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I have a question for all of those out there who have owned or know about convict cichlids. My boyfriend has a 10 gallon tank with a pair of convicts. (I know, the tank is probably too small but he's unable to afford a new tank for them...they are by themselves, however).

He was curious to their recent behaviour, and I'd like to ask about it here (for I too am curious). These convicts have lived together for all thier little lives and grown a lot (both started at about 1/2". One is almost 2 inches in length, big and beefy with a dusky grey body with striping, and is long finned while the other has remained smaller: one inch or so, daintier, and shorter finned. The smaller one also has 3 pinkish orange stripes on each of its dusky grey sides--according to my boyfriend, this cichlid has always had these stripes, since purchase. Both fish have grown a lot as I mentioned, and have always been clear-eyed, hungry, active fish. (Very active as you're about to read.)

You see, these little guys have managed to dig a burrow beneath a fake log ornament in their tank and they tend to hang out in there, one at a time but never leaving it unattended. They've managed to move a lot of gravel to make this hidey-hole, and we would like to know what you may think they're up to. They have plenty of hiding places (a log, a cave, plants) so I don't think it's a need for privacy. But then again, it could be just that. Or maybe they were burrowing to make a nest for breeding...or were just bored? What do you guys think?

-SF

It sounds like they are preparing to breed. one which is smaller and has pink stripes is a female while thelarger one with more ounced fins is a male. The burrow is where eggs will be laid and fry willother is a be kept.

They will need a new tank urgently!!!
Visit this link for more info on convicts and theirbreeding:
http://cichlidresearch.com/simpleaquarium.html
[link]

sounds like they are about to start breeding. They are still fairly small and the 10 is alright for now, however a male can get to 6-7" and is really a robust, aggresive mini monster. After breeding occurs you will see a different persinality develop, especially in the male. He will want to spawn even when the femme does not and will eventually eat his own fry to get her to lay eggs again. If she does not then he will harrass and prob kill her in these small confines. They also grow fairly quick (and if not stunded,not sure how this occurs) then the 10 will soon become a one occupany apartment. Bottom line is at least a 20 for a breeding pair preferably a 29 or 30. Even in these larger tanks you will not be able to keep anything with them in less than a 55.

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Socrates-
I happen to have become a philosopher

Convicts are among those Central American Cichlids in which so-called 'precocious breeding' (i.e., starting to breed at an early age) is a known phenomenon. If they have space, they will continue to grow to full size even though they've started breeding at an early age, but of course to do this requires space.

Apart from finding a larger home for them so that they can grow, some other useful ideas to bear in mind include:

[1] Furnishing the aquarium so that 'lines of sight' are broken up within the aquarium. That way, the fishes can retire to spots in the aquarium where they are not in constant view of each other, which helps maintain the peace. This is likely to be of particular importance with fishes whose level of aggression in the aquarium is high, and Convicts, while not fully paid up members of the 'hardcore headbanger' tendency like Dempseys and Black Belts, are still feisty and tough fishes that will, if they are cramped and in constant view of each other, display fractiousness because they don't have sufficient 'personal space'.

[2] When breeding, using carefully selected aquatic creatures to act as a diversion for the parents' defensive instincts (a tip from the old Innes book) is also a good idea. With Convicts, the creatures of choice would be things such as Damselfly larvae, which are small enough for the Convicts to attack with impunity. Damselfly larvae can be a threat to the fry (and in the wild, indeed are sometimes), and parent Cichlids will destroy them on sight. This provides double satisfaction - the Cichlids exterminate a threat to the fry, and enjoy a nice crunchy treat into the bargain. Bigger Cichlids such as Dempseys and Oscars will devour full blown Dragonfly larvae and water beetles with ease, and again, providing such creatures gives the Cichlids both a focus for their defensive instincts (meaning that they will be less likely to turn on each other) and a nice source of live foods that will condition them for the next spawning. Use of diversionary tactics like this is especially important for some species of Cichlid - Black Belts are notorious not only for being big bruisers (Black Belts are 14 inch fishes when fully grown, and mean tempered with it) but are e to murderous 'divorces' because the male's defensive instincts are on a hair trigger and likely to be set off by just about anything that moves, including the female. Even fishes such as Convicts, that are more likely to maintain the pair bond without trouble, will benefit from the use of a diversion of this kind.

[3] If space is sufficient (and as Wiselves has said above, youl'l need a 55 if you want to keep anything else with them safely) then certain dither fishes can be brought into play. Buenos Aires Tetras are a good choice here, because they're a decent size (3.5 inches fully grown), they're fast moving, and they're tough - they share their home waters with the likes of Green Terrors! There is one fish that I've cited in the past as an ideal choice as a dither fish for larger Cichlids, and that is Astyanax mexicanus, a Characin that shares its native waters with such bruisers as Guapotes (Jaguar Cichlids etc) and other big Central Americans. Indeed, in the wild, these fishes will raid the eggs and fry of big Cichlids, but then in the wild, they use overwhelming numbers to accomplish the task, gathering in shoals of several thousand individuals! In an aquarium, six of these won't be sufficient to pose a threat, but the Cichlids will keep a beady eye on them nonetheless, and as a result will be too busy concentrating on the Characins to begin feuding with each other.

[4] One problem that Cichlid keepers face is that Central Americans can be industrial scale underwater bulldozers. Plants are usually left out of a Cichlid aquarium as a result, because they'll only be dug up. However, since bogwood is a natural feature of several Central American habitats, it's possible to grow Java Ferns on the bogwood. Java Ferns whill hopefully be robust enough to withstand any attentions from the Cichlids once they're rooted in place on the bogwood, and will add to the breaking up of 'lines of sight' mentioned in [1] above. However, while this can be used with the likes of Convicts, bets are off with some of the big species - Guapotes will just rip them clean off the bogwood if they're so minded!

[5] Floating plants have their use in a Cichlid aquarium. Something like Amazon Frogbit will help nitrogen cycle management - algae grows on the roots, helping to mop up nitrates, and the plants themselves are efficient ammonia and nitrogen absorbers. The shade provided will also provide certain Cichlid species with some security - I'm thinking here of certain rarities such as Theraps coeruleus and Paraneetroplus bulleri - but Convicts may well appreciate the provision too.

With some ingenuity, it's possible to implement a decor scheme as discussed in [1] above and still make the aquarium look like a piece of river in the living room, so your Cichlids can have the setup they like and it'll still look attractive in the living room.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002