convict cichlids?

Question

need info on them, how many gallon for each? ph lvl? breeding them? what kind of tank setup? tank mates for them?


plz answer all of them

Answer 1

Convits... great little fish. You ask for breeding info so we will go for a breeding type set up.

Use at least a 30 gallon tank for the convicts and no tank mates. Give them plenty of hiding places and breeding spots. Half of a clay flower pot laying on it's side makes a great cave for them. So does a 8"-12" long peice of 4" diameter PVC pipe with one end sealed off. Not pretty but you can hide it somewhat or cover it in silicone and gravel to make it look a little better. Also, what do you want? Looks or breeding fish? sometimes you have to pick, ya know. Several pieces of slate would also be good in the tank. Convicts will breed either in the open or in a cave. In a tank where there are fish other than the breeding pair, the cave will help them feel safer and that reduces the chances of them eating the eggs. Basically you want to set up with lots of various hiding places for them so they feel safe, that's the real point.

Water conditions: Convicts aren't all that picky about the pH and hardness. In most cases the fish you get will have been tank raised for many generations anyway. Just use tap water and remove the chlorine. In almost all cases that will be just fine. Keep the temperature in the typical range for tropicals 75-80 F although convicts are most comfortable in the lower end of that range.

Get 6 young convicts or two of each sex if they are old enough to sex reliably. They will handle the sorting it out and pair off when the time comes. Although convicts get 4" or more i captivity, they often beed at as small as 2.5"

Generous feedings on a variety of quality foods is important to raising healthy fish and conditioning them to breed and convicts are no exception to this rule. Generous fequesnt water changes are also a very good idea as always.

They will spawn readily when they get to the right age and pair off. The babies can be fed baby brine shrimp and will forage for peices of flake and the like when you feed the adults. They can be fed the same as the adults almost from the first day, but adding baby brine for them is good for the first few weeks.

That should get you started. Best of luck with them!

Answer 2

You should plan on at least a 20 gallon tank for an adult pair. They like the pH a little on the high side (I always kept mune ~8.0-8.3) with some aquarium salt in the water (1 TBSP/5gallons). They also like the temperature on the high side of tropical (78-82).

To breed them, all you really need is a male and female and a clean clay flowerpot laying on it's side - the pot should be just a little bigger than the pair of fish. These fish can breed when they're as small as 1 1/4 inches. They will lay the eggs in side, then sit at the opening and fan the eggs with their fins to circulate the water. When the eggs hatch, the parents "herd" the fry around the tank and roll stones over looking for small food for them - they'll even chew up cichlid pellets and spit the particles out to feed them. It's really something to see.

The only down side is that these fish are territorial and aggressive - especially with eggs and fry. It's best to keep a pair by themselves if you want to watch the spawning/rearing process. Either that, or you will have to select several tankmates that are just as aggressive as they are - otherwise once the convicts pair up, they'll take out the other fish one by one!

For more info see:
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/cichlids/convict.html
http://www.fishlore.com/profile-convictcichlid.htm
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/10cichlid_convict.htm

Answer 3

I'd go with 30 gallons for an adult pair as well. pH in the 8's and stable. Temperature 78. A cave or bowl for breeding. No tank mates. Good luck finding something to do with the babies though. A lot of people resort to using them as feeder fish.

Answer 4

Atleast 25 gallon per adult pair. They are pretty tolerant around 72 and 78 degrees. My convicts are in a 55 gallon for every two pair. I have basic plant rock gravel setup, they seem to enjoy. Just other pairs are suitable for a breeding pair. Hope I helped.