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Convict Behavior

3K views 35 replies 9 participants last post by  YoungCrazyCatWoman 
#1 ·
I just got a new pair of convicts. They are in a 10g (yes, too small) with my 3-4in pleco. I've only had the convicts for 2 days, but the female is chasing the male around the tank. She isn't nipping at him or hurting him, just chasing him around (so he hides behind my filter). Is this normal?

Kairi





Sora



 
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#3 ·
The orange belly is typically a good giveaway with convicts, plus the orange belly one has no fin extensions, and the one without the orange does, so those are good signs.

It might be that the male isn't aggressive enough... I had the same problem with an over-aggressive female that I took back, got a pair of black cons, male killed his mate, so I bought back the killer, and they've been a pair since... It's all about finding compatible fish, though with convicts it isn't too hard...

If you can't get a bigger tank, try to provide a lot of line of sight breaks (cichlid stones, clay pots, lots of fake plants)
 
#4 ·
Chubbs the Jellybean said:
The orange belly is typically a good giveaway with convicts, plus the orange belly one has no fin extensions, and the one without the orange does, so those are good signs.

It might be that the male isn't aggressive enough... I had the same problem with an over-aggressive female that I took back, got a pair of black cons, male killed his mate, so I bought back the killer, and they've been a pair since... It's all about finding compatible fish, though with convicts it isn't too hard...

If you can't get a bigger tank, try to provide a lot of line of sight breaks (cichlid stones, clay pots, lots of fake plants)
This is what my tank looks like now. I was thinking about taking maybe 2 rocks out and getting 2 unglazed clay pots. Would this help? Suggestions?
(What are cichlid stones?)

 
#9 ·
Your female is mature. The male is not. She's ready to make babies, he's not. That is why she is chasing him. Cichlids test their mates before mating with them, just like humans. If you can't hack it, you're gone... BUT instinct for convicts to survive will more than likely take over in a couple of weeks and they will spawn. They are at the bottom of the food chain and NEED to reproduce. She knows that, he hasn't figured it out yet.... Typical male, always the last to know.

I'd also like to point out that finnage is not a reliable way to sex convicts and should never be considered. I've got plenty of females with nice long streamers. I've even been told by some 13 year old kid on youtube they were males! LOL He was wrong.

You can definately add pots on their sides, or up side down with one side broken off. You can even add short sections of pvc pipe. In a ten, the more hiding spots the better... If it were me I would remove the gravel too. Easier to keep clean and you'll have more water volume.
 
#11 ·
TheFishGuy said:
Your female is mature. The male is not. She's ready to make babies, he's not. That is why she is chasing him. Cichlids test their mates before mating with them, just like humans. If you can't hack it, you're gone... BUT instinct for convicts to survive will more than likely take over in a couple of weeks and they will spawn. They are at the bottom of the food chain and NEED to reproduce. She knows that, he hasn't figured it out yet.... Typical male, always the last to know.

I'd also like to point out that finnage is not a reliable way to sex convicts and should never be considered. I've got plenty of females with nice long streamers. I've even been told by some 13 year old kid on youtube they were males! LOL He was wrong.

You can definately add pots on their sides, or up side down with one side broken off. You can even add short sections of pvc pipe. In a ten, the more hiding spots the better... If it were me I would remove the gravel too. Easier to keep clean and you'll have more water volume.
I thought that she might have been more mature, but I wasn't sure. I was relying on the fact that she has an orange belly to tell the sex. I didn't even think about finnage lol.

I did add two pots (after removing two rocks) and put some fake plants in there as well.
 
#12 ·
Re-do of the tank looks much better! My convicts done the same think in my 50 gal. I bought 8 and the smallest 2 males were and still are highly picked on and didn't pair with any females (they are on their way back to the LFS soon). So I would say that what FISHGUY said was dead on! He always gives such excellent advice (no wonder they call him the fish guy lol)

ALSO:

RICEBURNER-------- I LOVE YOUR FEMALE! I thought mine was pretty but dang, yours is beautiful!
 
#13 ·
Sickaqua said:
Re-do of the tank looks much better! My convicts done the same think in my 50 gal. I bought 8 and the smallest 2 males were and still are highly picked on and didn't pair with any females (they are on their way back to the LFS soon). So I would say that what FISHGUY said was dead on! He always gives such excellent advice (no wonder they call him the fish guy lol)

ALSO:

RICEBURNER-------- I LOVE YOUR FEMALE! I thought mine was pretty but dang, yours is beautiful!
Thanks! And your female is gorgeous Riceburner.

Does anyone know what I could feed my cons so the male will grow larger, faster? If that's even possible. I've heard that NLS Grow Formula works well, but I can only find it on Amazon.com
 
#14 ·
I know what it is like to also have limited resources for supplies and food. When i had cons I felt like they did just fine on your standard small or medium cichlid pellets (in your case the small ones because they are so young). In addition I also used shrimp pellets and blood worms. I am a believer that no food source is perfect so going with a pellet for everyday meals and adding other so called snacks and treats is better. I hope that helps. Good luck.
 
#18 ·
When I got up this morning, my convict pair were darker...is this normal? Or is there something wrong with them?

Yesterday

Sora


Kairi


Today

Sora


Kairi


This evening I did add 2 firemouths to the tank, but my convicts were already darker this morning. Any ideas?
 
#24 ·
TheFishGuy said:
:lol: Ignor my pm...LOL
lol too late. I read the pm before your post.

I know this is unrelated, but what size tank would you suggest keeping a H. sp dayglow or tomato in?
And is it possible to put anything else in the new 20g? Or should I just leave my convicts and pleco in there alone?
Colorful cichlids for a 10g?
 
#25 ·
I have one pair of convicts in a 20g tank and they have not spawned yet. My female is mature, but the male is not. I noticed that my female's black stripes are almost gone on the top part of her body. Is this normal for a female convict that isn't spawning? Or is something wrong with her?

My female



My male
 
#26 ·
YoungCrazyCatWoman said:
I know this is unrelated, but what size tank would you suggest keeping a H. sp dayglow or tomato in?
And is it possible to put anything else in the new 20g? Or should I just leave my convicts and pleco in there alone?
Colorful cichlids for a 10g?
I am just concerned about my male con. He is still smaller than the female and even in the new 20g she chases him everywhere. Still no biting or anything, but he's pretty much been banished to the top of the tank. Anything that will help?
 
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