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| FAQs on Convict Cichlid Reproduction
Related Articles: Convicts,
Freshwater Angels,
Discus, Juraparoids,
Neotropical Cichlids,
African Cichlids, Dwarf South American
Cichlids, Asian Cichlids,
Cichlid Fishes in General,
Related FAQs:
Convicts 1,
Convicts 2, &
Convict Identification,
Convict Behavior,
Convict Compatibility,
Convict Selection,
Convict Systems,
Convict Feeding, Convict Disease, &
Cichlids of the World,
Cichlid Systems,
Cichlid Identification,
Cichlid Behavior,
Cichlid Compatibility, Cichlid Selection,
Cichlid Feeding,
Cichlid Disease, Cichlid
Reproduction,
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Convict cichlids breeding information 11/05/09
Hai,
This is Pavan (India).
<Hello again, Pavan,>
I would like the details of how to breed convict cichlids at home.
<Pretty much just add water! Seriously though: provided you give them
good quality water and space for a pair to settle down, they will spawn.
They are extremely good parents, and raising these fry is easy.>
And i like to raise a good bunch of fry.
<Do it right, and you'll have hundreds.>
What are the requirements needed and the food.
<Convict cichlids need hard, basic water at middling temperature. Aim
for 10-20 degrees dH, pH 7.5-8, 25 degrees C. A pair can be kept in a
tank around 100 litres without problems. As with all cichlids, 0 ammonia
and 0 nitrite are critical, and nitrate levels should be as low as
possible, certainly no more than 20 mg/l. Convicts are omnivores and eat
flake, pellets, wet-frozen bloodworms, live brine shrimps, cooked peas,
sushi Nori, cooked spinach, etc. Newly-hatched Convict fry will take
finely powdered flake food (e.g., Hikari First Bites) and liquid fry
food (e.g., Liquifry).>
How to distinguish between male and female. what are the cares to be
taken to not to hurt any of the pair.
<Juvenile fish are difficult to sex. When sexually mature, males are
much bigger than the females. Males also tend to have longer anal and
dorsal fins. Males sometimes develop a "nuchal hump". Sexually mature
females are usually more colourful, with yellow and blue markings on
their dorsal fins and anal fins.>
Pls do the needful. I have a good male which is very aggressive in
nature and it bullies all other fish in my tank.
<Normal. These are not fish for community tanks, and should be kept with
larger cichlid species that are similarly aggressive. I kept my Convicts
in a 750 litre aquarium with a Red Devil, a Jaguar Cichlid, and some
very big catfish species.>
Help me out. Cheers for the answers.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: convict cichlids breeding information 11/6/09
Thanks dude for the info.
PAVAN G.S.
<I assume being a "dude" is good! Cheers, Neale.>
New Pink Convict
Black and White Convict Mating 10/25/09
Chuck, We just added a new pink convict to our 30 gal. tank that already
housed a Black Convict and a Blood Parrot. My question is, can these two
convicts mate and if so how long would it take for the eggs to hatch?
< They can mate if you have both a male and a female. Females tend to
have orange yellow bellies and males are larger with longer fins. The
eggs will hatch in about 3 days at 80 F.>
Also I wanted to thank you very much for your suggestions on getting our
nitrites and nitrates under control, your advice was very helpful and I
am very happy to report we now have a very healthy aquarium and even
have live plants now growing that really make it a pleasure to look at.
Thanks again,
John & Anika
< Glad to hear you are having fun with your aquarium. This is what
aquarium
keeping is all about.-Chuck>
Rescued 7 pink convict cichlid... sys. 10/2/09
Hello Crew
<Hello Mike,>
I just rescued 7 pink convict cichlids from a 10 gal tank 3 are 1-1.5 in
size and the rest are smaller all the same age and all bothers and
sisters.
I have been reading on the breeding of them and no one has ask about
in-breeding.
<What's the question? Yes, it happens. No, it's not a good thing. Inbred
Convicts, like inbred cichlids generally, tended to be smaller, more
likely to have deformities such as twisted fins and non-functional swim
bladders, exhibit lower fertility, etc. Since retailers don't want
Convict cichlids (they aren't terribly good aquarium fish, to be honest)
I'd encourage you NOT to breed your fish. Remove any eggs you see on
sight!>
any info that you can share with us. also what kind of sand can I use
for the substrate?
<Plain pea gravel is probably the optimal thing, but if you want to use
sand, then smooth silica sand from the garden centre is the best and
cheapest option. Stir in some coral sand at a ration 4 parts smooth
silica sand to one part coral sand. This will add some carbonate
hardness and raise the pH.>
and also the size difference is that because they where all in a small
tank?
<No. Like all fish, they grow continually, but while cichlids don't
"stunt" when kept in small tanks, poor conditions may compromise their
health, reducing overall growth rates.>
they are all currently in a 55 gal tank now. Thanks for the help Mike
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: rescued 7 pink convict cichlid
wow thank you for your very fast response and thanks for having a site
like wetwebmedia.com
<Happy to have helped. Cheers, Neale.>
Amatitlania nigrofasciata, breeding 9/17/09
Hi I have a pair of white convict cichlids and the have been breeding
but i have concerns that the male is eating the eggs.
<Does happen.>
I was wondering if it is ok to separate the male from the female and
eggs?
<Yes, this is fine. The female may be able to rear the fry on her own.
Otherwise, pull the eggs out, put them in another tank (e.g., 10 gallon
breeding tank) and add a little anti-fungus medication, typically
Methylene Blue. Install a sponge filter nearby to keep the water moving.
The fry are easy to rear on finely powdered flake foods, such as Hikari
First Bites. As always with Convict cichlids, be sure you have a market
for the fry first: most pet stores don't want them, and you don't want
to be stuck with a thousand fry you can't rehome! Cheers, Neale.>
Feeding Convict Fry; Somewhat
Urgent! 05/23/09
Feeding Cichlid fry
Hey WetWebMedia crew! Thanks a lot for all your past help, but now I
need help again! My convicts, as you know, recently laid eggs. A
few days ago, the eggs disappeared, and I assumed they grew fungus and
were eaten. However, today I noticed fry in a corner of the tank
away from the cave. The eggs had hatched! Today is the first time
I saw them, but they are already free-swimming, and I assume that they
have been for at least a few days. They don't seem to have food sacs any
more. I'm wondering how to feed them. I have already tried crushed
flakes, and it seemed to work, only I could not figure out a good way to
get the food to them. I tried to do it with a very fine net, but it
moved the water around the fry so much that they flattened to the
ground, and most of the food was lost on the way anyways. The fry
are at the very back corner of my 30 gallon, and all the way on the
bottom.
I'd rather not move them, since I want the parents to learn parenting.
So how do I get the food to the fry?
Also, how often to feed them? Thanks! Respectfully,
~Babale
< Take a fish food that is fairly high in protein (30+%) and crush it
into a fine powder. Mix a small amount in a small bowl with aquarium
water. Suck up the powdered liquid with a turkey baster and squirt the
mixture into the mass of fry. The fry will eat what they want and the
extra will be carried away and eaten by the parents or taken out with
the filter. I would use a fine sponge filter in the same tank. The fry
can feed off the food particles stuck on the sponge in between
feedings.-Chuck>
Re: Feeding
Convict Fry; Somewhat Urgent! 09/19/09
Feeding Cichlid Fry II
Thank you, Chuck!
Is what the adults chew and spit out enough for the fry, or do they need
more?
Regards, ~Babale
<In order to make sure that they all get enough food I would recommend
adding the crushed food water mixture. If you leave it to the adults
then you will get fry of different sizes.-Chuck>
Skittish Pl*co and Feeding
Fry, reading 5/12/09
Hey guys! Me again.
<Oh?>
First of all, thanks for the help with my convicts; they are doing fine,
and the eggs are noticeably brown now. I am hoping for fry by tomorrow!
Anyways, I have a couple new questions.
First, my pl*co: He's becoming very skittish now. There was a time when
he was very aggressive, latching onto one of my gouramis, but not the
other; ever since the picked on Gourami died (of unrelated causes; the
pl*co left him along for the last few months of his life) the pl*co has
been peaceful.
He even made progress towards being more of a day fish; for the last few
weeks, he was more active during the day. But now he's regressing,
becoming skittish whenever I go to check on him. An worse: He's
developing a few bite marks on his dorsal fin and tail.
<From?>
At least I think that they are bite marks; there are no color changes,
just missing pieces, and a few at that. I probably shouldn't worry, but
I do anyways. I don't know why this would happen; I've never seen him
attacked during the day. My one guess is that he strayed too close to
the Convict cave, and was bit;
<Very likely>
but the missing pieces are too big for a tiny Convict,
<More than one bite>
so I don't know. In fact, no fish in the tank is really big enough to
take a bite that big at once. What do you
think happened, and what should I do? Is this normal? (The rays are just
fine, and aside from some skittishness, he seems happy enough.)
<Stay observant and no, not natural>
On a happier note, how should I get the food to my Convict fry when they
hatch?
<Read... on WWM re their reproduction, that of other Neotropical
Cichlids... http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind2.htm>
I've read to take a plastic bag with a small hole, fill it with
ground-up fish food, and squeeze some out when near the fry. Is this
right?
<Nope>
And won't the parents be annoyed?
Thanks again, and eagerly waiting for an answer;
~Babale.
<Keep reading. Bob Fenner>
Convict breeding: Reading\Using WWM. 4/6/2009
<Hello, whomever you are...>
First of all my fry are about 1/4 of an inch long and the mom is about 2
days pregnant again.
<Common with Convicts>
What are the chances that she will eat the old fry once she lays her new
eggs?
<Almost guaranteed, posted here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/convictfaqs.htm >
Secondly, both parents are pink and I was wondering what are the chances
that there will be a mix of pink and black cons?
<Impossible to tell>
<Mike>
Forced Convict Pairing 2/11/09
All knowing WWM crew, I have
recently come into owning a tank and a 5 year old female Convict cichlid
second-hand from a friend who could no longer care for her. She had never been
in heated water so when I bought a heater
she started becoming more active
and colorful. I decided to buy a male and see if she would accept a mate. The
biggest male I could find is about half her size so I figured that since the
males are more rough on the females that they would have a better chance of not
hurting each other. I brought the male home and started acclimating him when I
noticed that the female had already laid eggs all in her cave. I let the male
out and she was in defense mode and chasing him so I put the male into a
separator net. After she ate the eggs I let him out and she is still chasing him
around constantly. I made him a little cave that she can't fit into and it seems
to be fine with him. Is this pair just not going to work? I know you guys
suggest buying six at a time to see which pair off but since I already have the
big female what would you suggest? I would love to be able to find her a mate
but like I said its hard finding a male close to her size, at least in Oklahoma.
Thanks, Casey
< She views the male as a threat to her eggs. Cichlids
often lock jaws in a test of strength to determine if a mate is suitable or not.
When the male is large enough to challenge her, then you have a chance of them
pairing up. It is true that they may not ever pair up, but when he gets larger
the chances do improve.-Chuck>
Re: Convicts Paired Up 2/17/09
Dear
WetWebMedia Crew, Thanks for the response to my questions. Three days after I
got my reply from you guys I noticed the male was out more. That then changed to
him being more active with the female which progressed into
lip locks and
nesting. Today the female started laying her eggs in a flower pot I had placed
in the tank and they are both guarding that whole side of the tank. Now I gotta
figure out what I'm going to do with a bunch of baby
convicts. Deal with
that when the time comes. Thanks again, Casey
< Congrats on being a cichlid
breeder and welcome to the wonderful world of cichlids. The eggs will hatch in
three days at 80 F and will become free swimming in another three and will
require feeding at that time. They will eat baby brine shrimp, microworms and
finely crushed flake food.. Good luck moving the fry.-Chuck>
Breeding Convicts - 4-11-08
Hey Chuck. I have a female convict and its about 2 inch big, and a male
which is an inch.
I was wondering if they can breed at that size?
<Usually the male needs to be a little bigger than the female, but if she is
ready to breed then a smaller male may be acceptable.>
The female is chasing all the other fish away, while the male is digging rocks,
so far the male made a flat surface.
Can the male fertilize at that size?
< It is possible for them to pair up but his sperm may not be very viable.>
What size does the male have to be, to fertilize eggs?
<I have seen them spawn at about an inch and a half.>
What size does the female have to be to lay eggs?
< I have seen a one inch females lay a few eggs. Bigger females tend lay more
eggs.>
How do you know when they are ready to breed?
<You usually see some sort of courtship like flaring fins and some jaw locking.
Then they begin to defend a territory.>
What I said before, does that mean that they are ready to breed.? It seems like
they are getting along with each other.
< You could be very close to having a breeding pair.-Chuck>
Sizing Convicts - 4-11-08
Hey Chuck. its Eric again. I was wondering how big can convict get in size.?
< Males can get up to 6 inches while females rarely get over three inches.>
The male that is an inch big. Can it fertilize? The female is only 2 inch in
size. Can she lay eggs?
<A larger male would do a better job of fertilizing the eggs. She is big enough
to spawn.-Chuck>
Re: Convict Cichlids With Fry 4/17/08
Hey Chuck, Thanks heaps again, my convict manage to lay 50 eggs.
I have got about 30 fry. I don't know if I should separate the male? The female
won't allow the male go near the fry.
She will always chase him away, if he gets close? What should I do?
He isn't eating them or attacking anyone. I think he is really harmless.
Should I take him out? Please get back to me. Thanks heaps chuck .
Eric. thanks heaps hey.
< If you really want to keep the fry then I would recommend that you pull them
out, especially if they are free swimming. It is just a matter of time when one
or both parents may decided to go after the fry. You could always let them stay
with both the parents. If they eat them they will probably spawn again in a
couple of weeks.-Chuck>
Convicts breeding & whatch you gonna do?
I have a 55 gallon tank. There is a Pleco, two clown knives,
<What? This fish gets about the length of this tank... four feet... in the wild
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=2078&genusname=Chitala&speciesname=chitala>
2 tiger barbs, 4 giant Danios, and 3 zebra Danios along with two female
convicts, and a pair of convicts.
<What a mix!>
The pair's eggs hatched out on Christmas day. They have been doing really great,
there were 130 eggs or so, and there ended up being about 30 fry born. So after
they have guarded these babies well, and they have not been too rough on the
other fish because they stay on one side of the tank and my knives on the other.
<Eventually the Knives will eat all these other fishes>
They don't even pay attention to the other fish at all because they are not
really too much of a threat to them I guess.
Anyway, to make a long story short here, there have been quite a few fry
that have disappeared. I know it is bound to happen and am not to worried about
that. However, the daddy fish has decided to kick out the mommy fish. He won't
let the mommy near the babies anymore at all.
<Happens>
And instead of them being
black and white. Especially the male, he is dark black and dark grey striped.
<Good description>
He doesn't like the other two females either. Why in the world is he doing this?
<Uhh, because he can? Likely a behavior that has survival value eh? Maybe he
would mate with another female next time/s... a mix of genes, mates would
benefit the species through space and time>
Is it because the babies are not all there?
<Maybe... it is possible he "blames" the female>
And should I remove him from the tank for a few days so that mommy can take over
watching over the fry again or just leave them the way they are? thank you for
your input I really do
appreciate it.
<Depends on what you want to do... become a breeder/supplier of convict
cichlids? In this size system (w/o the Knives... you should trade them in,
otherwise move them to other quarters), your convicts should continue to spawn,
the young be mostly consumed... You can separate the eggs, raise elsewhere, take
the fishes out... Bob Fenner>
BABY CONVICTS!!!
Hello,
I just had a bunch of convict fry. Today is the first day that I see them and
they still look like little tadpoles. The female is still fanning them. How long
shall I leave them in there before taking them out? Is there a sign that the
female wont care for them or when they can survive on their own? Please
advice. I am very excited!!
< Your convict fry will be in this wiggler stage for about three days at 80
degrees until their egg sac is absorbed. They will then start to swim around
looking for food. At this stage they should be fed baby brine shrimp and newly
hatched brine shrimp. I would siphon them out in about a week. The female
convict will be getting ready to spawn again soon and may eat the earlier
fry.-Chuck>
CONVICT CONCERNS
My friend has a breeding pair of convicts that are brother & sister. Their
mother was a pink con & dad was a striped. When my friends bro-sis pair had fry,
I took two of the pinks hoping they'll breed. I have them in a 15 gal w/a small
school of baby zebra Danios. One of the pinks is 1/2 inch long, & the other is
about a centimeter long. Being so small I know it's difficult to sex them, but
I'm hoping because of the size difference I'd be certain to have a pair. My
questions are- Since these two pinks are from the same hatch & their parents are
bro & sis is this WAY too much inbreeding for convicts?
< No not really.>
Would their fry be retarded if they were to breed?
< No.>
How good are my chances of HAVING a male/female pair since it's so hard to tell
by their small size?
< You convicts are sexually dimorphic by size, so a large one and a small one
could be a pretty good sign that they are a different sex.>
Would I simply be better off feeding these guys to my grown cichlids in my 30
gal & getting a breeding pair of pinks from my LFS?
< If you want a guaranteed pair then you would be better off at the LFS and
getting a pair of fish that were larger and easier to sex. The ones at the store
have probably been inbred for over twenty years so I don't think that would be a
problem.>
I don't want to inbreed these fish if it's going to cause a problem, even though
I plan on using any future fry as feeders for my 30 gal. What are your thoughts
about using cichlid fry as feeder fish to larger cichlids?
<The convicts are easy to breed but sometimes outsmart the larger fish and learn
to hide.>
Considering they're such prolific breeders, I know I'd never find homes for all
the babies, but I don't want to compromise the health of my other cichlids if
you think this is a bad idea.
< Actually raising your own fry for food is a good idea since they won't carry
any weird diseases into the main tank.>
Plus, my husband thinks that the baby pink cichlids will be "friends" w/ the
baby zebra Danios since they will grow up together. Is that really possible?
< I am not aware of fish making "Friends " with other fish.>
I'm thinking once the cichlids get big enough those Danios will become
"dinner"!!!
<These convicts will indeed look upon your zebra Danios as dinner when they get
bigger.-Chuck>
Texas/Convict Cross
Interracial dating??? Hi, I have a 30 gal aquarium with one Texas (about
4"), two convicts (about 2"), and one Koi (about 5"). I recently noticed one of
them has spawned inside a tipped over pot I put in there as 'territory'. I
watched for a while, and to my amazement realized it was the Texas cichlid who
laid the eggs and the convict (who is about half the Texas' size) who was in
there with her, fertilizing. They both take turns guarding the nest and do so
aggressively. Has anyone run into this before???
< Yes, it happens all the time.>
Now I know they prooooobably are NOT going to successfully breed (LOL), but
what's the deal???
< Fish have a need to reproduce. When the proper mate is not available they
choose the next best thing.>
Do they often form weird, cross-species pair bonds like that... or do I just
have some seriously crazy fish?
< This normally does not happen when both sexes of the same species are
present.>
And with Texas Cichlids forming pair bonds, will I be able to intro a male
Texas (later, in a larger tank, of course) and will they realize and form their
own pair bond?
< If a male Texas is introduced it will probably pair up with the correct
female. The sooner the better.>
Will she dump her little felon man for a hearty Texan????
< Hopefully and probably.>
Will her ex con try to murder her by slipping rat poison in her drink????
lol, OK, just going a little Soap Opera here... ; ) But seriously.... Can
someone help me out with my weird fish? Kim
< Get the proper sexes to pair your fish up and hopefully nature will take
care of itself.-Chuck>
Convict Breeding
I have 3 black convicts that I have had for a few weeks (2 females and 1
male) and I hope to get 3 pink convicts but the ones I have will not spawn. I
have done water changes and bumped up the temp. about 4-5 deg. But they WILL
NOT spawn is there anything else I can do to fool them. Thanks.
Ty
<Please be careful here. Convict Cichlids are one of the most aggressive
cichlids we keep. One mated pair per tank. When they do breed that's all that
will be left alive anyway. Breeding is very easy. Just feed a good, varied diet.
No feeder fish, but live earthworms, insects, spiders and such along with a good
flake or pellet. Lots of fresh water changes will be needed. Make sure they have
a few flat rocks set up at different angles. They'll choose the one they like.
Once they start you will be overwhelmed with fry. Make sure you think this
through. Are you able to house hundreds of fry? Don> Saving Convict Fry
Hey Bob (or who ever reads this)
<Mike G reading this now. :-)
Thanks for helping people with their pets.
<You're very welcome. Everyone on this crew deserves thanks like that.
Anyway I got a 625 gallon and holds
2.oscars
1.reddevil
a pair of Flowerhorns (no babies yet)
2.plecos
2.parrots
3.jacksdemseys
3.pacus
and a pair of convicts.
<Sounds like a wonderful set up!
Anyway my convicts had babies today and I had went through this before
but the female ate the babies.
<That's odd. Convicts are known as the best parents in the cichlid
world.>
Anyways since I discovered it now I'm just afraid that when those fish
hatch they will go into the gravel because they didn't dig the gravel
under where they laid the eggs. Will the parents be able to find them
when they start moving them????
<I assume the parents will be able to locate their fry. If you're really
serious about raising the fry, try setting up a separate rearing tank
and remove the eggs to it. See the following link for more info on
convict cichlids.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/convictfaqs.htm
BABY CONVICTS
Hi, I have a pair of Convicts they spawned and now I have about 100 little
guys swimming around. right now there in a 10 gallon, and yes I know that the
tank is to small for them I just wanted them to grow more before I put them in
my 30 gallon. My question was when do I take the babies out? As far as I can
tell they haven't started to pick them off yet, so are they fine for now or do I
need them out ASAP? Thanks - Halisha
<They can actually be taken out at any time. If they are free swimming then
siphon them out with some airline tubing and feed them baby brine shrimp. After
about two weeks the parents get ready to spawn again and will eat the
fry.-Chuck>
Convicts pt2
Yes I do have housing for 100s of fry. I have 9 tanks. You said the most
aggressive fish we keep. Can you send me a pair and if so at what price if any
other than shipping.
Thanks,
Ty
<By "we" I did not mean "me". Sorry, have not bred Convicts in years. I don't
have the room. But they are usually very common and cheap in fish/pet stores. If
you do not mind paying for shipping check out
www.aquabid.com Don>
MOVING MATED CONVICTS
Hi guys. First off, I just wanted to say again that you guys are awesome.
I have a pair of convicts that just began breeding - about 2 week old fry right
now, and it looks like they're guarding some more eggs. The tank they are
in was intended for an Oscar (he is in there with them now)... it was supposed
to be a temporary home for the convicts and then they would be moved to their
own tank - but they were too quick for me.
I have 2 questions...
1 - Can I move them safely to the other tank, without disrupting the fact that
they have started breeding? (I'm pretty sure that since they are already
breeding, they will continue to, but just want to be sure)
< Move the pair to one tank and then move the fry or eggs to another tank of
their own if you want to save them.>
2 - The "nest" they have set up is inside the hollow leg of a somewhat large
tank decoration. Should I be moving this decoration with them? Or will the
decorations/hiding places in their new tank be ok? (I would like to keep the one
they are using in the current tank, but will move it if necessary)
< Convicts are pretty adaptable and will soon find another suitable ornament or
rock to spawn on.-Chuck>
Hybrid Convicts
Hi. We did not intend for our fish to inter breed. But they did and now we
have babies. The parents are to our surprise are the Convict and Topaz. Both of
them seem to be good parents so far. But what kind of fish are we going to end
up with? And is there a site where you can watch the growing stages of fry? From
egg to young adult? Have you heard of these two fish breeding before? Thanks
Dena & Tom
< A cross between these two fish is not unusual. They usually happen in mixed
Central American tanks. The fry don't look very good. Sometimes stores will
carry them because they are an oddity but after a while they stop because they
don't sell. I don't know of any web sites that show a progressive cichlid growth
sequence. There are a couple of series in angelfish and some discus books so
there are probably a couple web sites with some photos on it.-Chuck>
Crossed Convicts
Hi
I did notice that there were questions about convicts and interbreeding.
We have a 55 gal. tank and have a topaz and convict, fire mouth and a
krib[ensis]. We noticed yesterday that there are babies all around the
flat rock in the tank. Looks as if the Topaz and convict have bred. They
both seem to be caring for the fry and doing a good job at it. We
removed all the other fish to a different tank . So that the convict and
topaz can't hurt them. The topaz turned out to be aggressive so we can
only imagine that this combination will be very aggressive. Any
suggestions on the combination .
<No , you will just have to wait and see how the fry turn out.>
We thought that we would like to raise a few to see what they are going
to look like. We had no idea that this could happen.
Should we leave the fry with the parents?
< If you want to keep some then take them out when they become free
swimming.>
Noticed that the convict doesn't want the topaz around the babies that
much. and the topaz seems to be trying to be a parent as well.
< The cross may be interesting but after a week or so the parents may be
ready to breed again and will eat the fry so it is best that they be
removed .-Chuck>
Convict Breeding Question
I have a 40 gallon tank of 8 convicts,
<Convicts>
3 black, 1 pink and 4 albino. Only one of the females is "sexually active". She
had paired up with the largest (black) male for about a week but no fry. Her
current mate is the pink and things look more promising but I'm having trouble
understanding which stage in the process they're in. For 4-5 days the male
(smaller than her) has not left his post at all. I assume he is guarding eggs
but they should have hatched by now. The nest looks ideal and the other convicts
don't bother them at all. When and how does the fertilization take place? Thank
You for your expertise.
<Mmm, these cichlids will fight in a system of this size, crowded together...
would be better to have just a/the pair in a twenty by themselves... Much you
can learn by observing them... Bob Fenner>
Convict Breeding Question - II - 09/16/2005
Since I'm retired, about all I do all day is take part in this
interesting hobby.
<Sabrina here, in Bob's stead, and envious of your use of time! Wish I
could do that.>
14-16 inches of (cichlid) fish in a 39 gallon tank doesn't seem like a
lot.
<A mating pair can terrorize and even kill the other fish. Even if none
pair up to spawn, these guys will really peat each other up.>
I have a carrying Yellow lab in my only extra tank so I would have to
buy another convict breeding tank. But like I said, it's a pretty peaceful
environment with the other convicts rarely venturing 3/4 the way across the
tank. But since convicts don't have "egg spots" like their African cousins, if
you could just tell me how the fertilization process is accomplished, I'd surely
appreciate it.
<These are not mouthbrooders, hence no egg spots. The female will lay
part of the clutch, and the male will fertilize.... they usually will spawn in
a cave, under an overhang, or in a pit if no other suitable structure is
available. If a pair successfully spawns in this tank, the remaining fish are
likely to be quite damaged. I'm not confidant that a pair can/will spawn,
however, with the increased stress of having so many conspecifics about. Keep
in mind, a single pair's territory in the wild can consist of several square
feet of surface area.... Pack them in like this, and they're not going to
behave naturally.>
Thanks Again !!
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Convict Breeding Question - III - 09/17/2005
Sabrina, don't get me wrong. I really appreciate your comments but
be prepared to be blown away. I got interested in Cichlids ONLY because
they were the only fish that could stand up to my 2 red slider turtles.
<Oh, my.>
Yes, this same tank was originally a turtle only tank but I wanted more
color, hence I experimented with some fish. At one time I had 2
Pseudotropheus Socolofi, 4 Pseudotropheus Estherae and 4 Convicts,
(2M/2FM).
<Plus two red sliders? That must've taken daily water
changes.... Yikes.>
One day my wife noticed lots of little fish swimming around and it was
easy to tell a pair of convicts had bred.
<The resilience and procreative tendencies of these fish never cease to
amaze me, and I am quite surprised.>
None of the fish or turtles were harmed except for the babies.
<You mean aside from the fact that their water requirements are all
quite different, namely temperature for the turtles?>
Four baby convicts survived as I let nature take it's course. Now that
was a crowded tank!!! Soon after, I got rid of the turtles and now I'm
obsessed with my new cichlid hobby. Suffice to say that my tank is now a
very natural environment compared to the days of 4" turtles lurking
around like great white sharks!!
<Indeed.... A major improvement. Yet, we do try to recommend giving
our captive fish as close to a natural environment as possible; you have
fish from two vastly differing environments with differing water
parameters, in confines that are perhaps less than optimal.... much to
consider, here.>
I'll let you know how I fare. Thanks Again.
<Sure thing. Wishing you well, -Sabrina
Convict Breeding Question - IV - 09/19/2005
Sabrina Writes,
"you have fish from two vastly differing environments with differing water
parameters, in confines that are perhaps less than optimal.... much to
consider"
Your above comment is in the present tense so I assume you're not talking about
my old turtle environment.
<Correct.>
In my original post, I said I had 8 convicts (+ a couple Chinese cats) in a 40
gallon tank (39). Just how is that "differing environments with different water
parameters in less than optimal confines?
<Pseudotropheus estherae are a fish from Lake Malawi, in Africa, with a
preferred (some would argue required) pH of well over 8.0. Archocentrus are
from central America, and fare best in a pH less than 8.0. The social
structures and environment these fish are inclined toward are quite different.>
Remember total length of fish is about 16 inches, with 4 of the 8 being those 4
babies that survived in my convict breed about 6 months ago.
<Size isn't so much the issue as compatibility; though as you said, their
environment is worlds better than with the turtles looming over them - I'm just
letting you know that there are options to consider, should you with to make
other changes. The first things to consider with a fish tank are whether the
fish are compatible with the system, and whether they're compatible with each
other. Aggression is not the only thing to think about with regards to
compatibility. Obviously, though, what's working for you is working.>
Why do you feel my captive fish have it so bad?
<I don't. I'm just calling it like it is. I would state the same if someone
told me they had an angel in with Frontosa, or Kribs with Julidochromis. Their
requirements differ. I would think it wrong of me to overlook this and not say
anything; I'm not saying it is bad of you to keep them together, or I'd've said
"It's bad of you to keep them together". I'm just offering some facts; what you
do with them is your call. And again, what works for you, works.>
It's description is certainly not any worse than most other posts I've seen on
this board.
<Don't get me wrong; I absolutely agree. Again, I'm just here to dispense
information and offer my opinion. You decide what you do with it; not I. I'm
not here to pick fights, light fires, start battles or even launch a thousand
ships (I haven't the face for it!) - just to offer what I've got to offer. All
the best, -Sabrina>
Convict Breeding Question - V - 09/19/2005
Sabrina,
<Tony, let me first apologize for this very belated reply. I had been rather
ill for a while, and now that I'm better, it's been a bit of a stretch to get
the messages answered that were in my inbox. Please accept my deepest
apologies.>
I will say it again. In my original post I gave you the contents of my tank. 8
convicts. PERIOD. (and a few Chinese cats). I must have confused you because
we're still talking about Pseudotropheus estherae.
<Ahhhhh, I see now. Not sure what had given me the idea that the Pseudotropheus
were still in there. Assuming the "Chinese cats" are Gyrinocheilus sp. (we tend
to call them Chinese algae eaters around here; common names vary among folks),
then yes, I agree that you have no real compatibility issues with regards to
water parameters. I do still feel that you have too much fish volume, but
again, I will reiterate, this is my opinion, and I will not change it. What
works for you, works, and ultimately, only you can decide what works for your
tank.>
I mentioned those fish and others including 2 red slider turtles ONLY in
response to your view that my tank may be too overcrowded to breed. I was trying
to inform you that I used to have an awful environment for my convicts and they
STILL BRED successfully.
<They are a resilient fish.... to be sure....>
At that time I really didn't care a lot about my fish because I was "into" my
turtles. When I found my tank full of baby convicts, it gave me a whole new
outlook, and I got rid of the turtles and bought another tank for the Africans.
Now I have 5 tanks much to the displeasure of my wife. (Our house is only 685
square feet).
<Find a fish she likes! Then she'll agree, you need another tank or two
<grin>. My husband is finally mildly interested in fish, since he discovered,
of all things, fancy guppies. Sigh. At least they produce food for my other
fish!>
Anyway I think I ended up getting you confused by mentioning the turtles and
Africans.
<Doesn't take a lot to confuse me, I assure you.>
BUT GUESS WHAT? My pair of convicts finally had babies!!!
<See? You need another tank or two ;) >
But the female doesn't seem to be a very good mom. She is constantly away from
the nursery trying to rekindle her relationship with the dominate male of the
tank. She tried unsuccessfully with him before.
<Mm, I think this may be due in part to the volume of fish.... if she is not
confidant the young have a good shot at growing up, she might just not try
raising them. Or maybe she's just a flirt, who knows. In her eyes, the
dominant male may be a really hunky-lookin' fish!>
Meanwhile, the male parent is visibly upset and often doesn't let her come into
the cave.
<She's left him for another man! Well, joking aside, if he is perceiving her as
a threat to the young at this point, then he will guard them from her.>
Question Please, Which gender stays close to the fry and which one patrols the
outer perimeter?
<The female usually stays near the young and the male fends off predators/other
fish. If the pair has "split", I am not sure how the remaining parent will
act. Sounds like the male, in your case, is sort of playing both roles, yes?>
Thanks Sabrina.
<You bet. Again, I apologize for the delay in reply. Fortunately, I'm all
caught up now! Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
|
Strange Convict Breeding Behaviour 9/20/05
Hi, thanks for reading my post. I have a female convict that has been with 3
males over the past 2 months but nothing has ever happened after they each pair
up, dig a site, and presumingly after they lay and fertilize eggs. Since I doubt
there is anything wrong with the 3 males. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE FEMALE IS
DROPPING FLAWED EGGS?
Currently, the poor male spends his entire waking hours with eyes glued on the
eggs, as if the eggs are going to hatch any second. But it's been 8-10 days
now. Also, the female has now started to engage in some "two-timing" by getting
very friendly with her "Original" male mate. CAN SOMEONE COMMENT ON THIS
SITUATION? Sabrina? Thank You so much. Tony
< Males are usually larger than the females and have longer fins. Most females
have an orange patch on the belly areas. At 82 F the eggs should hatch in three
days. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Pick one
male and leave her with the female. Feed them heavily with black worms or small
washed earthworms. After they spawn the eggs should hatch in three days.
Unfertilized eggs turn white and soon fungus. The newly hatched fish resemble a
small wiggling mass for an additional three days. After that they absorb their
egg sac and become free swimming and require small food like newly hatched brine
shrimp. If you don't get any fry with this male then swap him out for another
after a couple of attempts. I suspect that the males are so busy fighting over
the female that none of them has the time to fertilize the eggs.-Chuck>
Breeding Convicts 1/26/06
Hi crew. I have two questions?
1) I have a pair of a convicts. A pink male and black female. They are about
3.5inches long. They have spawned about 5-6 times. The LFS keeper says that they
won't spawn again as the number of fry has decreased in the last spawn. Is it
true?
< They will spawn again. It is just a matter of time and conditioning.>
I love my convicts and want them to reach the max. size of 6inches. Should I
separate the pair and grow them separately as they are 1.5 yr old and have not
reached their maximum size?
< Your convicts will either put their resources towards reproduction or growing.
Separate them and they will grow faster than if you kept them together and they
continued to spawn every few weeks.>
2)Will feeding large amount of live brine shrimps to the fry cause gill flukes
or any other disease?
<No.-Chuck>
Any help will be greatly appreciated. thanking you.
Getting the babies... Convict Cichlids 12/16/05
Hey Bob, nice website you got. I was just wondering, how do you get the
babies out of the tank?
<Usually just netting them, sometimes they can be siphoned... sometimes removing
the parent/s, other livestock instead...>
Right now they're in a 40 gallon tank with the parents and another convict. They
don't really bother each other, only till they get near each other, that when
they start to bug each other. But I did look at the article about convict
cichlids, and I read that you have to use an airline tubing to get the babies
out of there and into their own tank. Can I use the same tubing I use to clean
the tank with?
<Yes... but with Convicts, best to remove the parents, leave the young in place
till they're larger... dime-sized or bigger>
Or do I use airline tubing? And how big does the tank for the fry have to be?
Can I use a one and a half gallon? Or do I buy a 5 gallon?
<"Bigger"... the better>
Well I hope I did not ask to much for just getting the babies out. And your site
still rocks!!!!! Sean
<Because of folks like ourselves writing back and forth. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Convict fry care, helping oneself 12/17/05
Oh and one more thing, what do the fry eat? right now I'm feeding them
crushed flakes. But they don't seem to eat the crushed flakes...
<Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm
See the Articles and FAQs re cichlids, reproduction, feeding... Bob Fenner>
Sexing Convicts - 11/24/2005
Hi, I have a question about my pink convict cichlids that I haven't been
able to answer. I have two of them, and am having a hard time telling if they
are both female or not. They have engaged in what I've read to be typical
mating behavior, with one chasing the other around, as well as some aggressive
fin nipping, culminating in an odd sort of act where they face each other and
puff their gills out (I have no idea what this means).
<Just something they, and other cichlids, "do". Makes them look bigger, meaner,
tougher....>
This ended ultimately with one of the two laying eggs; I believe it was the
larger of the two, which had begun to swell a bit at the belly, and is now back
to normal size. My question is do males sometimes have some orange on them?
<They can.... This unnatural color morph has been selectively bred for quite
some time; a little bit of orange isn't surprising.>
I cannot tell by fin length, as this fish's fins got nipped off during the
chasing phase. (They are growing back now, however) The fish I know to be
female has a lot of orange spreading across the majority of her body and dorsal
fins, while the other has only a tiny few scales on its belly. They both spend
a lot of time near the eggs, which are cloudy with a white dot near one
end. I'd really like if they were viable, but, I'm not sure.
<You'll know soon if they're not.>
Thanks very much, -Jenny
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Convict Basics 10/6/05
I have tried to find book on how to breed convict cichlids, I am not
a beginner on aquariums, however I want to expand and start breeding
tropical freshwater fish! I want to find a book containing atmosphere, tank
size, temperatures, "decorations", and basically all I need to know on breeding
these "Tank Criminals", if you could help in any way please email me back with
some response, thank you very much for you time.
< To breed convicts you need a pair. Males are larger than females with longer
fins. Females often have a orange patch on the belly area. When they are about 2
inches you can feed them very well on some live or frozen food. Do big 50% water
changes. Keep the water around 80 to 82 F. This will get them to spawn. The eggs
hatch in three days and the fry become free swimming in another three. At this
stage they need to be fed baby brine shrimp, micro worms, and crushed flake
food. They should separated from the parents at this stage. Good luck.-Chuck.
Reed
Breeding Convicts - 05/16/2006
Hey love your page, I look at it a lot. The reason I am writing you all is I
just got a pair of convict cichlids. When I 1st added them to the tank they
stuck close to each other, now its been 1 week and the larger of the 2 has
gotten darker. The larger one doesn't do anything but chase the smaller one
around. The smaller one tries to hide but The larger one looks for him/her. I
know that the smaller one is a female, Because she has the pinkish red coloring
on the stomach. But is it normal behavior for the larger one to get darker? Do
you think the larger one is trying to breed and the smaller one is not ready
yet? Also is it normal for him to search for the smaller one like that? I've
found that she hides close to the surface and when he comes near she tries to
back away so she isn't seen. thanks, David
< This is pretty normal for young convicts. The male is chasing the female and
trying to get her to breed. She is not ready and needs a hiding spot where she
can rest and build up some body fat. Try some live or frozen food to get things
going. Floating plants, either plastic or real will give some cover. Zoo Med now
has a floating aquarium log out that will allow picked on fish a place to hide
and recover. It works great.-Chuck>
Breeding Convicts - II - Female Convict Hiding From Male - 05/17/2006
Thanks, for your advice. I just got the floating plant and she doesn't even
go near it. She just sits by the filter and doesn't move. You think she will be
okay?
< This is strange because in your first letter you said she was at the surface
trying to get away from the male. She has probably never seen a floating plant
before and needs a few days to get use to it. If the male convict can still see
her then you need more vegetation/rocks/caves for her to hide. Ultimately you
could move her to a different tank, use a tank divider or add numerous cut
pieces of PVC pipe for her to hide in and around.-Chuck>
Convicts Breeding? - 05/06/2006
Hi! I have 2 female convicts and I am seeing a lot of aggression towards
each other. The larger Convict is hovering near a rock formation and guarding
it ferociously. Could she be laying eggs? What will happen without a male to
fertilize them? Thanks! Sharon
< It has been documented that a female convict will lay eggs even if there is no
male available to fertilize them. Females usually have yellow-orange coloration
on the belly while males tend to be larger with longer fins. Unfertilized eggs
usually die after 24 hours, turn white and are soon fungused.-Chuck>
Convict fry 6/11/06
Hi, First just want to say your website is so informative but I need to know
this one question PLEASE help. We have three black convicts 2 male 1 female. Two
have paired off and spawned quite a few times. Over Easter 2006 we removed quite
a few babies (approx 1.5 to 2 weeks old) and put into a smaller tank we did lose
quite a few as I think the new tank wasn't conditioned enough but we have
managed to keep approx 20 babies. My question is this "Out of the 20 approx 4
have their stripes already and the rest are still a whitish colour the majority
of all the babies are about 1cm long. Is the fact that some are stripy and the
rest not an indication of whether they are male or female?
< There is a white form of convict that has been going around for at least 40
years. I suspect that your convicts are genetically linked to these and some of
your fry are showing those white color characteristics. It has no bearing on
which ones are male and which ones are female.-Chuck>
We also have in the babies tank 2 different lots of baby bristle nosed cat fish.
The first lot transferred into the same tank a couple of days after the baby
convicts and the second batch were put in there on 7th June 2006. The same
parents of catfish bred both those batches. Anyway would just love an answer
about the convicts with/without stripes
Thanks for reading my email Tracie Sunshine Coast Australia
Breeding Convict Cichlids 6/3/06
WHASSUP WWM! I have to thank you guys and your site! your site is soooo
useful! Thanks for helping people out with their pets! Back to my question, I
have a twenty gallon that has two convict cichlids and two dojo loaches. I'm
trying to breed my two convicts. It says on the topic about convicts that the
male has longer fins and a little hump on the forehead. While the female has
orange on its belly and gets more color at breed season. Well I tried many
methods for these small creatures to breed, I tried raisin the temp to 82
degrees, and keeping the tank crystal clean, and it said on one site to feed the
convicts four times a day. Not much but only a few pellets or sticks or
whatever food that the owner feeds the fish. And it also said to fit in some
blood worms or shrimp. I tried it and nothing happened, the convicts just became
more fatter when they eat. I got them one week ago. Do you think it's just
because they're just getting used to their new surroundings? Or do I just wait a
few days longer? I hope you can really help me one this problem! THANK YOU!
Xavier
<Give you cichlids at least a couple of weeks to spawn. If they are a pair then
you should see something by then. Ideally you should have gotten six fish. This
almost always guarantees you a compatible pair.-Chuck>
Breeding Size for Convict Cichlids 5/27/06
Hello. Your site is most amazing! I have a question though. My question is
about the size of a convict. What is the minimum size of a convict to start
breeding?
< Around one inch.>
Right now I have a 20 gallon that is bare with only a few big rocks. I will be
adding rocks soon. I bought my Convicts today and the male is already trying to
breed with the female, but the female flares back and follows a short distance
to the males cave, but trails off for some algae to graze on. I'm thinking that
the male is about one inch, and the female is also one inch. Is this size
suitable for both male and female to breed at this size?
< Get ready for a spawning.-Chuck>
Thanks for your big help. Sean
Convicts Breeding, Aggression, Behaviour - 05/15/2006
Hi,
I'm a newbie and I found your site and love it! I've learned a lot about the
fish that my husband and I have but I haven't been able to find the answer or
advice I need for this particular situation.
<Then perhaps I can help.>
We bought a pair of black (zebra) convicts and a Jack Dempsey. We had all 3 fish
in a 55 gallon tank - they are all small, the female convict is about 3 inches
and the male convict is about 4 and a half inches. Jack Dempsey is bigger at
about 5 and a half inches. The convicts had babies and they kept them away from
the Jack. We noticed that the convict parents were getting very tired constantly
protecting their babies from Jack so we put Jack in a 30 gallon tank. Right
after we moved the Jack to the other tank, the male convict started being really
mean to the female and wouldn't let her near the babies. It was like he was
chasing her and fighting her. We took her out and put her in with the Jack for
about a week. We then tried to put her back into the tank with the male and the
babies and he tore after her.
<This behaviour is rally not uncommon.>
We decided to take the male convict out and put him in with the Jack and they
seem to be ok with each other. There's a lot of chasing but it seems to be like
they are playing.
<Trying to establish territories in too small a space; it could get ugly.>
So now we have the female convict and the babies in the 55 gallon tank and the
Jack and the male convict in the 30 gallon. The babies are about 4 weeks old now
and we will be giving most of them away in about 3 weeks. My questions: if we
decide to keep some of the babies, how many would be ok to keep in the 55 gallon
tank?
<They WILL grow up, and they WILL breed. I would not try for more than three
adult pairs, and that only if the tank is heavy with plants or decor for
establishing territories.>
Would it be ok to keep the mother in with the babies and have that tank be just
a convict tank? Or would it be ok to introduce some dither fish in too?
<I would wait until most of the young are of a saleable size, pick the "best" to
keep, sell, trade, or give the rest, add some dither fish - a friend of mine
swears by rainbow fish for dithers for many of his cichlids - and reintroduce
the male once the female's fully recovered. Chances are, the next spawn,
they'll be more amenable to chasing dither fish than each other.>
I'm thinking that the Jack and the male convict would be ok in the 30 gallon
tank.
<The jack Dempsey may outgrow it, and the two in the tank together may spell
trouble before long.>
And that the babies that we decide to keep (and the mother) would need the 55
gallon tank. Thank you so much for your answers/advice and for all the work you
all do in helping people like me - clueless but loving the fish! -Jackie
<Glad to be of service. Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Breeding Convict cichlids 9/15/06
Hey, I have two convicts in a 29 gal tank with neon tetras,
swordtails and a painted glassfish. Well. I asking if you could
help me with helping them to
breed. All the male does is chase the female around until she
hides. Well if you can help me thanks
< Do a 50% water change and clean the filter. Make sure the water
temp is up around 80 F. Feed them lots of live foods.
Females usually have yellow on the body so make sure you have a
pair.-Chuck>
Re: Breeding Convicts II 9/16/06
Thanks Chuck. I been doing all of the things that you have
suggested, but all the male does is chase her and he seems to want
to kill her. So can help me with more info pls. Thanks
<The male has set up a territory within your aquarium. He will only
allow a female that is ready to spawn into this territory. Usually
when spawning these fish I recommend getting at least six. You have
a very good chance of getting a pair but more important is that they
are more compatible then if you were to force a pair together. lower
the water temp to the mid 70's. This should take them out of the
breeding mode and make the male less aggressive. If he is still
after her then remove one of them from the tank. Feed them with live
food and keep the water very clean for at least two weeks. Then
reintroduce them and then raise the water temp slowly back up to 80
F. After two weeks the female should have developed some eggs and be
more likely to spawn. Just because they have spawned does not make
them a very compatible pair. The male may eat the spawn and be after
the female to spawn again in just a couple of days so watch them
closely.-Chuck>
Convict Cichlid Questions 9/6/06
I read most of the questions on the site and Googled the question and
still can't find an answer. My male and female convicts one had stripe and
one was all pink (or albino?) anyway they had babies, the pink one which I
assumed to be the mother took care of the babies mostly chasing the one
with stripes the father) away until eventually he killed her. So I got rid
of him and was left with the babies. Now they are getting bigger some of the
biggest ones being about four times the size of the smaller ones all have
stripes. None of them are pink like their mother and some of them now have
an orange color on their fins and on their bellies, are they sick? is this
coloring normal? and why aren't any of them pink? Please help Christine
< The pink coloration is a recessive gene that normally only shows up when a
pink convict is mated with a pink convict. If you were to mate your fry
together, they would probably have some pink fry. Female striped convicts
usually have more color than the males on the belly area. This is
normal.-Chuck>
Breeding Convicts 7/9/06
Hi, new to keeping fish. I have a tank with 5 small convicts and
a large 4 in male. The male has started cleaning a pot over the last
5 days and he and a female very colourful orange belly and green
fins have dug a pit outside the pot. They are constantly cleaning
the pot and the pit , and chase any fish that come near , but when I
feed the leave the pot and the other fish do not bother them , but
as soon as feeding is over they return to cleaning and chasing the
other convicts , are my convicts breeding , if so how long will it
be for them to spawn ? Many thanks. Dave (McNaught)
< Do a big water change. Raise the water temp to 80 F. Feed them
well with some black worms or brine shrimp and I bet they spawn
within a week.-Chuck> |
|
 |
Keeping Convicts With Their Fry - 10/11/06
I have 2 convict cichlids in a tank. They have always been together and have
had about 6 sets of babies . But they always eat them. Right now they have 25
that are 11/2 months old that are doing great. But they just had more babies.
Will they eat the older ones? What can I do to keep the older babies safe ? Also
since they have been having babies how can i keep there tank clean without
bothering them?
< When cichlids are paired up and ready to breed they will spawn almost every
two weeks. In three days the eggs hatch. In another three days the fry become
free swimming and need to be fed. After another week the parents get ready to
spawn again and the fry are now looked at as a threat to the new eggs and fry.
If they are not chased away then they are usually killed or eaten. They should
be removed to a bare tank with a sponge filter and fed baby brine and crushed
flake food. The bare tank is easy to clean and the fry can be seen feeding off
the sponge filter.-Chuck>
Sexing White and Black Convicts 1/21/07
I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank with a pair of Convict Cichlids I
acquired from my neighbor about 3 months ago. The pair spawned within a week of
introducing them to their new home. I now have a 3 inch female, a 4.5 inch
male, and at least a hundred+ babies (blacks & pinks) ranging in size from 1/2
inch to 1.25 inches. This is the only tank I have, so I plan on
relinquishing most of the fry to a local fish store. I do, however, want to
keep a few pair, probably a pair of blacks and a pair of pinks. My problem is
that I have read all of the sexing tricks for convicts on every web site that
Google has provided, and I still can not sex even the largest of the
babies. None of the fry are showing any orange or yellow belly markings, and I
think the whole males have longer dorsal fins than females thing is a hoax
because my female's dorsal fin goes farther past her tail fin than my
male's. The only variance I have seen at all are that some of the black's
pectoral fins are very dark like my adult female's, and the other's are the same
gray tone as their bodies like my adult male's. Could this be the determinative
trait I am looking for, and how do I sex the pink's at all at this size???
Thanks for any help. Steve
<Here are some generalities in sexing Central American cichlids. Size, males are
almost always larger than the females considering that all the fish are the same
age. Finnage, dominant males seem to always have longer fins. If they are
dominant then they rule the tank. Smaller males usually get beat up by the
largest male so they will not show any sexual characteristics until they get to
be sexually mature and are ready to challenge the male. Breeding males may have
their fins bit off by the female during courtship, but they usually grow back.
Coloration, Male convicts usually have more bluish coloration in their fins and
the females may have orange yellow coloration in the belly-stomach area. Not all
convicts have this coloration but seems to be prominent in the fish being bred
in Florida and very common in the hobby. Look at them with a flashlight from the
side and see if any of these colors are starting to show up. Usually the fish
have to be at least an inch long before you start to see anything. Body shape,
very large males get a hump on their forehead where they store fat. females
don't have a hump. The last resort would be to vent them. This is a technique in
which you turn over the fish and look at the ventral area. There are two
openings. If the openings are the same size then it is usually a male. In
females one of the openings is usually larger that the other.-Chuck>
Baby Convicts With Big Fish II
Ok I get your point but I really think they won't eat them.
<Your fish must be very well fed.>
I was able to raise 100 s of convicts in the tank under the same conditions
it was the same kind of situation I bought 3 convicts and they never got bugged
and well in time they had babies never ate any. They had like 6 more batches in
the next 3 months. Man I had babies of all sizes and not a one got eaten. So
that's where I am stuck. Was your guesstimate on the fact you know that they
would get eaten cause they are jack d. and not convicts?
< Cichlids are opportunistic predators. This means they are pretty smart and
won't pass up an easy meal. Just about 90% of the time the smaller convicts
would be eaten or killed. You may be lucky. But on this website I still can't
recommend placing smaller fish with much larger fish and expect them to
survive.>
Or that tiger Oscars will eat anything?
< Oscars are not as smart as the convicts and the smaller fish might get
away with it. If they get eaten by the Oscars you are out four fish.>
Second of all if they did survive do you think having 4 jack s with my
Oscars would work when they are full grown?
<When cichlids breed they pretty much take over the entire tank. You fish
will go together for awhile, but if they breed you tank will not be big enough.>
And thanks for taking time to answer ... Tyler
< Next time correct your grammar. Spent way too much time fixing this email
so it can be printed.-Chuck>
Convicts Taking Care Of Fry 4/8/07
Hi guys, Thanks for the info it really helped and now I have at least 30
baby convicts in a seashell. But how long do the parents take care of the
fry until they try to eat them?
<Usually a week after they are free swimming they are going to be eaten
because the female is now getting ready to lay eggs again and she will need
a nutritious meal so she can lay lots of eggs.-Chuck>
Convict Cichlid Egg Color - 03/25/07
Hi again guys and thank you for the info before my convicts now have little
white eggs on a seashell in my tank. I was wondering if the eggs are supposed to
be this color
<Dead eggs turn white, live eggs are a translucent brown color.>
and I was wondering if after the fry is born will my male convict go back to
swimming with my Oscar fish? they did before.
< After spawning the male convict should be guarding the fry. Once the fry are
gone the pair bond could be gone too and the male convict might not pair up
again.-Chuck>
Keeping Cichlid Eggs Viable 03/26/07
Thank You yet again but I have one more question. What can I do to keep the
eggs brown?
And I swear this is the last email for a while.
<When cichlid eggs are first laid they tend to be a translucent clear brown
color. If the eggs are not fertilized in 24 hours they will turn white and begin
to be taken over by a white water mold. This use to be commonly referred to as a
fungus but recent work at Sacramento State have shown this to be actually a
water mold. The adults should be able to stay with the eggs and remove and dead
or diseased ones. Clean warm water goes a long way to keep eggs healthy. The
addition of some Methylene blue helps retard the water mold. If you continuously
get no eggs to hatch then you could have a male that is not fertilizing the
eggs.-Chuck>
Breeding Convict Cichlids 03/23/07
Hi Guys,
I have two convict cichlids, one female and one male, and the females
underbelly colors are almost like a rainbows color. She seems to be getting
bigger and they always dig holes in my tank gravel together they really get
along.
<Convicts usually present few problems for breeding once they've formed a pair.
They usually make excellent parents.>
I was wondering if the female holds the eggs in her belly and if so how long
until she lays them?
<She'll spawn when she's ready. Two things: be sure and raise the temperature
slightly above normal (25C/77F+) to encourage spawning and also pay attention to
diet. These are omnivores, so a mix of greens (chopped spinach, blanched
lettuce, algae) and insect larvae will get the female in best possible
condition. Alternate regular and vegetarian flake. Constipation is very common
in omnivorous fish given exclusively carnivore diets, and will cause abdominal
swelling that might be mistaken for eggs. Beyond that, breeding convicts should
be straightforward and rewarding. They exhibit lots of parental behaviours such
as parent-to-fry signals when alarmed. Enjoy! Neale>
Convicts and Oscars, repro. 3/14/07
Hi,
<Hello>
I stumbled across your website during a Google search and I found it very
informative, however there are questions that I would like to ask about our
convicts and Oscar fish.
<Okay>
Firstly, we have an adult size Oscar and recently introduced a much smaller
Oscar into his tank. These two fish interact with each other extremely well and
we were wondering how we can determine if we have a breeding pair...
<Mmm, they'll make this known in time... by successfully reproducing... There is
such a thing as two females laying eggs together...>
they seem very playful to each other and are always rubbing against each other
but we would also like to know how we can tell the difference between a male and
female Oscar?
<Posted... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/oscarreprofaqs.htm
and the linked files above>
A friend told me that you can tell the male from the female if their tale fin
and dorsal fin overlap.....I have done heaps of research online and I have never
come across this information....is their any truth to it?
<Mmm, some... the unpaired fins on most Cichlid species are longer, more pointed
in males than females... but individual care, early life history can alter
appearances...>
Secondly, we have a pair of convicts which every couple of weeks lay eggs that
never hatch. This has happened about 4 times now. The first couple of times
the female ate the eggs but more recently the some of the eggs turned a "yellow"
colour and then these little worm like creatures appeared all over the
eggs. The eggs have since been eaten but the wormy things still remain. Can
you tell me what this means and what we need to do to get our convicts to breed
properly?
<Mmm... May be that there is some creature in your tank interfering here... I
would move these fish to another system, and dump, clean the present tank...
Perhaps bleach wash it and its contents... See WWM re>
Thanks so much for your time...
Peta and Simon
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Convict Cichlid Aggression 5/12/07
I put 2 convicts together but the female keeps running away but she has
yellow all over her??????????
Blake
<Male convicts are larger with longer fins. Females usually have some yellow
coloration on the stomach area. Males will usually dominate other fish,
especially other convicts. Until the female is conditioned and ready to spawn he
will continue to chase her and may even kill her if there are no places for her
to hide.-Chuck>
Convict fry capabilities 5/7/07
Hello! WetWebMedia has help me tons on breeding my pair of convicts (THANK
YOU!!!!) But I'm having a problem. I have had a breeding, as I was planning for.
I have moved the mom into a holding tank for the period. My brother is getting
rid of 2 Dojo Loaches, will those 2 be fine in my tank of fry?
< If they will fit in the dojo's mouth, then they will be eaten or the dojo's
will attempt to eat them, depending how mobile they are.>
They are messy eaters, but with the loaches in the tank will eat the leftover
droppings. So whatcha guys say? Hope these 2 will do well!
-Sean
< Dojo's are always eating. When the food is gone, they will go after the
fry.-Chuck>
Hi, I have got a male and female convict who have babies which are about
3-5cm long and there are about 20 of them. 5/11/07
<Well done.>
What should i do with them and when how big till I can sell them?
<Ideally, rear them in another tank to a marketable size, but if you must keep
them with the parents, double the rate of water changes. Cichlid growth is
slowed down by dirty water, and so the more often you change the water in an
overcrowded tank, the faster the baby fish grow. As for selling them, ask your
retailer! Usually, 5 cm should be fine for them.>
Is it true that you can put them from cold water into warm water will it make
the female have more babies?
<Never heard of that and sounds dubious. Cichlids hate cold water, and many will
go into shock even if you pour too much too-cold water into their tank.>
Thanks
Jamie
<Cheers, Neale>
Baby convicts... 5/11/07
Thanks Neale for the reply but I forgot to ask you a question.
You said to put the babies in another tank last time they kept on dying
one at a time.
<Greetings. Baby convict cichlids are generally easy to rear. If you're
losing them, there's a few things that could be to blame. Water quality
is obviously important, just as with adult fish. Don't dump them in an
uncycled tank and assume they'll survive. If you need to, remove some
mature filter media from the main tank and put in the filter in the
breeding tank. A simple air-powered box filter is adequate and can be
easily filled with filter floss or ceramic media from the mature filter.
Regular water changes are *essential* when rearing baby fish. Diet is
another issue: baby fish invariably need lots of small meals, at least 4
per day, often 6 is better still. Baby fish can easily starve to death.
Many baby fish are tricky to feed, but convicts (like most cichlid
babies) are easily reared on powdered flake food and liquid fry food.
That's because they're somewhat omnivorous and don't need live baby
brine shrimp or infusorians. The next issue is infections. At least
until they are free swimming, newborn baby fish can be subject to things
like fungus. Very small fry can even be attacked by things like snails
and planarians, so keeping the tank clean is important. All things being
equal, Convicts make *excellent* parents, so if you can, let them do the
work for at least the first 2-3 weeks. In most cases, cichlids are
better at looking after their eggs and fry than we are! Cheers, Neale>
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Convictssss 7/8/07
Hi WWM Crew!
I recently bought 3 convicts (2 females, 1 male) and put them in a tank. The
tank is clean with relatively new water. The male kept chasing the females
viciously and seemed like he was biting them. Finally, i removed one of the
females and put her into a secluded tank and she DIED !! after 3-4 hours...I
quickly removed the other female also. Right now they are separated. My question
is: Should I keep them separated until they show signs of breeding (i read about
how to do "train" them) or should i put them together and just bear with the
chasing and do water changes? Thanks!
Frank Ye
<Hi Frank. What you describe is 100% normal for convicts. Please have a read of
the Convict FAQs over here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/convictfaqs.htm
. And yes, you do need to separate them until the female is ready to spawn. Even
then, introduce them carefully and watch for problems. A good tip is to use a
divider of some sort (such as egg crate) with a hole cut in it big enough for
the female but too small for the male. This allows her to swim to safety.
There's really no way to "train" cichlids to do anything other than their normal
breeding behaviours whether you approve of them or not. Much like humans really!
Cheers, Neale>
Re: convictssss 7/8/07
Sorry, just one more question. I know you guys are busy replying to other
people's emails. What kind of signs do they show when they are ready to spawn
besides coloration on female? and also, coloration on males too? Thanks, Frank
<Hello Frank. There are no obvious signs that the female is ready to mate. All
you can do is feed her well ("conditioning") on the best foods available. Live
foods such as snails and mosquito larvae ideally, but also (wet) frozen
bloodworms or similar. Once she is "in condition" she will look healthy and have
a nice round abdomen. You can assume that any male in good physical shape and
sexually mature will be willing to assume. Introduce the two fish into the
breeding tank, the female first, and the next day the male. Watch closely. The
bigger the breeding tank, the better your chances of a stable pair forming. I'd
suggest 30 gallons for an as-yet unmatched pair of fish. Once a stable pair is
formed, these fish breed readily and the fry are easy to rear. Be 100% sure you
have somewhere to get rid of the fry. Most tropical fish shops can only accept a
certain number of Convict cichlid juveniles. They are aggressive fish, and the
quality of much of the stock in the hobby is poor, lacking the lovely colours
(and impressive size) of wild-caught fish. You can easily end up with 100+
juveniles, and few retailers will take all of them from you. Cheers, Neale>
Re: convictssss 7/9/07
Do convicts have "good memory"? I had my male in the breeding tank for a
little while and he seemed to have set up a territory. I removed him because he
was attacking the female. When I put him back, will he remember? Thanks.
Frank
<Cichlids generally don't remember their territories *if* you move all the rocks
and ornaments about. But simply taking the fish out and then putting him back a
week later isn't certain to work. As I've said repeatedly, what you're
experiencing here is normal with convicts and there's really nothing you can do
to prevent it. You need to condition the female to the point where she is ready
to breed, and *then* introduce her to the male. Anything else is likely to end
in tears. Please, there are lots of good books on cichlids generally and Central
Americans specifically. Go buy or borrow one of these. Cheers, Neale>
Re: convictssss– 7/10/07
One quick question. I don't have time to borrow books. What does it mean
when the cichlid is wagging its "tail" at another one?
<Frank, don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't have time to sit and
read a book, you probably don't have time to look after animals properly.
Reading and learning isn't an optional extra, it's an essential part of the
hobby. Anyway, cichlids waggling tails can mean various things. If accompanying
other threat behaviours, like gaping and gill flaring, it's likely a sign of
aggression. If the female is doing this in front of the male, it typically means
she's inviting him to mate. If two males are doing this to each other but not
otherwise being threatening, it's a dominance thing, and they're using the
strength of the water current from the tail to judge who's the strongest. And so
on. There are several books about fish behaviour out there, and many are focused
on cichlids. Cheers, Neale>
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Convict cichlids
8/19/07
Hello WetWebMedia crew,
I find your site very useful. I have a pair of convict cichlids, about 2.5
inches, and right now they are moving around gravel and digging pits and
redecorating an area in the tank. And the female likes to stay in this little
cave rock thing that I have set up. Does this mean that they're going to breed
soon? do you know how long?
Frankie
<Yes, they're likely going to spawn soon. Spawning usually occurs within a
couple of days of the fish pairing off and decorating their cave. But often
cichlids will eat the first batch of eggs, almost as if they're "practising".
But convicts generally make superb parents, and before too long you will have
more baby cichlids that you'll know what to do with! Cheers, Neale>
Re: convict cichlids –
08/22/07
Hello WWM:
Yay, my convicts spawned yesterday! Why is it that the male convict doesn't
really display his stripes or his "colors" as much as the female does? is it
because there are no other fish/predators in the tank? (they are in a tank by
themselves)
<Well, male convicts are less colourful than females anyway. But also remember
the colours aren't there for your amusement, but for communication. When
fighting over territory or flirting with potential partners, the colour patters
will be used in different ways. When communicating to one another while guarding
the fry, and eventually when communicating with the fry themselves, different
colours are used. So for now, just sit back and enjoy cichlid behaviour. Cool
behaviour is, after all, why anybody keeps these cranky, violent animals!
Cheers, Neale>
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Growing convict fry –
09/01/07
Hi WWM!
How fast do convicts grow (if all conditions are normal)? I have a lot of fry
from a spawning from a couple weeks ago! they are doing well. I'm just wondering
how fast they will be growing. Thanks! =D
<Greetings. Cichlids generally reach a "saleable" size in 3-4 months, and will
be at least sexually mature if not adult sized within 6-9 months. This varies
somewhat from species to species, but other factors, specifically diet, aquarium
space (i.e., water quality and aggression), and water temperature are also very
important. But your convict cichlids will fit into this range, all being well.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: convict fry - 9/3/07
Dear WWM,
I read somewhere that convicts breed every 2-3 weeks? Will they breed again even
if the last batch of fry are there? or will they keep on taking care of those
fry?
<Convict cichlids, like most other cichlids, will spawn within days of their fry
or eggs being removed. If they are left with their fry, then they will extend
care to them for about 3-4 weeks, after which point the parents will become
increasingly short-tempered towards the fry. Eventually the fry will swim away
(or be killed, if the tank is too small) and the parents will spawn once more.
It isn't a good idea to let the cichlids breed constantly because it will wear
out the female especially. So leaving them with the fry for a while gives you a
few weeks to "fatten up" the female before she breeds again. Cheers, Neale>
Female Convict non-male
companion 7/25/07
Dear WWW Crew,
5 or 6 wks ago a co-worker had convict cichlids that were breeding out of
control (go figure). He netted up the babies and got them sold/given away. He
missed one little female and was going to just flush her. Sigh. Sounded
heartless to me so I took her & set her up in a spare 20 gal. I always keep
spare bio-wheel filters hanging on my main tanks so I can have a fully cycled
tank for quarantine or for emergencies such as this (learned that the hard way).
I used water & gravel from a cycled tank and she's doing great, about 2 1/2"
long.
I've become pretty attached to the little orphan, her name is "Lifer". I wanted
to name her "20 to Life" but was out-voted.
My sister told me about your web site and told me to search 1st, which I did.
But it seems most people keep convicts as pairs and most the information was
about breeding. I don't want babies but would really like some suggestions as to
a 'companion fish' for her. (will be quarantined of course). Maybe one of the
smaller catfish? How about another female Convict? Also, do you think a 20
gallon would be big enough for another fish? If not I'll just leave her in there
by herself.
Thanks for reading this and thank you for your undying dedication to this web
site. No doubt you've saved thousands of fish with your advice!
Amelia
<Hello Amelia. Territorial fish like Convicts don't become "lonely" in the way
humans do. We're sociable animals that have evolved to live in groups, and when
we're alone, we feel sad. Territorial cichlids, on the other hand, have evolved
to defend their "patch" fearlessly from potential competition, and view any
other cichlids as rivals to be expelled at once! So unlike humans, they get
unhappy when forced to live cheek-by-jowl with other cichlids in a too-small
aquarium. The only time they break this rule is when the find a mate, and even
then the truce is often only temporary! So, your female Convict is just fine by
herself. I personally wouldn't recommend adding any more fish to a 20 gallon
tank containing a Convict, since they have the potential to be pretty waspish.
But is she's still a baby and pretty docile, you could add an Ancistrus sp.
catfish of similar size, just making sure there were caves aplenty so each fish
could set up home comfortably. Cheers, Neale.>
Convict parents, repro.
10/14/07
Hello WWM,
<Frank>
My pair of convicts bred a little more than a month ago. The fry are doing well,
as I have removed them from their parents and put them in a separate tank.
However, now that the parents are by themselves (which they have been for about
2 weeks), they are starting to chase each other. Actually, just recently, the
male has been fiercely chasing around the female. Is something wrong?
<Mmm, no... they're just spawning again>
Should I remove the female? There are no other fish in my tank. Thanks!
Frank
<Well... do you want to produce more young? It may seem cruel, but if the
successive batches of eggs, young are left with the parents, this will slow down
their rate of reproduction... Bob Fenner>
Pink Convicts... repro./beh.
2/19/08
Hello WWM Crew,
I was given 6 pink convicts and when 2 paired off I gave away the remaining 4 to
LFS. Approximately 3 weeks after spawning and raising the fry, the male killed
the female and I don’t know why,
<Tank not big enough; Convict cichlids are notoriously rough when overcrowded,
and being so much bigger than the females, the males can seriously harm females
that do not respond to their overtures to breed again.>
yet he does not bother any of the fry.
<Yet.>
I now have about 30 fry left from the spawn that are growing nicely (about 2-3
months old). Could it be because they are so much smaller than he is?
<He won't attack them until he views them as rivals (in the case of the males)
or females that won't mate with him. In any case, you will need to get rid of
the fry soon.>
I like these fish and would like to have more but due to the aggression I don’t
know what to put in the tank with “Periander”, nor do I know what size tank
would be acceptable.
<Convicts aren't community fish by any measurement, and keeping them with
tankmates is always difficult. When I kept half a dozen of them, I did so in a
200 gallon tank with a similar number of Firemouths, a Jaguar cichlid, and a Red
Devil. Also some catfish -- a smallish channel catfish and a Gibbiceps catfish.
Adult 'Chinese Algae Eaters' (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) also work well, being
extremely fast but also quite nasty animals themselves. Large botiine loaches
might work, too, provided the loaches were kept as a school (for protection) and
had ample hiding places. In other words, your best choices for tankmates are
larger and more aggressive cichlids, very fast Cyprinids, and armoured catfish.
This does rather depend on the size of the tank though; there's absolutely no
point trying to keep *anything* in a 20 or 30 gallon tank containing a mature
male Convict. Even a 55 gallon is pushing your luck, and adding tankmates will
be a bit of trial-and-error.>
I am hoping you could make some generalized
suggestions to try.
<Cheers, Neale.>
Thank you for your time.
Sexing
Convicts 3/10/08
Hi guys I read on your website about convict cichlids, and I was
wondering if you guys could tell me if I have a male and a female. The
first picture I am pretty sure is the female with the orange tummy, the
second I am pretty sure is a male, and the third picture is them
together. I appreciate the help thanks!
< If your fish are the same age then I would think that the male would
be a little bigger, but according to the color they look like a
pair.-Chuck> |
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Convict Cichlid babies 03/04/2008
Hello I recently bought 2 convict cichlids and now a month later I have
babies! They are being held in a 29 gallon tank[ all by themselves of coarse ].
And I am going to buy a 125 to raise them, is this a good idea
<A very good idea, though perhaps overkill if all you are keeping is the
Convicts. A 30-40 gallon tank should be fine for the parents, and you can easily
rear the offspring to sellable size in a 20-30 gallon tank. Do check with your
local retailers about whether or not they want Convict cichlids, and if so, how
many. While it is fun to breed fish, you do need to plan on what to do with the
offspring. Anyway, well done! Neale.>
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