# Convict Cichlid



## akdylpickles (Feb 21, 2011)

Convicts are ugly mean fish. I'd suggest going with a dwarf cichlid in a 10 gallon. Maybe a nice pair of German blue rams? They are relatively easy to keep.


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## Bree (Dec 17, 2010)

I personally adore convicts, however they are very mean fish that are prolific breeders (you could prob. find someone giving them away) and a 10 gallon could only really be used for the first little while, but would need to be upgraded to a larger tank.

At the store i work at, i end up feeding the baby convicts to our oscars since people keep dropping bags of them off and i have nowhere i put them!


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

I've bred cons in a 10. They are not mean, or ugly, but that is my opinion.

You have a tank. It should be set up at 80˚F with fine sand, no real plants as they are plant eaters, and a few flowerpots, or, if you like the natural look, cichlid stones (artificial caves). The more sand and available cover, the better (they like to dig, and it's fun to watch). For filtration, a simple sponge filter works best (low current=safe for babies). Get a tank divider so that if there is any aggression problems you can separate the fish. They are actually perfectly peaceful with non-cichlid fish when they aren't breeding. I've kept them successfully with NEON TETRAS and male guppies.

Wild convicts get around 5-6 inches, but the captive bred ones get around 4. Sexing is straightforward: the male is black and white. No color on anything. The female is also black and white but has orange flecks on her belly and orange and blue hints in her dorsal fin. She may also have a faint red tint to her fins. Once you have a pair, put them in the tank at the same time, or get the female first and then the male. Males have a bad reputation of killing females that are smaller than them. She won't kill him if she's introduce her first cause she doesn't set up a territory like him. He'll kill her if she suddenly appears unbidden in his territory. That's when the divider comes in handy. Once they've been introduced, start feeding them Hikari's frozen 'brine shrimp and spirulina' formula, and they'll put on weight fast. Conduct weekly 25% waterchanges, and that combined with the good feeding will render good fish. They'll also have bred within a week on introducing them, so along with the divider, and BS&S formula, you should pick up some of Hikari's frozen BBS (baby brine shrimp) as well. On plant they seem not to like is Java fern. You can tie this to a piece of wood and put it in as well. It'll give the babies some microorganisms to nibble on. Once you notice she's got kids, great. Don't interfere, don't change any maintenance, just go on doing the norm. Once they've hatched, usually in 3-5 days, she'll move them out into a pit in the sand. Once they're free-swimming, in another 3-5 days, squirt a small amount of BBS into the middle of them. Continue this care and in a few months you'll be overloaded with baby convicts. Hope that helped a little. Just post any questions and I or others will try our best. I have a great respect for this fish. I with other people did too, cause they're really beautiful in their own special way.


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

Regardless, I had a male convict grow past four inches in a 35g and would never, ever recommend them for a 10 gallon tank. 

Cichlids are so very active when kept in their element and really if you want to see them thrive you need to give them more space, and convict pairs can be so aggressive to each other, and while I am not denying LB79's experience, keeping them in such a tiny serup only increases the chances of aggression between the pair and will in all likelyhood end up stunting their long term lifespan.

If you really want to get into cichlids and want to to enjoy them, don't be stingy on tank space. The only cichlids I would put in a 10g are the smaller types of monogamous shelldwellers - I wouldn't even go with Multifasciatus shellies even though they would work, because they shine best in larger colonies in larger tanks, and I always strive for the most ideal setup possible.

Cichlids were what I focused on in fishkeeping for most of my 25 years of fishkeeping. Only in the last couple of years have I ditched them almost entirely to try my hand at focusing on plants instead. If there is one thing I would say about cichlids - give them space.


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## tiggity (Feb 21, 2012)

I had a pair of Pink Convicts and a single Texas Convict with a large bossy Jack Dempsey. Suprisingly the three ganged up on the Jack Dempsey held their own - pretty much owned the bottom of the tank while the Jack stayed up top.

My Pink Convicts paired off, created a little hole/shelter under a rock formation I had and the male fiercely guarded it while the other stayed inside, although they never spawned. They are easy to keep, had them at most 4 years.

I don't recommend keeping them anything less than a 30g and provide them with caves or rocks. They will dig and will uproot your plants.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

A better fish than the convict cichlid is the Honduran red point. These are very like convicts, but they are neon blue and black instead of black and white, less aggressive than real convicts, and stay smaller, at about 3 1/2 inches for the males and the females an inch smaller. Just as easy to breed, but still keep the divider handy in case dad gets impatient and aggressive. This CAN be done in a 10 gallon if you don't have the money or space, but bigger _is_ better for cichlids.


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## Bree (Dec 17, 2010)

Yea, i don't believe that captive bred ones only get 4 inches. All the ones i get in the store are well over that, in fact the one we have now is a 2 year old 7" Female Black convict. Shes alone in a 20 gallon and it is squishy for her. Further more i can not put her with any other fish- oscars, jack dempseys, firemouths, other convicts- you name it, she kills them, even when she is in one of the 50 gallon cichlid tank we have.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

Bree said:


> Yea, i don't believe that captive bred ones only get 4 inches. All the ones i get in the store are well over that, in fact the one we have now is a 2 year old 7" Female Black convict. Shes alone in a 20 gallon and it is squishy for her. Further more i can not put her with any other fish- oscars, jack dempseys, firemouths, other convicts- you name it, she kills them, even when she is in one of the 50 gallon cichlid tank we have.


WOW!!! Post a pic!! I really want to see that fish. Must be epic!


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## Bree (Dec 17, 2010)

She really is an awesome fish, i love her! When shes out anyways, she likes to hide under the intake filter where its really dark! haha If i have time tomorrow i will take a shot of her. ^^


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