convict chiclids and plants

[Stump26]

I came across a pair of convicts today and I couldn't pass them up. Only thing all my tanks are planted, do you think they will hurt my plants?

[Plant keeper]

They could when they breed.. they do dig a ton..

[Stump26]

That makes me sad but I love these little fish, guess I'll have to redo a tank

[HybridHerp]

I say do it anyways
if your plants have good roots then a little digging shouldn't matter
You won't have a super clean iwagumi style tank with cichlids, but you can totally do a planted tank with them.

[LB79]

You can have an iwagumi with cichlids. It depends on the species. Convicts.... not so much. They are too worth it, though, and you'll be so glad you bought them.

[Albino Sick Led]

Black convicts I think are some of the most beautiful cichlids out there. They exhibit a natural gleam that when displaying colors vibrantly this fish is anything but average. In regards to plants and cichlids I do not have problems with my plants. As mentioned aboved though, it would be a wise to introduce them to a planted tank that has had the ability to establish roots. My convict loves to graze and munch off of my leaves but i have never had a problem with it uprooting the plants, this is the handy work of my parrot cichlid and Blue Freshwater Lobster usually.

You can check out my convict i have when it was still very young

Cichlids with Live Plants - YouTube

Cichlids with Live Plants - YouTube

By far one of my favorite cichlids i have bought thus far. I would do a Convict Tank just to display the beauty of these guys.

[BoxxerBoyDrew]

That is a VERY COLORFUL Convict you have there!!! The Desmoni is a good looker too!

How old is the video? How are the cichlid doing with the plants now?

Convicts are very cool cichlids! They are great parents, don't get too big, and are usually pretty passive for cichlids! I haven't had any in a long time, but I have seen a few good looking little convicts the last few times at the LFS, so I might have to setup a 40B with some!

As for the plant question, it just depends on the cichlid itself! I have seen some that wouldn't touch plants or dig for that matter, but others of the same breed will dig and rip apart any plants you have!

So I would say just try them out, making sure to match the water conditions to their liking, and see what happens! If they dig and rip up your plants then set them up a different tank, if not you got lucky, and just go with the flow!

Good Luck with them, and we sure would like to see some pics when you get a chance!
Drew

[CrypticLifeStyle]

If the plants are in a sandy substrate I wouldn't even bother. People with good experience with them, and substrate planted tanks is rare or they use gravel. I wouldn't keep convicts in a gravel tank. Part of their natural behavior is substrate digging/sifting whether breeding or not breeding they'll do it regardless, its a cichlid its what they do. You can try but slowly experiment before wasting money. Also keep in mind convicts breed like crazy. You can throw them in a puddle, and they'll breed haha. You can get overwhelmed really fast with constant babies. Other then that they are really neat fish with a ton of personality. Just my 2 cents

[Virto]

Convicts are especially plant-destructive. It becomes a game, I swear. My pink convict has only ever been able to co-exist with plants once - when he was the sole fish in a 55 that was incredibly heavily planted. It wasn't a matter of him not destroying the plants, but rather a matter of having so many plants that he couldn't get them all.

Sand substrate? Ha. Dirt? Ha. Even large gravel and plant keeper things...he'd tear them right on out.

Just last week he killed an entire tank full of frogbit by tearing off every single root at the base. Never seen anything like it. If it's a species of plant that isn't supposed to taste good, I swear its the first one he eats.

Breeding convicts is stupidly easy, but remember that they are very territorial and highly aggressive.

[LB79]

It all depends on the individual fish. One of my males is so chill that I have to keep him with an inch-long female to keep him from getting totally mauled (he's about 4 inches long). Another I had would try to kill anything that moved, on either side of the glass (he was eventually thrown in with some mbuna, and that quelled his mad desire to kill). Some will leave plants alone, some will eat every plant on sight, some will rip them out and leave them... it all depends on the individual's temperament.

[Albino Sick Led]

Originally Posted by BoxxerBoyDrew

That is a VERY COLORFUL Convict you have there!!! The Desmoni is a good looker too!

How old is the video? How are the cichlid doing with the plants now?

Convicts are very cool cichlids! They are great parents, don't get too big, and are usually pretty passive for cichlids! I haven't had any in a long time, but I have seen a few good looking little convicts the last few times at the LFS, so I might have to setup a 40B with some!

As for the plant question, it just depends on the cichlid itself! I have seen some that wouldn't touch plants or dig for that matter, but others of the same breed will dig and rip apart any plants you have!

So I would say just try them out, making sure to match the water conditions to their liking, and see what happens! If they dig and rip up your plants then set them up a different tank, if not you got lucky, and just go with the flow!

Good Luck with them, and we sure would like to see some pics when you get a chance!
Drew

The video was taken back in December 2012. My plants and fish are thriving right now! I have added more members to the tank actually, along with two bichirs and a blue freshwater lobster. Cichlids will do fine as long as you have sufficient space for them to "personalize" and hide if necessary. I have received negative criticism because i house cichlids with plants, not rocks mainly, and also for my choice of tank mates. Truth is though, every tank can be different and experiencing with what you have is the best option. My fish and plants are thriving very nicely and no complaints up to this point. Water parameters are very different for some of the species living in there as well but as long as you figure out the range and comfort zone where all your organism may coexist and thrive you should be fine.

[BoxxerBoyDrew]

GREAT to hear your tank is doing good!

Yep there are allot of cichlid snobs out there, and that is fine, but it bothers me when them rip you for doing what YOU WANT TO!!! So I say just go for whatever, and if it works, cool, if not you have learned something!!! I am NOT SAYING it is good to mix fish or plants that will for sure cause problems or deaths, but sometimes out of the box thinking pays off!!!


Keep your fish happy and plants growing!
Drew