[Schreckeng]

Hi all, I recently got some convicts for a trade-in at a LFS. I decided to risk having them in my 28g community tank ( after thinning the population.)

Currently with 8 black skirt tetras, 3 Chinese algae eaters, and 4 swordtails.

I only get to even see this tank once a week at best.

BUT! Today I saw the male protecting his little clutch of eggs. This is a first for me.

I introduced a group of about 16 culls from my Endler tank, I'm hoping they will breed readily enough to supplement their diet.

Is this a good idea? Or will the Endlers be too stressful?

 

[Topekoms]

Those cons will prob kill everything you listed in that tank. As they breed they get more aggressive and have higher success rates of fry surviving. I had a pair that at 2in long would rip scales off my 13in oscar in a 75 gallon tank. Cons are not a community fish they are a highly aggressive cichlid that should be kept with other cichlids. Also they breed like cock roaches just add water.

 

[OVT]

Not probably but for sure. And then they will start killing each other.

v3

 

[Grah the great]

Cons are not the fish that will be stressed! They will most likely eat the endlers and terrorize/kill everyone else. Did I add that they may start ripping your plants up eventually?

 

[burr740]

The CAEs might make it...

 

[HUNTER]

Oh yeah I used to breed them for my big Oscar and green terror. They breed like crazy and will protect, but they're pretty fish and very hardy.

 

[Schreckeng]

Everyone in that tank is gonna stay, except the swordtails. I'm alright with them terrorizing the black skirts, they weren't pale so I assume that they aren't overly stressed.

Thanks for the info about the plants.if they want to tear up the anacharis they can, I doubt they will be able to exterminate it.

 

[Kitsune_Gem]

They wont terrorize the black skirts, they will KILL the black skirts as they get better at rearing fry.

Tetras do not belong with cichlids.

 

[roadmaster]

Everyone in that tank is gonna stay, except the swordtails. I'm alright with them terrorizing the black skirts, they weren't pale so I assume that they aren't overly stressed.

Thanks for the info about the plants.if they want to tear up the anacharis they can, I doubt they will be able to exterminate it.

The convict's can breed like guppies ,and then you'll need outlet for the fry.
Can't GIVE these fish away in most area's for same reason's mentioned above in post's.
They WILL kill anything else in the tank outright while protecting fry, or stress other fishes to the point they become weak,sick,and then died from the stress.
Good luck.

 

[stratg5]

It's sad to see that you're indifferent about all of your fish dying.

 

[Schreckeng]

The convict's can breed like guppies ,and then you'll need outlet for the fry.
Can't GIVE these fish away in most area's for same reason's mentioned above in post's.
They WILL kill anything else in the tank outright while protecting fry, or stress other fishes to the point they become weak,sick,and then died from the stress.
Good luck.

I didn't realize that. none of the above posts mentioned they get even more aggressive after the fry are hatched. I had assumed they would continue just chasing them off.

 

[Schreckeng]

It's sad to see that you're indifferent about all of your fish dying.

I'm sorry that you misinterpreted what I said.
I believe I mentioned that none of my fish looked stressed. If that was clearly an issue I would have taken them out immediately.

With the effort you put into that single sentence you could have explained WHY they would kill all my fish.

Thanks everyone else for actually contributing.

 

[Schreckeng]

They wont terrorize the black skirts, they will KILL the black skirts as they get better at rearing fry.

Tetras do not belong with cichlids.

Perfect example! Thank you, I will be removing the tetras and starting a new community 20g. The cichlids and cae will stay.

 

[Grah the great]

Good to know we do not have a psycho fish keeper here! :icon_bigg

 

[Subtletanks91]

I have bred convicts before, they don't have 20-50 fry it's more like 100-200 fry at a time. And they will kill everything in the tank to try and protect there fry. There some of the best parenting skills I have seen. When I used to breed them they would even attack my hand before it got into the water. Jump out and bite me.

As for the fish in the tank, convicts are a very aggressive fish, they're meant to be kept with other cichlids such as milomos, banded mooris etc. they should never be kept in a tank with community fish.

 

[Grah the great]

I don't think convicts would do well with tropheus...the tropheus would likely get bloat, and the convicts will likely get beaten up by one of the few fish that might be nastier than they are. Rift lake cichlids in general make bad convict tank mates, although there are a few (I.E brichardi) that I could envision working.

 

[stratg5]

I'm sorry that you misinterpreted what I said.
I believe I mentioned that none of my fish looked stressed. If that was clearly an issue I would have taken them out immediately.

With the effort you put into that single sentence you could have explained WHY they would kill all my fish.

Thanks everyone else for actually contributing.

LOL me explain? How about the first three posters in the thread explain! All three said they will kill the other fish, one even said they get more aggressive as they breed, and your reply was that all of the fish are staying in the tank. To me that is indifference, and it was sad to see.

 

[umarnasir335]

C'mon man, do your research before you bring new fish home, especially to a community tank and the fish you bought are CICHLIDS!

My LFS has a convict breeding pair and sure enough, every month, they breed and produce about a 100 or so fry. But it's not the fry that is the problem- the male gets aggressive to the point that he BEAT the living snot out of the female, they have to be seperated, and then he ends up eating most of the fry anyway.

These fish cannot do well with most others, so really the only tankmates I could recommend are larger fish, such as oscars, or at the very least plecos.

My biggest advice is to return the pair back or trade them in at your LFS. These fish really aren't worth the trouble since you could go with a pair of German Blue Rams, which are better looking and nicer community fish IMO

 

[Subtletanks91]

Yes I agree with the above statement... This is not to pass judgement on you because we have all brought fish home just because we "thought they were cool or pretty"

The simple fact is there to agressive and way to agressive as they to be kept in a communal setting. I have had luck with milomo etc as I have stated above even Africans, but it's not to be recommended.

My recommendation if you want pretty elegant and better looking fish for a communal setting is to go with apistogramas, rams, or kribs. While they do get agressive when they breed, they won't kill everything off, only keep the other fish away from the fry. As with all fish that take care of there young, the females are most likely to be the most agressive, with convicts it's different, the male is very agressive and strikes outward while the female stays in close to protect the fry.

As to the statement above, I have never had either parent convict eat there fry.

 

[brittie1]

I have a hardcover text "Setting up a Tropical Aquarium"... convicts are on a short list of cichlids where it says:

"Small Cichlids to Avoid: The following cichlid species should not be included in the average community display as they have a tendency to be too territorial and therefore aggressive towards their tankmates. This does not mean that you should always avoid these fish, as many make excellent aquarium subjects. They do, however, require a more specific setup tailored to their needs. In addition to considering this shortlist, you should always take advice from your retailer regarding the suitability of any fish."

So I suppose you will probably be having them as a centerpiece fish with not much else in there. Sounds like they certainly live up to their name, don't they?