Basiclly, I have about 150 convict cichlids. The owner of Scales )(my LFS , and a very very very good one at that,) said that one of the males is show quality, but im not sure which one. The thing is that I have this one female convict cichlid that is something REALLY special. She has more colors than I've ever seen on a convict, even in a show. I need to know the qualities that a show quality male would have, so that I can selectively breed her with the best I have. Please describe features. Also, a picture would be helpful. Thanks!
What are the characteristics of a show quality convict cichlid male?
- Thread starter FishRfine
- Start date
Basically, you'll have to wait and see how one turns out as an adult. But yes, vivid contrast in markings, long, flowing trailers, a pronounced nuchal hump, and overall size are all things to look for.
Ok, I have 2 candidates. Here are their characteristics:
1) Young adult male
Long trailing fins with markings
Pronounced stripes
Not much of a hump
Very active
2) Young adult male
Long trailing fins with markings (longer than the other fish)
Stripes are only mediocre
Noticible hump
active, but not as active as the other male
Which one? they are both roughly the same size.
1) Young adult male
Long trailing fins with markings
Pronounced stripes
Not much of a hump
Very active
2) Young adult male
Long trailing fins with markings (longer than the other fish)
Stripes are only mediocre
Noticible hump
active, but not as active as the other male
Which one? they are both roughly the same size.
nice fish, but convicts, not matter how nice are still going to be perceived as such. there have been quite a few threads from understandably very enthusiastic hobbyists who are keen to develop a new 'strain' or variety of convict via selective breeding. at the end of the day though, there really isnt much you can do with a black and gray fish 
my personal recommendation to you if you really want something unique or colorful would be to keep honduran red points or try and get your hands on wild caught convicts or other fish that fall into the same family as convicts.
there are a lot of 'show quality' convicts - hump on their heads, trailers etc. etc... it honestly will be extremely hard to stand out from the crowd.
good luck in your endeavors.
my personal recommendation to you if you really want something unique or colorful would be to keep honduran red points or try and get your hands on wild caught convicts or other fish that fall into the same family as convicts.
there are a lot of 'show quality' convicts - hump on their heads, trailers etc. etc... it honestly will be extremely hard to stand out from the crowd.
good luck in your endeavors.
this is the bump on mine....7 months old and 2 1/2''.
Don't think he's show quality, but still nice.
Don't think he's show quality, but still nice.