need help with convicts.

[Hybridfish7]

It's really a mess.

my original plan was:
clean out 10g
set it up a week in advance
get small marbled hrp's from Jeff Rapps at the BFD
grow them out in the 10g and upgrade to 20g later

what really happened:
i never got around to cleaning the 10g.
I was sick all of last week so i couldn't clean it.
my parents made me throw it away because it was crusted with minearl deposits and the silicone was starting to wear off.
i go to the BFD, but Jeff Rapps doesn't have any for sale because he came in a rush.
I get a new 10 gallon tank, and a pair of dumbo firecracker guppies.
i also see marbled convicts, but i ran out of money for them, so i am offered them for free because my dad negotiated with the seller. there was also 4 of them at a pretty decent size and i couldn't negotiate only getting 1 or 2.
i get the convicts, and put them in the 10 gallon. already a bad thing.
i move my baby platies back with their parents, which is bad because now that's 6 platies in a 3 gallon.
I move my betta to the baby platies' 1.5 gallon, and the guppies to the betta's 3 gallon planted.

the convicts are my main problem. 4 2-3 inch marbled convicts in a 10 gallon. the seller said there's 2 pairs, and that one is a breeding pair. I don't know which ones are males, which ones are females, and which ones are the breeding pair. only a matter of time before i find out, and I will sell/rehome the non dominant two. then i will upgrade the pair to a 20. still not good but better than a 10. the convicts may or may not be part platinum hrp, or may just be pure marbled hrp's. they have a metallic sheen to them, some have blue throats and a bit of blue on the body, and one has a red tail. with that said i don't know how big they are going to get.
i don't know how long it will be till i get a 20.
any suggestions on what i should do with all of this

 

[tlindsey]

It's really a mess.

my original plan was:
clean out 10g
set it up a week in advance
get small marbled hrp's from Jeff Rapps at the BFD
grow them out in the 10g and upgrade to 20g later

what really happened:
i never got around to cleaning the 10g.
I was sick all of last week so i couldn't clean it.
my parents made me throw it away because it was crusted with minearl deposits and the silicone was starting to wear off.
i go to the BFD, but Jeff Rapps doesn't have any for sale because he came in a rush.
I get a new 10 gallon tank, and a pair of dumbo firecracker guppies.
i also see marbled convicts, but i ran out of money for them, so i am offered them for free because my dad negotiated with the seller. there was also 4 of them at a pretty decent size and i couldn't negotiate only getting 1 or 2.
i get the convicts, and put them in the 10 gallon. already a bad thing.
i move my baby platies back with their parents, which is bad because now that's 6 platies in a 3 gallon.
I move my betta to the baby platies' 1.5 gallon, and the guppies to the betta's 3 gallon planted.

the convicts are my main problem. 4 2-3 inch marbled convicts in a 10 gallon. the seller said there's 2 pairs, and that one is a breeding pair. I don't know which ones are males, which ones are females, and which ones are the breeding pair. only a matter of time before i find out, and I will sell/rehome the non dominant two. then i will upgrade the pair to a 20. still not good but better than a 10. the convicts may or may not be part platinum hrp, or may just be pure marbled hrp's. they have a metallic sheen to them, some have blue throats and a bit of blue on the body, and one has a red tail. with that said i don't know how big they are going to get.
i don't know how long it will be till i get a 20.
any suggestions on what i should do with all of this

Tbh try getting something larger than a 20 gallon like you stated things will start to happen in the 10 gallon once they pair off or one or two become dominant and aggression issues will arise. Once you notice 2 have paired off get rid of the other 2 Convict.

 

[J. H.]

A plastic tub is cheap, and keeping the pair in a mini 3 foot pond will keep them from killing each other until you can pick up a bigger tank, and then maybe you could do a platy and con community if it's big enough. 3 gal is enough for guppies, and dumbo guppy juveiles should be easy to sell/trade in for store credit.but I'd put in some emersed/hydroponic/bog plants to help with pwater parameters. If you end up stuck with the tub, a platy/con minipond would be nice, too.

 

[RocketGarStar]

Obviously you should have been more prepared, but it sounds like you were kind of between a rock and a hard place there. You should get as big as a plastic box as you can, maybe line it with something natural colored or get a black/white one, and put that near a couple outlets (SAFELY). Hook that sucker up to a little filter and bubbler, put a flower pot or two in there, and keep the convicts there until you can find a nice tank to put em in. I hope it all works out!