Ive seen some stunning convicts in a local centre and they are already paired off. will it be ok to introduce them into a 60g tank with around 10 malawi cichlids, a jewel cichlid and 2 plecs?

Depending on what Malawis you have I'd ask the question, "Can Malawis go with Convicts"?, but I s'pose if they survive with your Jewels, they should stand up to the convicts as well, so long as they stay clear when its breeding time..... Maybe then a 60 gal won't be big enough.

It's not a good idea. I'd say

No, No, No

I consider Malawi mbuna my semi speciality b/c I have a 125 gallon tank AND I've been reading about them for months and months....although I still have alot to learn. It's generally a no no mix africans and americans

Plus, if you can get a 29 gallon, not to expensive at all if you look for a second hand one, you'll be able to oberve their interesting breeding and general behavior patterns. Otherwise, they could very well be chasing other fish most of the time when they are ready to breed, which should be every few weeks!

ooohhh no, I certainly wouldn't mix the two. Thats a recepie for aggression soup.

Cal

have an 90gall malawii set up.
At the moment it contains an assortment of fish.
From nimbochromis to peacocks,
from zebras to ahlis
A mix as most africans do.

Now i also have a 4 inch convict/saijca hybrid.
He lives perfectly happy in the tank, and is generally
able to handle any aggression whilst placid himself.

No problems have occurd so far


in response to cal,
african's are a recipie for aggression soup anyways

edit:
i'd probly stay clear of a pair though ^^

This post has been edited by Zawiha: Jul 5 2008, 01:35 PM

well hush my mouth. I would never have recommended it, but if it works for you, then full speed ahead

Cal

Dont hush urself

i may just be lucky, or that its a lone specimin.
Even i dot recommend a pair ^^
Worth a try, but i wouldnt do it personally tho,

knowing how my pair of cons were in there own tank.
but maybe african can handle it. Nice big mabuna should be able too

This post has been edited by Zawiha: Jul 5 2008, 02:09 PM

I have a fully grown convict in with a mixture of malawi and hes fine

as Zawiha put it
"He lives perfectly happy in the tank, and is generally able to handle any aggression whilst placid himself"

well, you live and learn, is all I can say.

Cal

IMO, It's best not to mix what doesn't occur at least semi naturally in the wild.

This may be a bit off, but you'll get the point....Zoos don't put Tigers and Lions together, do they? Just because it sometimes can be done, doesn't mean it's best for the fish. Things like that usually happen because of what the fishkeeper wants.

i wud say no as its not a walawi cihlid so shouldnt be kept with them.

Actually it does happen.
Take a look at Tigons and Ligers.
Hybrids of Lions and Tigers.

I dont think the sperm happend to fly over the fences into the other ones oven

Thank you for the lesson in Biology. Thats what I'm studying at Uni...Knew there was something I hadn't revised.

Cal

Obviously, that would be a "bad" zoo if they house them together. I've NEVER been to a zoo that housed something like that together (and I've been to zoos from Arizona to Ohio). So, that could go along the lines of a fishkeeper who wanted to do what they wanted instead of what's best for their creatures overall and for the long term.

There is a huge difference between a pair of convicts and a single convict in terms of behavior. I guess I'm a purist as I wouldn't mix even a single con with Malawis.

There's more than just aggression to factor, there's diet, if you are keeping haps/peacocks feeding isn't an issue, however, if you have mbuna they are herbivores while the cons are carnivores. Feeding mbuna too much meaty protein usually leads to bloat while depriving the cons of that protein will leave them malnourished and prone to disease and early death, so it's a fine balancing act to meet the needs of both.

Diet aside there is still aggression, the biggest problem with mixing aggressive fish that live in different areas is that they can't read each others signals. Species that live together in nature develop certain signals to communicate with each other, when you mix together fish that don't occur together they can't read each other, so a signal to "leave me alone" for one group won't work with another. This can lead to a lot of chasing and stress, and the important thing to remember with Malawis (and most aggressive cichlids), they can quickly go from tolerant to mass murder.

All that aside, part of the joy of fish keeping is trying out different setups, so as long as you observe closely, have a back up plan, and don't become angry if it doesn't work, I say go for it.

And, in respone to the tigons and ligers, no reputable zoo condones this type of hybridization. Those hybrids are almost always found in the "care" of private citizens who think it's "cool" to create new animals.

NO!!! YOU NEVER ADD A PAIR OF CONVICTS TO ANYTHING BUT A AGGRESSIVE TANK ONLY!! and if anyone says you can, their very uneducated & unexperienced in the hobby.

as for adding one male, thats very different but NEVER add a female to the mix unless you WANT blood shed and stripped fins!