Breeding Convict Cichlids?

Question

I have two pair of convicts. A black pair, and a pink pair. The pink pair were the first of the four to breed. They made their nest and she laid her eggs, But the blacks didnt pair off and breed. Now the Male pink and the female black has laid a nest together and are breeding. So as you can imagine, all hell has broken loose in my tank. I have a male who has knocked up two females, plus a smaller male that cant swim anywhere and scared to death. Is there any way to fix this with out buying anything... Please help!

Thanks for all the help guys.
Sorry I forgot to mention that they are the only four fish in a 55 gallon tank.

Answer 1

Just what are you feeding these guys??? lol
No but really, that's normal. They don't always pair up the way you want them to. The pink pair are probably no longer together.
If the smaller male is being bullied, you can move some of the rocks around or add a few more so he can find himself a territory.
It should sort itself out :)

Answer 2

You never mentioned what size tank you have. If it is large enough I would suggest separating the smaller male from the larger one with a divider. If you have another tank you could move him.

Here is your problem with your breeding. The larger male is the dominate one so he will do the breeding. Still to have him breed two different females at the same time does not happen all the time. Convicts form a patriarch-matriarch family and care well for their young. You should be able to raise both broods easily as both sets of mothers will help the male take care of the babies.

As for the younger male he is an outsider now and looked at as a threat from all three other fish. If your tank is large enough he will simply avoid the others but if it is small he will be harassed all the time, since mated pairs are very intolerant of other fish.

Good luck

Answer 3

Silly male with two women... some guys never learn LOL

You don't give your tank size but if you have 30 gallons or more most likely the single male will find enough room to stay clear of major problems. The male probably didn't fertilize the first batch of eggs so they will fungus up and the pair will stop guarding them within a day or two. That will solve the problem if the single guy can stay out of the way long enough.

Best of luck! MM

Answer 4

I would suggest keeping only one pair. This is an aggressive fish and the males can be territorial, which is what it sounds like happened in your tank. I would take the two that you don't want back to the fish store for credit.

Answer 5

I'm afraid you have no choice but to move the second male if you don't want him killed. You can re-arrange any way you like, but he'll never get away in that little tank.

Answer 6

if i were u i would keep the male pink one and the black female one and get rid of the other 2, because u can have to different color babies.