question RE convicts

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te9500rpm

Feeder Fish
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Feb 3, 2006
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guys i know this is kinda stupid but i have never seen a convict before or if i had i didnt know that it was a convict.

so ive decided to get myself a pair of these guys coz they look stunning. but before i get them could u guys help me out with a little research? how big do these guys get? what is the proper tank size for a pair? how would i distinguish a male from a female when they are still young? (coz a petstore near my house have small convicts at around 1"-1.5" i asked them if i could have a definite pair but they dont know which is which)

and lastly do they like to school? coz i figured that since the petstore didnt know which is which i plan to get a several bunch from them. like say 5 convicts. what do u guys think?

really need help on this one i dont wanna end up buying the wrong fish just like my pacu's
 
To start answering your questions: You can house a pair in 20 to as many gallons you want comfortably, I would go with a minimum of 30 gal. myself... Males get around 5"-6" Long and 3"-4" tall..Females grow to 2"-3" in length and about 1-2 inches tall in my experience..

Sexing is a wide range... best way in my opinion to tell a female from a male at that size is the bellies of the females will be colored a peach to red color... A male will not have the color on their bellies.. :) My opinion on Pairing at that size is to buy at least 5 to 10 and watch as they grow.. Apair will establish probably 2 to 4 pairs if you buy ten.. and then you can do what you want with the others.. If you can establish which is which you only need buy 2. Convicts are trully a beginning fish for all kinds of things.. Breeding as the never stop :) and You can pretty much dump oil in your tank and they wont die..
Good price for a Con is 0.25-0.50 at 1 to 2" I would pay at most 5-6 dollars for a full
grown male.

make sure you have plenty of homes for them to establish and mate in:) And then get ready for the fry!!! Cause the are worse than rabbits LOL....

Any more questions?
 
I might add they are very fun!! My pair just laid eggs in my 150 ... My male is a Honduran Red Point and is 3.5-4" and the female is 2".. I through the female in after i figured my Oscar wouldn't think he could fit her.. She almost didn't make it to the bottom under a rock..LOL.. That was about 2 weeks ago.. The male went over to her by the next morning and then she was safe and full fledge aggressive enough to not get eatin! LOL. We have easily 200 eggs in this rock they are heavily defending:)
 
i see these fish are really interesting.. but yet i have another question since these guys are cichlids do they beat each other up? coz some cichlids beat each other up if u know what i mean.. it is 1 of my problems like before i had 5 assorted cichlids after 3 or 4mos they all died coz they beat each other up.. i dont want that to happen anymore so do they or do they not beat each other up?

i will keep them in a tank thats just full of them (convicts only) i wont put them with my other fish.
 
unless they're hella tiny, you'll be able to sex a pair instore. no need to buy more than what you're looking to keep.
you might even be able to find a pair that has already begun to breed at the lfs.
they start early.

cons in general can definitely punish, especially if breeding.
for a single pair, a 20g long can work with good tank maintenance.
if you want to mix a breeding pair with other fish, a tank 50+g min would be good and be sure to keep an eye out for hurting tankmates.
good luck
 
te9500rpm said:
i see these fish are really interesting.. but yet i have another question since these guys are cichlids do they beat each other up? coz some cichlids beat each other up if u know what i mean.. it is 1 of my problems like before i had 5 assorted cichlids after 3 or 4mos they all died coz they beat each other up.. i dont want that to happen anymore so do they or do they not beat each other up?

i will keep them in a tank thats just full of them (convicts only) i wont put them with my other fish.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't suggest having this many but my uncle had 20 to 30 in a 30 gallon tank and one or two looked beat.. They only get really aggressive wehn they are spawning. They can beat fish up but i really haven't seen it happen. They are tuff as nails. Species tank you should be fine . But likle i said you will probably be dumping a bunch at the lfs as they breed and breed and breed. I have mione in my 150 with a 9" inch Oscar, 13" Gar, 6" Mayan, 3=4.5" Pbass., a 4" Texas, and to Plecs.... They are spawning but they only chase fish away:) Does that help?

And the females are 10 timse more aggressive than teh Males.. My opinion this is why the males are bigger..LOL. But together there isn't a fish in the world they wont attack defending their area and fry.. Even if it eats them:(
 
I had a pair of convicts alone in a 10g with clay pots and plenty of substrate. Not having kept them before, I got them a few weeks before I was to leave for Europe for the summer. When I got back in September, my two convicts have becomes close to 200. Awesome fish for sure. Fry are easy to rear, adults are durable, and the fish are just plain stunning when in mating colors!
 
Tainted Glory said:
I had a pair of convicts alone in a 10g with clay pots and plenty of substrate. Not having kept them before, I got them a few weeks before I was to leave for Europe for the summer. When I got back in September, my two convicts have becomes close to 200. Awesome fish for sure. Fry are easy to rear, adults are durable, and the fish are just plain stunning when in mating colors!
Click to expand...


LOL:ROFL: :ROFL:
 
so its really good to get a pair i guess.. if ever i get to see any convicts in my area il buy them asap!

well i went to my cuzins petstore a while ago bought a 50g tank for my pacu's hehe and i told my cuz to order me a pair from his supplier i hope i get 2 soon :)
 
u can tell if they r a little bigger by there dorsal fin if one has more of a point at the end and the other dosent there is a male and a female and if u get lucky u can find a pair started already
 
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