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i have jsut started to cycle a 20G tank and now i have to decide whats going in it

i really want convicts but im not ready for their intense breeding
so i have some questions
2 females?
2 males?
will one be too lonely?
should i put him/her with somthing else? any suggestions?

I'm pretty sure convicts get too big for a 20 gallon. I've never kept Convicts but I think they get 6 inches or so and they are a thick chunky fish.

If you like cichlids you could go with Rams or Apistos or Kribensis. I'm sure there are others that will go in a 20.

Good luck, Mike

If you can get a 30, i believe your convicts will be fine. As ive heard 30 suggested for a breeding pair. Im not sure if a 20 would be ok for 1. If you decide against convicts, i reccomend keyholes.

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

A twenty gallon tank is too small for even one convict, as they can grow to eight inches long. I would suggest maybe one breeding pair in a thirty gallon, but preferably larger. Are you looking for other kinds of cichlids for your twenty gallon? If so, there are others you would be able to breed in there...

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Theres a good number of fish that would work in your tank. Kribs, Rams, Apistos, Pair of Angels, Firemouths, Leleupi, Various Neolamp Brichardi Group, Shelldwellers, etc.

I've kept convicts in a 20 long (30" long) and it wasn't the best experience. I really think 6" is much more common for convicts than 8" (in 25+ years of fish keeping I've never seen one more than 6" and that's including the tail). There are other archocentrus species that look similar and get to be about 8"...I think the flyer cichlid is one.

I've know quite a few folks who keep cons in a 20, but it almost always ends in one fish killing the other within a few years.

The species listed above really will do better in a tank your size (although angels need a 20 tall and really do better in a 29 and firemouths I've seen bigger than convicts - although they are easier going and some do stay 4-5".

Eric

Last edited by Big E at 24-Sep-2004 23:31

a female convict would probably be ok in a 20 gallon but you wouldn't be able to keep much with her...especially not another female. firemouths also will grow too large for a 20 gallon.

pretty much, any of these would work with the exception of the firemouths.

Kribs, Rams, Apistos, Pair of Angels, Firemouths, Leleupi, Various Neolamp Brichardi Group, Shelldwellers, etc.

Oh, and Mojo (well known New world cichlid keeper) has a convict that he's measured at 8" or 9" SL (without the tail) . However, this convict has been in a several hundred gallon pond most of its life.

Wow! I know of (not personally though, through the web) Mojo - he would know a convict...but I secretly bet he used steroids on it.

Eric

I agree with all the above. I have seem a small Convict. It is called a Jellybean/ Pink Convict. My inlaws have one. It is fully grown, but it is not that big under 6", but still I would not put it in a 20 gal. Convicts need their room or they become (if not already) fairly aggressive.
http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/fish/freshwater_fish/FWF4517.shtml

If you definitely want cichlids you could take a look at these [link=cookie cutter]http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_20g.php" style="COLOR: #FFCC66[/link] suggestions, although they have a pair of convicts listed for a 20g idea. I've never kept cons.

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