Central American Cichlids

by **swamptrout** » Sat May 10, 2008 9:54 am

I Have a Con & FM which have hardly grown since i bought them 6-8months ago (were 1 - 1.5") now 2" if lucky.

being fed plenty.

do these 2 species grow slow??

by **Toby_H** » Sat May 10, 2008 11:29 am

not that slow... I would suspect a problem...

by **dwarfpike** » Sat May 10, 2008 12:40 pm

Never kept firemouths, but I know they mature slowly which usually (but not always) means slower growth too ... my convicts grew increadably fast though ... what size tank, how many fish, and how often/how much do you do water changes? That would effect grow probably the most.

by **stuckinthemiddle** » Sat May 10, 2008 12:57 pm

Frequent water changes are key with my fish growing fast. Does seem a little slow. My cons grow like they are on steriods.

by **swamptrout** » Sat May 10, 2008 11:12 pm

Fish are fed 2 times a day.
Just measured the Con & FM, more like 2.5" = so would be 1-1.5" growth

Tank mates are as my signature states.

7.5" O
6" GT
5" Sev
4" JD
9" BGK
4x 4" Silver Dollars
6 x 4-5" goldfish
3 x 3-4" CL

by **swamptrout** » Sun May 11, 2008 1:18 am

by **Toby_H** » Sun May 11, 2008 9:08 am

what size tank are they in?

Was the tank properly cycled when you fiirst added the fish?

by **swamptrout** » Sun May 11, 2008 10:41 pm

180G - (6x2x2)
water was cycled when they were put in yes.

I sat and watched for a few hours while feeding them. It seems the goldfish are eating everything as soon as it hits the water so not much food is left by the time it hits the bottom quite simply they are not getting enough food.

thanks anyway for your support.

by **hyposalinity** » Mon May 12, 2008 1:44 am

Release the goldfish into a pond, buy Cichlid pellets, problem solved.

by **chrispyweld** » Mon May 12, 2008 2:09 am

hyposalinity wrote:Release the goldfish into a pond, buy Cichlid pellets, problem solved.

Poor plan unless it is your own pond with no way to reach other bodies of water. Just today I went to a local lake here in AZ and saw about a dozen 2ft long Koi in what is supposed to be a trout reserve. I'm sure these fish will eat more than their share of fingerling trout as they get quite a bit larger than the average trout in this lake. Another example of irresponsible hobbyists taking their toll on the local environment. :roll:

by **swamptrout** » Mon May 12, 2008 2:20 am

couldn't agree more with you chrispy. the goldfish will be dog food !!!

Central American Cichlids • Growth Rate of Cons & FM's

Growth Rate of Cons & FM's

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