Convict Conundrum

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Alistriwen

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 14, 2007
662
1
0
Toronto, Canada
www.fishy-business.com
Some of you may have been helping me to stock my 55 gallon long not too long ago. We decided to go with 2 pairs of cons to produce feeders on a regular basis. We took our proven pair of cons out of their 20 gallon home and floated them with the new pair we purchased in the 55. Within 2 days our original male had spawned with the new female and our old female was getting ready to lay eggs with him as well. Right now her breeding tube is just about out to where it gets before she lays and he is clearly the one who is going to fertilize them.

Now Im faced with a dilemna. I have this other male con in the tank who for the better part of the day gets chased around by the other male, the female with her eggs and now the other female a bit too. I dont know whether to leave him there as a target fish (kind of cruel), or try to get rid of him? If I get rid of him I was wondering if my male might take on a third female too? The tank is large and 3 cons would be pretty empty.

Any thoughts? Also, any ideas how to get rid of the male if I do? Im not keen on taking him back to the lfs I bought him at and I dont really want to flush him live lol. I know its not good practice, but there is a river near me... it's Canada though so I assume hed die over the winter if not right away but I think it would be less cruel than flushing no? Either way, doubt it could harm the ecosystem right?
 
havent you got another tank for him? you could get a tank divider, stick it in the tank and have 1pair on each side. j/w what are you feeding the fry to?
 
Well Im not really interested in keeping him just for fun, cons arent the prettiest fish so I wouldnt put him in his own tank, not that we have one large enough free at the moment anyways. I suppose I could put him up for adoption :).

We feed the fry to all of our fish that you see listed in my name except the Endlers. Just because they arent monster fish, doesnt mean they dont benefit from live food :). We also initially thought our Bo rams would get bigger and that theyd breed but neither has actually happened. :p

May seem pointless to some but even from looking at many of the pictures others post online our fish are in far better shape than most. They are livelier and more colourful, their finnage is perfect and their coloration is vibrant. Have a few lfs waiting on our Rosy barbs to mature, they sell like hotcakes.
 
Maybe get a divider and another female for the weaker male to pair up with? I also suggest putting him up for adoption instead of putting him down.
 
just so you know no he wont survive for long and theres a rediculas fine here in ontario if you are caught releasing nonnative fish in our lakes and rivers convicts are a very aggressive fish so for you to think it wouldnt effect our ecosystem is just plain ignorant i've seen mine attack my sharks....
 
Alistriwen;1181648; said:
Some of you may have been helping me to stock my 55 gallon long not too long ago. We decided to go with 2 pairs of cons to produce feeders on a regular basis. We took our proven pair of cons out of their 20 gallon home and floated them with the new pair we purchased in the 55. Within 2 days our original male had spawned with the new female and our old female was getting ready to lay eggs with him as well. Right now her breeding tube is just about out to where it gets before she lays and he is clearly the one who is going to fertilize them.

Now Im faced with a dilemna. I have this other male con in the tank who for the better part of the day gets chased around by the other male, the female with her eggs and now the other female a bit too. I dont know whether to leave him there as a target fish (kind of cruel), or try to get rid of him? If I get rid of him I was wondering if my male might take on a third female too? The tank is large and 3 cons would be pretty empty.

Any thoughts? Also, any ideas how to get rid of the male if I do? Im not keen on taking him back to the lfs I bought him at and I dont really want to flush him live lol. I know its not good practice, but there is a river near me... it's Canada though so I assume hed die over the winter if not right away but I think it would be less cruel than flushing no? Either way, doubt it could harm the ecosystem right?
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No, You must know this is one of the cardinal sins as a fish keeper. They will kill him soon if he is not removed. A 10 gallon costs 9.99 and does wonders for splitting up a quarrel.....
 
Alistriwen;1181648; said:
Any thoughts? Also, any ideas how to get rid of the male if I do? Im not keen on taking him back to the lfs I bought him at and I dont really want to flush him live lol. I know its not good practice, but there is a river near me... it's Canada though so I assume hed die over the winter if not right away but I think it would be less cruel than flushing no? Either way, doubt it could harm the ecosystem right?
Click to expand...

:banhim::duh::nono::thumbsdow
 
This is simple. Get some egg crate and split the tank in 2. Put the new pair in one side, and the remaining cons in the other side. Problem solved!!!
 
Well, I figured because he is a tropical fish and the river freezes over the winter hed just die, and Im not a fan of killing things myself is all. Hes also small enough that the big guys in the river would probably make a meal of him but I wasnt seriously considering it anyways.

I think what some people have missed is that there are not 2 seperate pairs in the tank but one dominant male servicing two females and a second male who is on his own. He isnt constantly being pestered but he does get chased off now and again. The tank is still large enough that he can get off safely but the males especially are growing quickly.

As I said before, I'm not interested in keeping him on his own so I guess I'll just put him up for adoption.. Anyone want a free con?
 
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