there are two variations of convicts archocentrus nigrofasciatus or barred convict and cichasoma nigrafasciatum pink convict. the barred convict has vertical dark stripes while the pink is almost white in color a very pale pink. as the fish matures sexually, the females will get an orange coloring on the belly area which will grow the nearer she gets to laying the eggs. they like to lay the eggs on a flat surface and in a cave or some other kind of secluded area. convicts are great parents. the parents and previous spawns do not require to be moved after the new spawn hatches.
when convicts are ready to spawn you will notice them cleaning the entire area. they will take peices of gravel and grind them in their mouths to get rid of any algae. convicts do lay eggs. each spawn can be from 200-250 eggs each. the female will lay the eggs while the male guards them. the eggs will be yellow in color turning to clear with a tiny black spot in the middle when they are ready to hatch. hatching takes about 4-5 days. if the eggs turn white they are unfertilized and will be eaten. the female and male will guard the fry and keep them in their cave until they are larger. you may notice what looks like poofs of dust in the mouth of the cave, these are the fry. if the female feels the fry are being threatened she may move them. she will take several into her mouth and release them to a different area.
you need to consider the adult size of the fish when choosing a tank for them. if you are going to keep them in the 10 i would not suggest more than a pair. don't suggest the 10 either. once they start to spawn, they can do so every 6 weeks. convict fry are hard to sell since they are so common. breeders and other fishkeepers will keep pairs of convicts for live food for their fish.
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