What Do You Do With Convict Fry?

[onidrase]

I've had the most horrible, discouraging week of fish keeping ever.

My tank started out as a firemouth, 5 beautiful upside down catfish, and 10 beautiful tiger barbs.

I got a lovely power outage due to horrible snowy weather, and all my upside down catfish suffered of temperature shock and passed. shortly after the power got turned back on, the heater shorts out. I go out to get a replacement heater, that one doesn't work out of the box. I got and get yet another replacement heater this morning, and I'm just now able to bring the tank back to desired temp.

This turn of events has left my horribly disheartened. The fish aren't taking kindly to it all either. The tiger barbs are having troubles keeping their balance, and the firemouth will not come out of hiding for anything. I feel like I should just pack the tank up and throw it in the storage.

The only fish that is still being her normal self is my female convict. She's a tough freaking cookie.

With that said. With the fish in their current condition, I'd actually be surprised if they all make it. The only likely candidates I see in terms of survival and recovery besides the convict is the firemouth. If none of them make it, I'm thinking of shoving glory in the main tank and picking out a likely candidate for a breeding companion. If she won't kill it, that is.

If not, I might just stock my 37 around a male convict, and shove glory back in her tank. if there is anything that -usually- works with a male convict in such a tank size.

Anyways. Aside from my usual getting ahead of myself and being a total pessimist planning, Any sorts of success stories in terms of nursing sickly fish back to health would really help me, here.

In terms of my usual getting ahead of myself and being a total pessimist planning, what do you convict breeders do with the loads of fry? What have you housed with a male convict (not breeding) successfully?

Thanks, guys.

 

[snake007]

I dont know much about nursing fish shorry, All I know is keep your water clean and your fish will be keen.
Now with convict fry, when my convict fry come, my lfs wants them as he doesnt have the time to breed them he says.
I also will use some of the fry as feeders for my other fish.

 

[creeker]

Most everyone I know that has had spawning Convicts used the fry as feeders. They are a lot healthier and disease free as compared to Comet Goldfish that you buy from the feeder bins.

 

[thereverendturtle]

Add some rock salt or aquarium salt at a tablespoon per five gallons. This will help reduce osmotic stress on the fish. Keep an eye on them for ich as that is the most likely parasite to take advantage of this situation.
As far as the male convict with other fish, as long as there are options for territories, other central or SA cichlids of similar size and larger tetras, danios or rainbows work well as dither fish.
Good luck

 

[walkers101]

No way in hell should you add salt in my opinion

i have never had to

 

[onidrase]

Add some rock salt or aquarium salt at a tablespoon per five gallons. This will help reduce osmotic stress on the fish. Keep an eye on them for ich as that is the most likely parasite to take advantage of this situation.
As far as the male convict with other fish, as long as there are options for territories, other central or SA cichlids of similar size and larger tetras, danios or rainbows work well as dither fish.
Good luck

The tank is only 30"x12"x24", I don't think I'd be able to fit 2 aggressive cichlids in the given perimeters without dispute.

I did actually get some ich. I started a small dose salt treatment. Not even 1 tbsp per 5 g.

The tank has one large pile of driftwood in the left corner as a territory, but the other side is left pretty bare, aside from a couple java ferns and a anubia.

What sorts of tetras are you thinking would work with a convict? Black skirts, maybe? Would the big pile of driftwood perhaps help keep a convict from trying to kill things?

 

[GShorty1981]

I wouldnt keep a male con with anything, but Female cons are good community fish, as for the fry, i just hoover them out and bog em.

 

[onidrase]

I wouldnt keep a male con with anything, but Female cons are good community fish, as for the fry, i just hoover them out and bog em.

My female con is a monster. Won't even tolerate a pleco. Maybe she's just a tomboy or something. I could try another female con. Or I could do something totally different. They have jewel cichlids as well at my LFS, but I don't think they'd be much better. And then they have firemouths. I'm really hoping my current FM sticks arount. He's definitely not as sickly as the bunch. He's getting back to his normal schedule of digging in the sand and being OCD about any sand on the plants or pieces of driftwood.

 

[thereverendturtle]

No way in hell should you add salt in my opinion

i have never had to

Why not it won't harm any of the fish?

As far as convicts go, I've always found males to be less aggressive than females. For the tetras my first choice would be Buenos Aires tetras, nice and active, should be able to stay out of the way pretty well. The tangle of wood should make the con more comfortable.

 

[onidrase]

No way in hell should you add salt in my opinion

i have never had to

Why not it won't harm any of the fish?

As far as convicts go, I've always found males to be less aggressive than females. For the tetras my first choice would be Buenos Aires tetras, nice and active, should be able to stay out of the way pretty well. The tangle of wood should make the con more comfortable.

Oh man. I had buenos aires tetras before. They ate my first batch of live plants, which is why I never tried plants again until a week ago. And they nipped at each other so much, their fins were always tattered.

I'm looking more at black skirts, bleeding hearts, and red eyes. Any of the bundle sound better in choice than others?

 

[thereverendturtle]

In order of your choices, I would go bleeding hearts, because they tend to be a little more aggressive, then the red eye, nice and quick, then the skirts, I've always found them to be sensitive to aggression. Just my opinion though.