My First Female Convict : What could have killed her ??

[suby7272]

Hi all

A very sad day for me !!

Found the female Convict of my first ever successful breeding pair dead today
Since this is my first stint at breeding fish, I dont quite understand how this exactly works. The deceased was a very good mother indeed, very protective of her fry. Cant really figure out what could have brought about her end. Could the male be the culprit ?

Unsure of what to do, I was a little skeptic leaving the fry alone with the Male parent, therefore I immediately moved him to another tank, all to himself. Now the fry are alone - they should be about 150+ or so, free-swimming and are close to 7-8 mm in length. Do you think they will do fine without either of the parents ? (btw, there's no other fish in that tank). Or, should I put the male back ?

Please advice. I am feeling terribly sad and thoroughly confused

Regards

Suby

 

[Jason_S]

sorry to hear of your loss. the fry should be ok if there are no other fish in the tank. just be sure to feed them often and keep the water quality pristine.

how big is the tank? if there are no other fish in the tank then I'd say it's pretty obvious that the male was the culprit. anything can happen once a pair breeds and if the tank isn't big enough then sometimes a pair will fight with either the female or the male being the aggressor. I had a pair in a 20L once and after they spawned and the fry were free swimming, the female almost killed the male she harrassed him so much...which is why I firmly believe a 20L is not big enough for breeding convicts in once they reach 2-2.5".

 

[evilxyardxgnome]

Agreed with Jason, male is more than likely the killer.

 

[suby7272]

Thank you for your kind words and advice guys
The fry are doing fine on their own and growing well too, just that they are now spread all over the tank, unlike when the parents were around.
Was wondering if I should look for a female for this wife-beating male of mine. What do you guys say ? Should I want for somemore time ?

 

[fivespeed302]

Getting another female depends on whether or not you want to have more fry. You never said how big your tank was, but my bet is that if you got a bigger one and supplied a bunch of hiding spots your next female will survive. My male flowerhorn beats the crap out of my female day and night, but I have only had to move her to a recovery tank one time in 2 1/2 years. She has a place to hide that is too small for the male to get into.