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Archocentrus siquia convict size?

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  BC in SK 
#1 ·
Recently got some Archocentrus siquia convict at an auction. Auctioneer said that they were dwarf cichlids. I believe he was wrong from what I have read about them. Read that the males gets to 7in and female to 4in. Is this true?

At present the biggest is 2inches. They are 6 in a 20g long tank. I wonder how long I can have them in there. Any idea?
 
#2 ·
They get as large as the common aquarium strain convicts, 7 inches sounds about right. But they rarely acheive that in aquaria. Actually, there is probably a fair amount of siquia in the aquarium strain of convicts, as they were all considered the same species and frequently interbred.
 
#4 ·
Mr Chromedome said:
They get as large as the common aquarium strain convicts, 7 inches sounds about right.
While a 7" male convict exists somewhere, I think that would be a very, very exceptional specimen. Most fish lengths claimed by aquarists are "guesstimates" and are not based on actual measurements, let alone an accurate measurement. When it comes to estimating, it's really a guess. Two different people can look at the same fish and can call it a much different length. How large a fish looks can depend a lot on things like size of tank, decor, ect. One of the first things I learned as a kid knew to the hobby, is that fish always look much bigger at the pet shop...... once you bring them home, they magically shrink in 1/2 to feeder size. :lol:
Even going to the trouble of physically removing the fish and measuring it, some people's measurement is not even accurate. Take some skill to do it; fish can flop around and you have to line up the tape measure with the fish. Even the few other pics of fish out there on the internet with a tape measure beside it, often doesn't really support the claims. One claim of 7" male convict: there is clearly 1/2" of tape measure before the mouth starts and the tail ends at 6 7/8".....to me it looks like a length of 6 3/8". Same thing with another picture of a supposedly 7" firemouth, they don't have the tape lined up with the start of the fish and IMO looks to be less then 6 1/2". No doubt both are very large, even exceptional males......but clearly not 7" despite the claims. At least with a picture on the internet, the 7" size for convict or FM has yet to be demonstrated.
Also to note is the high variability of types of tail fins on convicts. Since total length includes the tail, the more 'flared' tailed specimens will measure a little longer. Can easily make the difference of 1/4" or more on fishes of similar size. Noted this a number of times on convicts I have measured over the years. So what I am getting at, even large male cons that are slightly over 6", it's often just a different tail that makes them slightly longer then another large 6" specimen. 6" is a very large male con; the majority of male cons will not achieve this size.
 
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