Hi! I was thinking about setting up a tank and I was going to get two convict cichlids and I was just wondering how to care for them, are they easy to care for, and what to feed them. I'm still not sure if I will get them but I was just wondering what they act like and things like that! Thanks
2007-03-28 05:58:49 · 4 answers · asked by guppylover 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
convicts are REALLY easy to care for......and breed...I have well over 100 of them at the moment..lol!! they dont really do all that well with other types of cichlids....they are really aggressive....I like them though.....their parenting skills are fantastic!! they eat most anything....my baby convicts really like to nibble on romaine lettuce.....I give em a cube of tubifex worms once a week....flake food mostly.....some live/frozen food(shrimp and krill are their favs). If you are uundecided and would like a kool cichlid from the new world....I would highly suggest firemouths.......they are really beautiful...and playful.....
hope this helps ya out a bit..!
2007-03-28 06:08:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
A pair of convicts should have a 20 gallon tank or more.
In order to have them share the tank together in relative peace, you must have a pair - and this is different then just having two. If you simply purchase two of them the chances are they won't pair up, and the best way to obtain a pair is to purchase 4 or 5 specimens, grow them out together, and let them pair off on their own when they are ready. Then the remainders would be removed.
The tank is simple - a clay pot or pvc piping, or some aquarium ornament that can act as a territorial marker and breeding ground. Anything else is personal preference on your part.
These fish are easy to keep and even easier to breed - aggression is the only real issue. Feed them a staple of cichlid pellets. You can supplement various frozen, freeze-dried, or live foods like blood worms, brine shrimp, krill, etc.
They're fun fish to have -the pair interacts with each other well and they're very active, always busy in their aquarium. An excellent beginners cichid because they are so hardy and easy. The biggest problem is that the fry are difficult to find a home for - their easy breeding makes them worthless in the market.
One last thing - a pair of convicts can't be kept with any tankmates at all unless it is a very big tank - they are renowned for clearing entire tanks of anything that poses a threat to their brood.
Head over to www.cichlid-forum.com to learn about these, or other cichlids.
2007-03-28 06:08:47 · answer #2 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Convict cichlids are among the easiest to care for.There are many prepared foods on the market for cichlids to feed them.Check out this web site: http://cichlidresearch.com/simpleaquarium.html
2007-03-28 06:17:10 · answer #3 · answered by Jackp1ne 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Convict mums and dads are sturdy mothers and dads. The eggs will grow to be wrigglers in some days. Then they grow to be unfastened swimming and circulate removed from the clump syphon them out right into a wellbeing center or breeding tank (purely a small tank already cycled. needs to have filtration that may not suck the fry up). Feed them infant brine shrimp for a pair of weeks (frozen is basic) Then feed them overwhelmed flake. sturdy success and have relaxing.
2016-10-20 03:20:56 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋