Convict Tankmates

[corbypete]

My convict tank look sdead with two small convicts swimming around, any tankmate suggestions?

I dont particularyl want to move my firemouths int here fromt he tank above it cos they are the main feature of that tank, just popped down the LFS, they have some adult malawi, and oscars i like, plus a cool under gravel eel, apart from that not much in that could hold its own against the convicts.

its a 4 foot by 1 foot tank

 

[Katchan]

What size convicts are they? what ever you add you need to make sure they are at least a similar size to the connies. I would also reccomend rocks, fake plants, wood, whatever to break up the territories a bit. In a tank your size you could go Acara's, Pleco maybe, Jack Dempsey maybe, salvinii, texas, dovii, severum all maybe's, 4' is a good tank the 1' part is the limiting factor.

HTH

KC

 

[corbypete]

theyre about an inch and a half

so if i get something that can/should hold its own, it should be ok? how quick do oscars grow? a full size oscar would be too big i think if it cant turn around

 

[SamUK]

oscars reach 10" - 12" in the first year, you can nearly watch them grow lol.

minimum tank size is 55G without tankmates too so you need something a bit smaller.

 

[corbypete]

I stuck the 6 guippies in there, black and white ones, tank looks great

They didnt look right int he cichlid tank anyway so out of there and hopefully my substrate will look nicer now without the #### all over it!!!

Convicts keeping busy trying to organise the guppies, theyre such control freaks!

 

[jayjay]

you put guppies with convicts? i would say bye to those guppies soon. sorry but they probably won't last long, especially if you get a pair of convicts.

 

[diburning]

you put guppies with convicts? i would say bye to those guppies soon. sorry but they probably won't last long, especially if you get a pair of convicts.

lol I feed guppies to my convicts as treat food.

 

[vancouver]

You could put 4 silver dollars in there as dither fish.. convicts might chase them, but they should be ok.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

You could put 4 silver dollars in there as dither fish.. convicts might chase them, but they should be ok.

would adding any black tetras be okay?? my tank is a 55 gallon tank, which houses a breeding pair of convicts...the male is about 3 inches, while the female is about 2 inches...

 

[kubora666]

salvini's they have the same overall size as convicts and same disposition. good combo, i have a 4' tank and recently had to sell on my 2 oscars as they grew from 1" babies to 10" big fish since xmas. now all i have in the tank is my main showfish ( male GT ) some bloodparrots ( 5", 8", 7" ) and medium sized severum. currently also a pleco thats quiet big who im looking after for my uncle untill his MASSIVE tank is clear of desease. all my fish get on fine, i love experimenting with difrernt species and their compatability, like what was previously said all the fish are possibilitys. make a big rocky outcrop and perhaps a piece of wood. cichlids will desimate plants so don't bother.

 

[SamUK]

salvini's they have the same overall size as convicts and same disposition. good combo, i have a 4' tank and recently had to sell on my 2 oscars as they grew from 1" babies to 10" big fish since xmas. now all i have in the tank is my main showfish ( male GT ) some bloodparrots ( 5", 8", 7" ) and medium sized severum. currently also a pleco thats quiet big who im looking after for my uncle untill his MASSIVE tank is clear of desease. all my fish get on fine, i love experimenting with difrernt species and their compatability, like what was previously said all the fish are possibilitys. make a big rocky outcrop and perhaps a piece of wood. cichlids will desimate plants so don't bother.

thats alot of fish for a 55g.

 

[jayjay]

He doesn't say he has a 55g My 4' tank is 90g. Could be bigger if it was 4'x2'x2'.

 

[SamUK]

its been a long day.

 

[Boids-n-more]

You know you can try all sorts of other new world cichlids in with them. If you have a fancy for thr firemouths just go get a couple more new ones and put them in with them . You can also get some texas cichlids , the two spot flag cichlid , green terror ( go for the original ones if you can find them ) , I would personnaly stay away from oscars , they get big and eats TONS. Geophagus brasiliensis "Cabo Frio" would make an interesting addition. The choice is yours , just look at the new worlds and see waht catches your eye.

 

[vancouver]

Are the convicts male and female? If they are, they will probably start breeding, and will soon takeover the whole tank..

They are still small though, so you might want to try to add a couple tankmates before they get large enough to seriously decimate all tankmates..

If you're looking for something for them to chase, a school of rainbows might work well.. (not rainbow cichlids)

Tiger barbs might work if you get enough of them, and they are a decent size.

If you're thinking about cichlids, a severum might work.

Did you have anything in mind specifically? IE/ cichlids or dithers?