convict breeding?

[cocoa_pleco]

they breed when theyre a few inches, and the female will lay eggs under a rock or driftwood

be careful, they will defend the eggs and kill anything that goes by the eggs, when my female white convict laid eggs she took on my oscar and almost won

welcome to ac!

[cichlid guy]

I really want my convicts to have offspring but the male chases and flares at the female and it goes into a hiding palce.i was hoping some of you can share with me some ways and procedures that helped your convicts breed.Mine are in a 30gal with other south american cichlids. THANK FOR THE HELP!

[Fishguy2727]

Are you sure it is a male and female (females have the orange belly)?
How big are they?
What other fish exactly and how big are they?

Usually they will find a spot to claim as their own and keep others away. Do they have a good breeding site? This could be a rock cave, clat pot, or PVC pipe.

[cichlid guy]

Male is 1in a half of an inch and female just over an inch.They have a flower pot and a cave.A jack dempsey 2 in a half inches,albino tiger oscar same size,a banded leporinus 4in,and an pleco 3-4in with his own cave.I'm planning own getting a bigger tank what size do you think I need if I leave the convicts in the 30gal?

[cocoa_pleco]

the leo, pleco (if hes a common), JD, and oscar will need a 150g min fullgrown

[Fishguy2727]

75-125 depending on whether or not you keep the pleco and if it is a common. I would ditch the leporinus. That is too stressful of a setup for it. As with many large non-cichlid fish, jumpy and big is not good

[cocoa_pleco]

usually 20g is the minimum, i bred my white convicts at 80f in a 20g high, tank had a thin layer of gravel, and a rock and driftwood piles, the female layed eggs under the driftwood

convicts are extremely easy to breed, get a male and female and wait a few days

[RainMan]

Seems like most people are wishing they didn't breed... LOL .

[invadertoast]

My uncle (who is disabled and lives in the middle of nowhere Canada) had two convicts in a 20 gallon. Eventually he had so many you couldn't count them, and some were even deformed. He did nothing special, and the tank only had a little bit of gravel on the bottom. This is the only real experience I've had with convicts (which doesn't really count because it didn't happen to me) but apparently they are extremely easy to breed.

Please don't think my uncle's a terrible person, he didn't know any better and couldn't really do anything with the fish due to his situation. He had to stay in the hospital for several months a couple years ago and the fish didn't survive the move to a friend's house (they had to be moved as his house is heated with a wood stove and needed to be closed down for the winter) He doesn't have a tank anymore.

[RichBowyer]

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[cichlid guy]

My uncle (who is disabled and lives in the middle of nowhere Canada) had two convicts in a 20 gallon. Eventually he had so many you couldn't count them, and some were even deformed. He did nothing special, and the tank only had a little bit of gravel on the bottom. This is the only real experience I've had with convicts (which doesn't really count because it didn't happen to me) but apparently they are extremely easy to breed.

Please don't think my uncle's a terrible person, he didn't know any better and couldn't really do anything with the fish due to his situation. He had to stay in the hospital for several months a couple years ago and the fish didn't survive the move to a friend's house (they had to be moved as his house is heated with a wood stove and needed to be closed down for the winter) He doesn't have a tank anymore.I don't matter of fact have respect for your Uncle for breeding convicts.Thanks for the info.

[Juannie]

Oh be prepared, they breed like rabbits. I had convicts a few years ago and one pair bred and bred and killed of larger convicts in the same tank (I was new to them at the time), they are extremely territorial. You need to ensure you have a lot of room for them and their babies - or you'll have to feed the babies to larger fish if you can't sell or give them away.

They are gorgeous fish though! I've learnt my lesson and have one in my community tank now with no mate. lol

[jeepgirl93]

I have a pair of convicts with babies, they are a couple of weeks old. All of a sudden the male won't let the female anywhere near babies. Why is this? She is totally stressed.