Need 2 Know Please :)

[my fat fish]

hi i am currently setting up a tank for a couple of convict cichlids as i love these fish and wouldent mind getting a breeding pair

no when i ahve asked before i got a little confuse if im getting breeding pair do the 2 convicts need to be unrelated ???

 

[tmack]

If you mean can the pair be from the same parents - yes they can. They'll still breed OK as long as the male & female are compatible with each other. I'd get 2 females & a male to increase the chances.

 

[my fat fish]

okay thanks

 

[Dany]

Id have to disagree. Although you may be successul in breeding, the young have a very high chance of defornities and will be very prone to diisease and illnesses.
Example - guppies. the male's natural colour is a dark olive colour with short finnage and is pretty drab in colour. They have been interbred in this way to enhance their colour and finnage and as we can see, we have a very interbred fish is is very difficult to keep alive. I would not breed your convicts in this way. If you do... I would not get three. once a pair if formed all agression will be directed towards the lone convict.

 

[tmack]

Id have to disagree. Although you may be successul in breeding, the young have a very high chance of defornities and will be very prone to diisease and illnesses.
Example - guppies. the male's natural colour is a dark olive colour with short finnage and is pretty drab in colour. They have been interbred in this way to enhance their colour and finnage and as we can see, we have a very interbred fish is is very difficult to keep alive. I would not breed your convicts in this way. If you do... I would not get three. once a pair if formed all agression will be directed towards the lone convict.

I agree on the inbreeding and increased chance of deformities, but unless you can get 2 different sources of the fish and be guaranteed that they're from different breeders, the chances for getting fish from 2 different broods at a single lfs are about nil. I was just addressing the question as it was put - yes, a related pair can breed. Most of the fish we buy are all inbred to the nth degree anyway, and even wild caught ones are still not a 100% guarantee that they aren't from the same brood. And it's often necessary to get more than 2, preferably 2 or even 3 females to one male, as one of each sex will not always guarantee that they'll form a pair. After a compatible pair is formed, then the other females should be removed to another tank. Been there & done that, as I used to breed convicts.

On the guppies I agree - IMO the fish of several varieties available today are so inbred that they just aren't hardy anymore. When I got into fishkeeping (more years ago that I want to admit!), the majority of guppies available were of the original wild type species, and they were very hardy & disease resistant. After years of inbreeding for long fins & increased color they are a much less hardy species now. About the only time I ever see the original guppy type these days is as feeder fish. Sad situation in my opinion.

 

[my fat fish]

well i have loked into it and nowher aroud me will take any convict fry i cant rehome off me so i thoguth it would be best i dont get a breeding pair tho lol

would still love a couple of convicts tho what do you think i could do would a couple of males be okay together?
or a couple of femails

 

[Nevergone815]

well i have loked into it and nowher aroud me will take any convict fry i cant rehome off me so i thoguth it would be best i dont get a breeding pair tho lol

would still love a couple of convicts tho what do you think i could do would a couple of males be okay together?
or a couple of femails

Females tnd ot be less agressive in community settings as males would be. Males tend to compete mroe heavily over territory and can cause a disaster i nthe tank. It can be done with 2 males, but 2 females are better IMO. Also, IMO the orange/red coloration on the females bellies make them "prettier" and more "colorful" for a community setting. But that is just my opinion and oddly, I have 2 males in a community tank and 1 female in another go figure huh?

 

[DarkEntity]

If you want to help the species dont get family members to breed. Try get a male from one place and a female from another, more likely to get strong offspring and far fewer if any deformaties.

 

[my fat fish]

yeah thanks Nevergone815 you been a big help mate ill try for 2 femails then just 1 more question how do u sex them i never been any good in telling the diffrent in fish

 

[Nevergone815]

yeah thanks Nevergone815 you been a big help mate ill try for 2 femails then just 1 more question how do u sex them i never been any good in telling the diffrent in fish

It's really simple. Females have an orange/reddish coloraion on their bellies and tend to have shorter rounder anal and dorsal fins. Males tend to also be bigger than females of the same age, the males won't have orange bellies and their finns will be pointed and streaming. I hope that helps!

 

[my fat fish]

yeah it does thanks now just gotta find somewher that sells them lol