Convict Breeding Questions

[eball2k]

I have a pair of breeding convicts, and this is the first time they have had eggs. I have had them for about 3 weeks and this morning I saw about 150 eggs on the bottom and sides of one of the pots in the tank.

About how long until there are little "swimmers"?

What should I feed them, first bites?

When should I put them in their own tank?

Since I have had them, they have been extremely skittish, is this normal?

 

[Inglorious]

I'm far from an expert on this, but I recently had my cons breed for the first time. My fry are now about 5-6 weeks old. I separated them out into one of the mesh baskets that floats in the corner of my tank to keep them from becoming snack for the other tankmates. As for food I have been just crushing the flake and pellets that I always feed, but I have just started them on first bites because of what I have read here.

 

[Kcameron]

-fry hatch in about 72 hours but that is all dependent on the temperature of the tank.
-Theyll start eating after a few days (usually mine just eat algae and the scraps from mom and dad; the stuff that flies out from the gills lol) but you can also hardboil an egg and dissolve some of the yolk into the water (its easiest to have the fry in a floating tank or in a smaller volume of water).
-since it's their first spawning, its hard to say how good of parents theyll be off the bat. Most pairs will eat some of their first batch. If they last the first week, they should be ok. Get them out after 3 weeks or so (mature parents might eat them so that they can spawn again in another week).

 

[szymon328]

if u want your fry to grow quickly, feed them baby brine shrimp or crushed up hikari food sticks. i used the hikari sticks ground to a realy fine powder on my guppy fry and they grow alot faster

 

[adrian09]

ive already had 3 batches and what i feed mine was first bites for about 3 weeks and then i started to crush pellets soon after i also feed them brine shrimp ass for the parents i had to remove them cuz the male was tormenting the female and she was not allowed to come near the fry so i put both of them in a new tank and it was love at first site all over again cons are ussaly

 

[Chicklette]

I breed cons, i have them in a 75 gallon and they have fry now.

About how long until there are little "swimmers"? About 3 days

What should I feed them, first bites? I use a pill crusher and crush all the food i have up. I put more of their staple diet.

When should I put them in their own tank? When you notice aggression

Since I have had them, they have been extremely skittish, is this normal? When they have babies they are skittish but cons for the most part and not shy.

 

[eball2k]

Thanks, for the good info.

Should, I currently have a tiny hang on back filter, but I'm worried the tiny fry might get sucked up.

Suggestions...?

Should I put in a sponge filter, turn off the filter, or just not worry about it?

 

[bassguy]

I get the slip on sponge. It slips on the intake and I think fluval makes it.

 

[WeeNe858]

or you can rubber band a piece of mechanical filter onto it or even a washed pantyhose.

 

[Cybercyde]

1. What should I feed them, first bites?

2. When should I put them in their own tank?

3. Since I have had them, they have been extremely skittish, is this normal?

1. You can go as low budget as not feeding them, letting their parents spit normal food/stir the substrate for them, to as high end as microworms/brine shrimp. Mine have always been fine with flake food shaken up in a half cup of tank water, poured through a tube - with more water chasing that. Convict fry are about the best eater you'll ever encounter. If it moves, doesn't look like the substrate, or just gets in the way of their mouth, they'll try to swallow it whole.

2. I've had the best luck moving them when they're readily eating. This will take 1-3 weeks. When you see them all tearing at food items/algea/plants, they should be good to go. They'll be about 1/4" long or so, or a bit bigger.

3. Behavior will change a bit when they have fry. You'll see the parents plant on the bottom and stir it up / move fry / spit food / etc. They'll fiercely defend their area though.

Convicts seem to do better with something to gang up on and beat the living mess out of in their tank. Dither fish tend to get them eating/breeding/swimming/attacking rather quickly.

What should I feed them, first bites? I use a pill crusher and crush all the food i have up. I put more of their staple diet.

"recycle" an old water bottle. Pour a small amount of whatever flake food you have on hand into it, add some tank water, and shake it up. Pour it through a piece of tubing. (CPVC water pipe works well... 1/2" is dirt cheap and easy to cut) Pour more tank water on top of that into the tube, and you can put a cloud of food right on the fry. (It's worked for 10+ generations of fry at this point. I'm sure they'd love bbs and first bites... But this works, and it's on hand. My fry get beefheart, shrimp, pellet, flake, and feeders by accident.... They don't really seem to care.