Breeding Convicts in a 30 Gal

[MattDunbar]

I've been looking into Convicts now, and I'm quite interested in having my fish breed (I'll probably just look to trade them into the LFS as they start to grow, or add a decent size community tank).

Right now, I have a fully functioning setup, with gravel.

What should I keep in the tank (i.e. rocks, plants, etc).


Also, can I expect to get a few bucks when I trade these in at the fish store. My idea is to build up the store credit to buy another (slightly larger) tank where I can house some larger cichlids. I know this isn't going to earn much cash, and I may even spend more on food that I get from the trade ins, but it should prove to be an easy way to set aside money for a tank.


What do these fish eat? I know cichlid pellets are available, are they the best option?

What should I feed the baby fish? At what point should I start feeding them?



Any small tankmates that anyone would recommend (specifically, that won't touch the babies).



Thanks!




Edit:

How can I identify the male and female? At what size should I buy these if I want to breed them right away?

 

[jdm_da510]

the convicts that i breed are in a 10g barebottom, sponge filter, temp set at 80 degrees, terracotta pot , a breeding pair of convicts (no tank mates) took them 4 days to lay eggs from when i put them in there..i split the tank in half so i could put (2) pairs.

after they lay eggs it takes 4-7 days for them to hatch, 4-7 days for them to become wigglers they still have yolk sac attached, 4-6 days AFTER that you got free swimmers. this will be the time you start feeding the fry BBS (baby brine shrimp) 4-5 times a day, 25% water changes daily. 2 weeks after they've been free swimming i take them and put them in a grow out tank.
usually a week after that i have eggs again.

and dont expect a whole lot of money just breeding "convicts" you would need couple thousand lil .5 cons just to make 100 bucks or so hope this helped anyone can add anything else i might of forgotten

 

[ringoyam]

the convicts that i breed are in a 10g barebottom, sponge filter, temp set at 80 degrees, terracotta pot , a breeding pair of convicts (no tank mates) took them 4 days to lay eggs from when i put them in there..i split the tank in half so i could put (2) pairs.

after they lay eggs it takes 4-7 days for them to hatch, 4-7 days for them to become wigglers they still have yolk sac attached, 4-6 days AFTER that you got free swimmers. this will be the time you start feeding the fry BBS (baby brine shrimp) 4-5 times a day, 25% water changes daily. 2 weeks after they've been free swimming i take them and put them in a grow out tank.
usually a week after that i have eggs again.

and dont expect a whole lot of money just breeding "convicts" you would need couple thousand lil .5 cons just to make 100 bucks or so hope this helped anyone can add anything else i might of forgotten

how much do the LFS buy them for where i live their selling 1" for 7$

 

[jdm_da510]

if "there" selling it for $7...doesnt mean "there" going to give "you" $7 for a convict..they have to make a profit also...so say your a convict breeder and you go to your LFS and sell your 50 or so .5 inch convicts ..they arent going to buy them from you..for what there selling it for..if your lucky they'll give you .50 each maybe even .25..so i was saying he would need ALOT of convicts to save up "store credit" for a tank..

 

[ringoyam]

yeah but what if i sold them for 1"mabe .75 each or something like that

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Females will have some red/orange on their bellies. If you don't see this, then its a male. About 2-2.5 inch is breedable size. You can feed baby convicts crushed flakes too, crushed really fine. Adult convicts can be fed pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp, cut up earthworms etc. Add a cave or terracotta pot and maybe some fake plant to add cover and breed grounds. The only tank mates I would add are danios or some other dither fish.

 

[MattDunbar]

yeah but what if i sold them for 1"mabe .75 each or something like that

Even at $0.50, if I have done my research right, I can expect 30-50 babies?

Thats $25 in optimal conditions (50 babies, at 50 cents, on the higher end of what I'd hope for).

With those numbers, it'd take me 10 sets of babies to save $250 (enough to add another tank for the same purposes) or 20 weeks.

Thats about 5 months, considering I pay for the food and such out of my pocket and not from the store credit.

Now, considering the conditions I set are way to perfect, lets double it up and say 10 months, even at that, not bad for my fish keeping supporting itself.

Is 10 months ($250) a reasonable goal to set with these?

 

[pengu13]

I would not plan to make a profit off convicts, even if you find a store to take them how many do you think they really need? cons will breed faster then any one wants them plus you need multiple tanks to grow out multiple batches.
Not to bash your dreams but good luck with it. i buy 3-4" cons for 2$ or free just post a add in your area everyone has some they want gone.

 

[MattDunbar]

I would not plan to make a profit off convicts, even if you find a store to take them how many do you think they really need? cons will breed faster then any one wants them plus you need multiple tanks to grow out multiple batches.
Not to bash your dreams but good luck with it. i buy 3-4" cons for 2$ or free just post a add in your area everyone has some they want gone.

Hmm, I see what your saying, makes sense, if there so easy to breed, nobody is going to be able to move that many regardless...


Any suggestions on other cichlids I can breed in a 30gal, I'm not to worried about difficulty, I can set aside time to meet special conditions, etc.

 

[jdm_da510]

try fancy guppies those are also real easy