breeding convicts

[exoticaquaria]

hey its me again, im sure some of you already know about my 60 gallon breeding project but im going to post my new concerns in the breeding fourum in hopes of more response. my aquarium is 36 inches long, 20 inches tall and 18 inches wide. it houses three parrot fish cichlids which are just over two inches but chubby and one nearly 4 inch common pleco. I know male parrots are infertile but my two darker parrots are courting and nesting which makes me think I have atleast one female. male convicts can breed with female parrots so I made a trip to petsmart today to get things started. I was hoping for some large males but all they had left was two small males at about an inch and one female the same length but three times as thick with a bright pink belly! I released them into the aquarium about an hour ago and they are already greeting me at the glass. ive had convicts in the past and I know they breed rather easily. im sure the males are going to need to grow some before they attempt to breed with the parrots if they try at all but are my male convicts able to breed now? what size do they reach sexual maturity? im sure many of you are asking why the hell I would want to breed convicts. ive been through every tropical oddball and saltwater fish in the hobby just about, for some reason I feel like dedicating to these cichlids, something beautiful and simple. my water is set at 78 to 80f, ph 7.5 and all the bad words are at zero. I have one 75g HOB marineland bio wheel, one extra 20g HOB and a strong powerhead to keep a good current. ive added a lot of rockwork, drift wood and plants to make the cichlids feel more at home. so how do you guys think im doing, when should I expect baby convicts? any tips, advice or anything I should change? thanks in advance!

 

[exoticaquaria]

I can only upload five pics at a time through mobile so heres a few more. its hard to get a decent pic, they wont sit still.

 

[exoticaquaria]

wow the female is already being courted by one of the males, hes flaring his gills and fins at her and keepig the other male away, im guessing spawning wont take long..? im ready for some babies

 

[woofy]

Youde be surprised how fast things could happen. ur male convict will be ready to go ! i actually have a similar project going on and i have like 5 monster cichlids pairs to work on and im still with convict and parrots too. no shame. lol

 

[exoticaquaria]

Youde be surprised how fast things could happen. ur male convict will be ready to go ! i actually have a similar project going on and i have like 5 monster cichlids pairs to work on and im still with convict and parrots too. no shame. lol

you my setup is good for breeding the convicts and parrots? others are telling me im overstocked. I just have three parrots and three convicts with the four inch pleco. should I change anything?


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[woofy]

While they are small minus the pleco u are not over stocked. for full grown adults of those fish yes they will be over stocked in that tank ive seen convicts reach 6" and parrots the same. the pleco u could do without. it depends on urfiltration also and water change schedule. if u have other tanks you could set up you could always move the paired of ones into another tank. 20g is a good size for breeding pair.

 

[exoticaquaria]

While they are small minus the pleco u are not over stocked. for full grown adults of those fish yes they will be over stocked in that tank ive seen convicts reach 6" and parrots the same. the pleco u could do without. it depends on urfiltration also and water change schedule. if u have other tanks you could set up you could always move the paired of ones into another tank. 20g is a good size for breeding pair.

true, in the longrun the aquarium will only hold the three parrots. all other fish will be moved. im aware of their potential size but speaking for the next four months or so, you really think im overstocked with these seven small fish cosidering their growth rate? and whats so wrong with the pleco in my setup? thanks for the help!

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[exoticaquaria]

and as far as filtration I have one 75g marineland biow-wheel HOB, an extra 20g HOB and a strong powerhead for a good curent. and I do daily twenty percent water changes. due to all of the rockwork I was hoping the pleco could help out with any uneaten food between the rocks.

 

[Jillfishie]

exoticaquaria

Hello, I've read through your posts & setups. As far as breeding convicts there is no need to move them from a main/community tank into a breeding tank. Convicts will breed continuously w/out any effort on your part. If your goal is to pair your female parrot to a convict male I suggest moving the male parrots & the pleco into another tank & let the male convicts grow/mature with the female parrot. Plecos are nice fish to look @ , but they don't clean like you're expecting him to. The one pleco you have will create more waste than the rest of your tank combined. If you like him keep him in another tank, don't leave him with the fish you're trying to pair/breed.

I hope the information I gave you is helpful & Good luck with your project.

Jill

 

[exoticaquaria]

exoticaquaria

Hello, I've read through your posts & setups. As far as breeding convicts there is no need to move them from a main/community tank into a breeding tank. Convicts will breed continuously w/out any effort on your part. If your goal is to pair your female parrot to a convict male I suggest moving the male parrots & the pleco into another tank & let the male convicts grow/mature with the female parrot. Plecos are nice fish to look @ , but they don't clean like you're expecting him to. The one pleco you have will create more waste than the rest of your tank combined. If you like him keep him in another tank, don't leave him with the fish you're trying to pair/breed.

I hope the information I gave you is helpful & Good luck with your project.

Jill

thank you so much, my plan was just to leave the three parrots and convicts together and see where things go. im sure the convicts will spawn soon and im happy with just that but it would be nice as the males grow to see them spawn with the parrots in the future. can I not just leave them all in the same aquarium and see where things go, or do I have too many fish in one tank? ive moved the pleco to a twenty gallon today so now its just the six fish. what do you think of the setup, I figured the rock work would add more territory for each fish.. thanks again!

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