convict impur?

- kip

 

[impur]

about 2" and it did regularly go up against my JD for awhile. They had some good jawlocking battles but the JD eventually put her in her place.

 

[steve-0]

im going to have to disagree wiht impur.
My convict is the smartest in my tank. He wants food he will go back and forht.
when she is bored it comes to the front and doesnt move till i put my face up . It then follows my hand all around till he gets bored.

 

[skiltrip]

well, i went and got a Firemouth instead of the Convict. The guy at my LFS recommended the Firemouth over the Convict, said it was a mellower fish. Well, my firemouth is a scaredy-cat. See my other post about the Shy Firemouth. I'm worried about the guy. Always hiding out. Not coming out at feeding time either
- kip

 

[semper fi]

the coolest and smartest fish that i have is my dovii. he hates my mother in law with a passion. he is a very aggressive fish. whenever she comes over he will stalk her in the tank. if she walks past the tank he will follow her in the tank. if she stops he will ram the glass at her and try to jump out of the tank. don't know what he would do if he got out of the tank though.

unfortunately, he broke his tank in the middle of the night and i had to take him to my in laws since i did not have a spare. that was about two years ago and my father in law won't let me have him back. he thinks it is great that the fish goes nuts after her. also the tank is a wall tank by their hot tub. so when she goes in the hot tub he goes nuts at her.

semper fi

 

[aquamonsta]

i too agree with steve-o....whenever i come close to the tank and hold the food canister above the surface of the water and move it left and right, my convict follows it..its funny cause i can do it for like 5 minutes and it will never stop...Also one trick that my convict developed (idk how?) is where is put my hand in the water in a form of a hole..and it'll swim right through it...amazing..i put my other hand in the water too and it swims through it, right after the first..!! well i hope that had some laughs....

 

[smb]

I have to agree with impur.

Personally, I don't think any fish we keep in our aquariums is smart. I think it's all conditioning and instincts.

If I were to go by that, cons are a little lacking when it comes to the intelligence dept, imo.

Now as far as marine life that is smart, the octopus and dolphin are smart. Not the cichlids we keep.

jmo tho.

 

[briangk_77]

Convicts are very challenged in the "intelligence" department. My 4" male black convict likes to pick fights with my 5" red devil, which usually ends with my convict getting mauled.

I will give them points for bravery however.

 

[smb]

Convicts are very challenged in the "intelligence" department. My 4" male black convict likes to pick fights with my 5" red devil, which usually ends with my convict getting mauled.

I will give them points for bravery however.

LOL, yea I agree there.

In my 280g, I had a breeding pair of cons and a 16" male festae, mong quite a few other fish, but the male con challenged the festae, even tho the con was only 5 and a half inches and for at least a year kept the festae away and protected his brood.
A year and a half later the festae just ate him, but it took a bad mofo like a festae a year and a half to realize that if he fought back he'd win.

Breeding cons aren't to be messed with, imo.