My experience with convicts have been quite different than most..
For the several years I've owned convicts, I've never thought of them as evil as
some have suggested.. They are however excellent parents and will defend
their territory and fry against other tankmates.
Convicts are one of my favorite fish for looks, personality, and activity..
They are not fish you want to put with others while breeding.. Leave that to
a breeder tank with only the pair..
To successfully keep cons with other tankmates, only put males with other
tankmates(such as gt,firemouths,etc). I've successfully kept a couple of male
cons for years with other tankmates with no deaths from aggression. Just don't
overcrowd the fish..that will cause more aggression in any nw cichlid. After the males
reach a couple of years old, most will produce that wonderful nuchal hump(sometimes
less time) that really adds to their appearance.. I think they are also one of the more
beautiful nw cichlids around.... either in the pink or black version(don't really care for
the marble)...
One thing though, don't add smaller fish with adult cons in a tank.. try to keep the
size of the fish the same or larger than the cons. It's also best to mix the tankmates
at the juvie stage before they reach maturity.
The big problem arises whenever you add a female con to the mix.. I've found females
to be nastier than the males and when a pair bonds, it will raise the aggression in the
tank...that's when a breeder tank for the sole pair is needed. Otherwise, you're going
to have problems leaving them in the community cichlid tank.
If you don't plan to breed your cons, the males make excellent tankmates and I
enjoy them as one of my favorite cichlids for personality and looks...
Plus, why breed them when no lfs will take them off of your hands.. at the very best,
the fry are a little extra food for other aquarium fish, but it's not worth the hassle imho..
Good luck with your choice..
