Convict breeding questions

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LogiBear

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 7, 2015
366
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Minnesota
My pair of Cons breeds, as Cons do. However, i noticed they have been doing it slower lately. They are quite young and dont have giant batches of eggs but they used to do it every 2.5-3 weeks and now it might be a whole monthe between times. (Note: these werent all successfull;'many ended up as lunch for the big guy) Is there any way i can increase rate of spawning? Would their own tank help?

Also, how can i decrease mortality rate of fry short of making a fry-only tank? I like to raise them up a bit and... Well this sounds cruel... And then its a very interesting game to see if they will survive or not. So far ive only had one live, he was from the very first spawn and is about an inch long. So yeah. I assume its an issue of predation for most everything ive asked, but just wondering if i was missing anything

I feed these pellets that dissolve into tiny peices for the fry. They arent meant for cichlids but they have decent protein so i think they are ok. And they are the only food that become small enough for fry (they break apart in the water after soaking for a few secs) and when the fry get older they also get beefheart (small amounts) and adult brine shrimp, both in frozen cubes.

:)
 
not really anyway to do it w/out setting up a tank for the pair like I did. You could try adding more caves and hidespaces, specializing in caves that are way too small and secluded for anything bigger than 1/2" or 1" to get into. You could also try heavily planting the Convicts favorite corner of the tank with thick, herbaceous vegetation, both fuly aquatic and semi-aquatic for a surface covering to seclude and isolate even more.

....or you could do both. I recommend both. You also might find seashells that "spiral" helpful....the fry will turn them into little homes, and they will stay safe even if bigger fish move the shells around and plow into them
 
Frank Castle said:
not really anyway to do it w/out setting up a tank for the pair like I did. You could try adding more caves and hidespaces, specializing in caves that are way too small and secluded for anything bigger than 1/2" or 1" to get into. You could also try heavily planting the Convicts favorite corner of the tank with thick, herbaceous vegetation, both fuly aquatic and semi-aquatic for a surface covering to seclude and isolate even more.

....or you could do both. I recommend both. You also might find seashells that "spiral" helpful....the fry will turn them into little homes, and they will stay safe even if bigger fish move the shells around and plow into them
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Ok...

Im getting a stand that can hold 2 29 gallon tank this week, so i should have space... I can jumpstart the bio cycle with sand and wood from the big tank and i should be able to put them in basically right away. Sponge filters so i dont suck up fry... Cooler water is better for a tank like this so the fish are slower and they dont beat on each other? It would slow down growth a bit but my pair can be feisty so i think i might keep it to the lower end of the temp range. Add some wood, pots, and fake plants and they should be good.

I wanted to try Kribs but i guess this will have to do. I figured it was a predation thing, just wanted a second opinion. Which i will actually take, that may be a surprise for y'all lol.
 
just set-up the two 29g's , put the parents in one and give e'm some décor, cover, caves, flat rocks, etc, and do the same thing to the other 29g, but leave it empty. Then when the parents want to breed again, just move them to the empty 29....it should have been up and running plenty of time while the previous clutch of fry are learning to go without the parents help

Also, despite having several breeding pairs of different species currently in their own pair-tanks, i keep all the fry together as long they are similar sized
 
Frank Castle said:
just set-up the two 29g's , put the parents in one and give e'm some décor, cover, caves, flat rocks, etc, and do the same thing to the other 29g, but leave it empty. Then when the parents want to breed again, just move them to the empty 29....it should have been up and running plenty of time while the previous clutch of fry are learning to go without the parents help

Also, despite having several breeding pairs of different species currently in their own pair-tanks, i keep all the fry together as long they are similar sized
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I only have the Cons to breed, so i dont have to mix fry. Ive had a lot of fish but managed to breed very few... RDs, Syns, Acaras, FMs, RTs, Os, Texases, Rainbows, etc.... But rarely can i manage to hook up a pair lol. I tried for 6 moths and went through about 15 Green Texas and didnt get a single pairing... Sucked

But yeah. Only Cons to deal with for now
 
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LogiBear said:
I only have the Cons to breed, so i dont have to mix fry. Ive had a lot of fish but managed to breed very few... RDs, Syns, Acaras, FMs, RTs, Os, Texases, Rainbows, etc.... But rarely can i manage to hook up a pair lol. I tried for 6 moths and went through about 15 Green Texas and didnt get a single pairing... Sucked

But yeah. Only Cons to deal with for now
Click to expand...
lol i just realized last night i have a pair of Carpintis in my growout,....i thought i had 2 females for the past 4 months
 
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