240 gallon convict breeder

[Opcn]

Okay I was going to fill a 240 gallon setup (Sand and some piles of round rock; Ranging cobbles to small boulders) into this I was planning on putting 10 convicts, which will probably yield 4 pairs (I think its a 1 in three chance of 5 and really close to 2 in three for 4 I'll do the maths and come up with numbers later) There are some zebra danios and platies in there ATM but they arent terribly important to me.

My questions

1) Am I over stocking?

2) Anything else I can add (Probably add a common pleco if algea gets to be a problem) Maybe keep a bronze puffer in there too if its not to agressive

3) Approximately How many babies will it produce a month?

TIA

 

[fufanu360]

honsetly, i would NOT do that... u would likely end up with such a mess of aggresion, even though the tank is huge..... i think breeding cons should have their own tanks, my pair cant even see me without flaring at me... theyre insane

 

[Daveo]

that and who in the world is going to take that many convict juvies off you hands

Daveo

 

[Opcn]

Well the reason your cons flare at you when you go near there tank is that they dont feel that there 30 so gallons of territory is adequit since everything they see is there territory and its not enought anything that they see is invadeing there already to small territory, so your invadeing there territory. My thought is that at 60 gallons of territory per pair they will probably feel somewhat content in what they have.

Also a turlte is going to be getting the fry once they are about guppy size, he doesnt get enought excersize so we want to present him with lots of little meals to Keep him moveing and cons are much more interesting to watch breed than guppies or Mollies.

 

[fufanu360]

Im pretty sure my cons are happy in there tank

i still wouldnt do it though, offily riskey

 

[dothedew]

I think that it's a waste of space. Since you say 60g per pair, why don't you just get 2 60gallons?240 could go to a much better use.

 

[fishdudein]

If that's what you want to do with the 240, then go for it. I don't see any problem with it. My cons have bred in just about whatever I have put them in, as long as there is enough water to keep them wet. A dozen in a 29 gallon did not stop them from breeding (I wouldn't recommend this, just saying that even in this cramped conditions, they still kept breeding). My main concern was what you were going to do with the inevitable fry, but you seem to have a plan for that, too.

 

[Opcn]

They may be very happy in there 30 gallon tank, I was just thinking that there maximum agression had its limits.

Also the TYank and turtle are not mine, They are at my school, I tried to breed my glofish but to no avail, if not for me the tank would go unused so its not a waste, I cant get 2 60 gallons or even 4 30 gallons, this is all I have to work with, I have 1 240 gallon tank and my task is to entertain students and produce feeders, I'm paying for all the fish out of pocket so they need to be cheep, and convicts are the cheapest cichlids I know of.

 

[Vip]

I dont think you need that many convict dude, 2 pairs will have more than enough young to feed your turtle, and plus 10 cons in a 240g is understocked so why not fill it up abit more with some smart cichlids.

PS: Cons will flare at you for anything mine flare at me in the 180g.

 

[digital_run]

With that size tank and plenty of rock work you shouldn't really see that much aggression. But again theres the question of why so many...A single pair would produce plenty of fry to feed your turtle occasionally and you could have a variety of species in there. Either way im sure it'll be greeat

 

[Opcn]

Variety costs money, I'll try to take pictures when its set up.

 

[fufanu360]

fishkeeping costs money...

 

[gwlee7]

Couldn't you create a very nice SA or CA "biotope" for relatively small cash and still have lots of fry? Rainbow cichlid reproduce as fast as convicts (well almost as fast.. ) and are a lot less aggressive. Then, you could feed the turtle and still add some other less expensive new worlds like Jack Dempseys or something.

But hey, what do I know??

 

[Opcn]

Crunched the numbers.

a 23 percent chance of getting three pairs worth
a 40 percent chance of getting 4 pairs
and a 25 percent chance of 5 pairs
Wish me luck

 

[mwm]

Go for 3 pairs get nice cons to