Is it possible to breed convicts without removing anything?
- Thread starter beerad555
- Start date
beerad555;3739034; said:
No worries, we're all new at some point. I've let it go both ways: 1) I've siphoned out all the fry as soon as they were eating enough on their own so I could tell their bellies were full. Parents spawned again in about 2 weeks. Whatever left over fry I didn't/couldn't catch were not bothered. 2) I've left the fry alone. Parents still spawned in about 2 weeks, got to wigglers, then ate them. It's as if they know what they can handle and having a cloud of free-swimming fry to protect was already enough work without having to deal with a whole new batch. Point is, just let them do what they're gonna do and modify as you see fit. Easier to breed than livebearers. I've seen convicts spawning at petsmart.
good luck.
I recently just got little babies too...around 100+ in one batch;
I dont plan on moving them either...too much work as I am using them for feeders.
I dont plan on moving them either...too much work as I am using them for feeders.
I had a pair that I left with the fry, needless to say the fry destroyed the male eating him alive. Thats my experience with a pair of convicts.
Convicts don't make the best feeders in my opinion. I had a breeding pair in my community cichlid 125 gallon tank until they banished every other tankmate, including the cichlids 2-3 times their size, to the corners of the tank. I gave the parents away when the fry were free swimming because the tankmate herding turned into tankmate biting.
Anyway, I left the free swimming fry in there for feeders and 3 of them grew up to an inch and never got caught. The tankmates were severums, a jag, an oscar, a red bay snook, and a pictus catfish, all of which were 5-9". I would recommend breeding mollies, or another harty slower-swimming livebearer, if you want a prolific feeder fish.
Anyway, I left the free swimming fry in there for feeders and 3 of them grew up to an inch and never got caught. The tankmates were severums, a jag, an oscar, a red bay snook, and a pictus catfish, all of which were 5-9". I would recommend breeding mollies, or another harty slower-swimming livebearer, if you want a prolific feeder fish.
Definitely leave the parents in there with them. You'll get to observe their parental behavior which is awesome. Unless you have a dud batch like my first spawn, parents will and do eat deformed or disfigured fry.
