New cichlid owner, Neotrop. sel.   9/17/09
hello,
<Hi,>
I am going to buy 2 convicts in a couple weeks,
<Think very carefully about this. Convict cichlids, Amatitlania nigrofasciata, are much better lab fish than they are aquarium fish. They are super-aggressive, not especially pretty, and when they breed, they'll
produce a gazillion fry you won't be able to give away, let alone sell.
Would I ban them from the hobby? No, but I'd certainly make them prescription-only! Yes, they are this challenging.>
I am waiting for my tank to cycle.
<Using a fishless method? Do remember that having a tank filled with water but no ammonia source isn't cycling, it's just wet. The easiest way is to keep adding a pinch of flake food into the empty tank just as if there were some fish there. Every other day should be fine. The flake rots, it produces ammonia, and that cycles the filter. Takes about 3-6 weeks, to complete; use your nitrite test kit to tell when nitrite has spiked and then dropped to zero.>
I was wondering if you can give me any advise on how to set up my tank.
<Lots of rocks! Convicts are territorial and will defend a rocky crevice against all comers. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_1/central.htm
>
Also i have read some pretty crazy stories on your site about convicts not getting along.
<Not crazy, honest. Males are extremely intolerant of one another, and they can be very hard on the females too.>
if i were to but two babies from the pet store, will they have a better chance of getting along?
<Only until such time as they became sexually mature, at about a year in age. At that point males would get nasty.>
any other advise?
<Avoid.>
Thanks,
Riana
<Honestly Riana, there are so many, more interesting Central American cichlids out there, I'd think very carefully before buying this species. Amatitlania siquia is quite a bit more docile, as well as prettier, and
being rather rarely traded, you'd at least be able to sell some of the fry.
Cheers, Neale.>