Will a female convict that has bred ever grow up?

[Frank Castle]

I have had many female convicts over the years, and they almost always spawn with something or other in the tank.

I have never had a female grow up after spawning. Eventually the male usually kills her or they just end up as dwarfs for their lives.

I have a rare (they are in my area anyway) Honduran red point female that unfortunately spawned at a young age. She may have grown a tiny bit, but she is pretty much the same size.

Unfortunately her male died, but on the bright side, because he's gone, she hasn't been bullied to death when the male was over twice her size and my other cichlids aren't interested in her and don't bother her.

Is there any hope for her growing up or should I try and source a male? If I find another female she will undoubtedly spawn with something eventually and I will have the same problem again.

She's a beautiful fish and I would hate to lose her when the rest of my cichlids grow up and she inevitably gets bullied. She is literally 3 inches and well over two years old we think. I will get a pic if you guys want.

female Convict size is only 2"-4". I have had many that stop at 2" or 3" and males go 4"-6". That is normal.

 

[The Mother Confessor]

It made me so sad. I felt like I had failed her by letting her be in a tank with a male. I will get a pic tomorrow and you can tell me what you think.

I still think she is a little small, but maybe she is just a petite fish. I've never had a female stay this small.

I'm getting a Jeff Rapps pair of Honduran red points tomorrow, so I might breed her then keep some males only in my display tank because long term, she will get eaten by my cats, my arrowana or my BGK.

 

[Frank Castle]

It made me so sad. I felt like I had failed her by letting her be in a tank with a male. I will get a pic tomorrow and you can tell me what you think.

I still think she is a little small, but maybe she is just a petite fish. I've never had a female stay this small.

I'm getting a Jeff Rapps pair of Honduran red points tomorrow, so I might breed her then keep some males only in my display tank because long term, she will get eaten by my cats, my arrowana or my BGK.

2" is normal for a female. Also i have some females even smaller that have never bred. The reason being is that there are runts from every clutch of fry that normally would be culled or eaten by siblings in a fry-growout tank or in the wild, however, since my fish are kept fat and very very very very very very very VERY well fed, even the smallest of my clutches tend to reach adulthood. These fish would likely not survive otherwise

 

[The Mother Confessor]

Okay! I will take a leaf out of your book then and feed her more! Wow, 2 inches! That's practically a baby!

 

[Frank Castle]

Okay! I will take a leaf out of your book then and feed her more! Wow, 2 inches! That's practically a baby!

just be fore-warned, i unplug my filters when i over-feed and wait an hour or so for everything to fall to the bottom so that all the bottom-feeders can pick it up before my filters do