I killed my 3 convicts

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Mystix212

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jun 27, 2007
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Brisbane, Australia
A few people may know that I recently brought a 2" Spot Loach which is one damn good looking loach. In the past 4 days that I've had him with 5 other clowns, he would just not eat. Guess what happened last night? Well I positioned a huge wad of irrisistable brine shrimp near him and just as his was about to consume it, one of my 2" convict's that I have raised from birth came up and gobbled the whole thing up in one bite. This brine shrimp block was so big that it would of almost filled the clown loach up had he ate it.

Keep in mind I have 9 convicts in a 35G (2 are a breeding pair, 7 are 2" fry)

The convict that ate the brine shrimp was already stuffed with pellets and shrimp. Right then and there when he stole the loach's food, I lost it.

At that second, I opened the lids, took out half the decor and flung out my net. Swinging away like a madman I managed to catch the second biggest convict out of my brood and took it straight to the kitchen. I filled a usual tall class cup up with searing hot water and stuffed a lot of liquid detergent in there. Not even I could stand the water temp. In goes the convict.
I observe with no hint of mercy as the convict squirms. The convict was dead in 10-15 seconds.
I continued this procedure to 2 other convict fry and felt better.

I knew I had to get rid of the convicts and I even posted a for sale ad on multiple websites, called around, nothing. No one wanted them. After all had failed, I took 2 seconds in my mind to think up thier final straw. Euthansia.

Now I had 4 convict fry left and the tank, even 12 hours after the 3 other convicts had gone, has settled down quite a bit and is bliss.
If I didnt get rid of the convicts one way or another, they would of turned into breeding pairs, then I probably would of had a hell of a lot of fights and deaths.

Send your hate messages my way if you will, but they did have a quick death.
 
Take it easy man
 
i don't think the problem is having to get rid of you convicts, but rather the way of dealing with your anger. Also, why post this story? We are fish lovers here. You are only rousing up strong feelings, unless you want to get told off. And in no way is 15 seconds of searing heat a quick death. I feel for your convicts
 
Im not an angry person but when the fry stole the loaches food as they always do, that set me off.
A LFS wouldnt take them as they consider them trash fish. I dont put it past them. In the long run, I did a good thing.
 
This bores down more to you having 7 convicts, and 6 Loaches in a 35G, fry/juvies or not.

For a species with solid reasoning and thought process, you shouldn't have snapped at the fish you're looking after for being instinctive. I can understand the need to get rid of Convicts, but there's more humane ways to do it than sticking the poor things in scalding hot water.

Also consider that your new loach wasn't eating due to stress, I hardly think you flaring your net around in the tank in an anger fit will have helped the cause.

Think before you do, next time. Consider also staying away from easy breeding fish if you don't have the patience, resources or time to deal with them.
 
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