covict setup

what kind of substrate should they have? should they have pots or rocks? filtration? ive read that a sponge filter is more then good for these guys. any help would be much appreciated

depends on the size of the tank youll need a nice size tank for them cuz they breed like rabbits so sponge is fine for a 20g any bigger youll need a bigger filter use rocks if you plan on getting alot cuz they fight for the pots

ok would a 20L be good?

for just 2m and 3f i think youll get away with it

We used rocks and made several caves for ours. The only problem with that is you cant tell when there are eggs unless you watch their behavior. You will need a place to put the fry if you plan on keeping them.

Rachael0805 wrote:

We used rocks and made several caves for ours. The only problem with that is you cant tell when there are eggs unless you watch their behavior. You will need a place to put the fry if you plan on keeping them.

i leave them in the tank, its not like im gonna try to sell these things. unless someone wants them

30 gal would be the smallest tank I would put them in. If you have one pair a 20 gal is ok. More space the better if you have more.

Sand is best they like to dig but really anything will do. Rocks Cave or pots are good. They are not picky and if you are looking to breed they are like rabbits.

Filter a hob or canister any good filter with a good turn over is fine. They are cichlids so they can get messy they are very hardy.

ok cool, i got a little pair yesterday from petsmart, some black and natural gravel, a couple of rocks and a little mini pot that i got for christmas ( got it from target-as a mini tomato growing kit ) which are the colorful sex? male or female? which sex is bigger? they are swimming around in a 10gal (they are only about an inch or so) ill be geting a bigger tank after tax time :) is there any tank mates i can get without them killing each other ?

i would say that the female is the colorfull 1!!
her belly gets red and orange n other different colors wen shes ready to mate i guess!!! looks realy kool!!!
male is bigger!
baby ocsar, umm Jack dempsey red devils iv had a cpl convicts in my time and these are the fish ive had em with!!!
iv even had them in a 35G with lik 4-5 gold fish!!! AND THEY SPAWNED!!!! (the convicts) lol their supposed to be really territorial and protective parents! but they did nothing to the Gold fish! kinda amazing cuz they would beat up on the other fish!!!
and watch out b cuz my convicts spawned at 1.5 inch! theyll do it at any age!!! urs might too Freaks;)

i had 13 pirahnas in a 135gal and 1 pair of convicts. they took over the entire tank and wouldn let the pirahna within 3 feet of the fry. they would ram them like dolphins against sharks. i think there some of the best parents very protective. tank mates deff will not stop them from breeding. i have a pair in a 40 right now tons of fry and living with tank mates, rusty kenyi buti, venest, dolphins...
sand they like sand!

lol like dolphins??? funny! mine would do the same to my jack dempsey:)

all i have to say about Convicts is my Brother in-law had them in a 5gal Tank as grow out and they spawned without him even tring. Those things will live anywhere and breed like its going out of stlye.

A friend of mine had 10 in a 36 gallon (because they were only $2.99 at PETCO and lost interest put them in the garage and fed them twice a month. I think they ate the fry to survive. They grew to about 5 inches.

i have them in my 55 with my africans and the fry dont make it very long. to many fish for the parents to chase off. all my fish work as a team lol

that wat i call teamwork!!!!
how they doin so far bro?

Id say get them a nice little 20G setup. Small little flower pot and some rocks....they will spawn like crazy. Use Pool filter sand so they can rearrange and move it around to what they like. Use a spoonge filter for the babies protection. Thats just my opinion and how I would set it up...

alkomist wrote:

that wat i call teamwork!!!!
how they doin so far bro?

there kicking @$$, my little flowerhorn is in my tank right now too lol

is the flower horn punking them yet?

Lol i agree, these things breed like crazy...I have two in my 150 gal, and within 3/4 days of me putting them in there they had eggs :P Now theres proly 75 fry or so, and none of my other fish are even allowed near their end of the tank...

I think ima have to put them in another tank after the fry are old enough to be taken out, they're taking over the whole tank!

u should do it now!!!
pretty soon/ if not theyv already been turned into feeders!

Lol srry...didn't mean to jack this thread xD

But if they get eaten, no big deal. I buy feeders for my gar so it would save me a few $$ lol. Idk I'll proly end up selling the pair after these fry are grown...I'm going more for the africans...

But back on topic, mine have gravel and rock caves with moderately dense plant cover in their tank, and they're doing really well :)

lol
just keep the pair and save $$ on the the feeders!
its a good idea!
any set up will do for convicts!!!!
as long as they have a lil cave their good!!!