Of my last batch of convict fry, I have nine survivors. Ten if you count the father (the mother had post partem depression and jumped to her death). The babies were laid and hatched while I was off playing in the Keys in early December. I had hoped to see the entire mating and parenting behavior but missed it. I recently got some new convicts and one was definitely a female. The boys were fighting with and over her so I figured it was time to set up some tanks for them. There were three males competing over her and she would seem to prefer a different male at different times of the day. (Maybe I should name her Mrs. Robinson.) When I got the breeder tanks set up, I picked the pairs and gave them new homes. One of my females I had for about five months now and she has yet to breed. I am thinking maybe she would prefer a Ladyfish. Anyway, my other female had been agressive toward her mate and I figured I had picked her the wrong boyfriend. She alienated him and has rejected the clay pot cave. The male loves it and spends most of his time there. Meanwhile, the female has been spending her time in the far corner picking at the silicone sealing the tank. Not putting two and two together, I figured maybe she was trying to make a prison break by digging under the wall. So today while I was cleaning the tank, I was almost done and was about to suck the crud up in her corner. She kept the corner clean except for the seal. Just as I was about to hit the seal, I noticed she did not flinch and all of a sudden it hit me that she was fanning her new eggs. The male is largely uninvolved, staying in the clay pot. Every now and then, he will come out to do about ten seconds of fathering duty by watching the eggs while the female gets a chance to eat. As soon as she comes back, he leaves. I can see this partnership ending up in Fishy Divorce Court. I am a tad worried that he may not recognize the fry as his own and then eat them. My last pair, the male was the better parent; the female ate about 25% of her young.
