Convict Cichlids ...

[Pocket_Miner]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I'm not too familiar with trooical fish backgrounds.

I was wanting to buy convict cichlids, an offer near me is a mated pair for £25 or £2 each, so I was wondering if I bought 2 males and 2 females will they mate.
Do convicts pair for life or will they breed happily if I add a male and female together is the question?
Should I buy a pair or 4 separate fish.

Many thx

 

[HAMBONE]

Its been my experience that the males will mate and pair with a female, but if something goes wrong with the fry and or eggs the male will flip out and kill everything in the tank.. It's probably because of my stats..

 

[fluttermoth]

First of all, I'd say consider very carefully whether you actually want a breeding pair of convicts.
 
They are, when breeding, very aggressive fish, which means you're unlikely to be able to keep any other fish in the tank. Then you have the issue of rehoming/selling on the fry. Convicts are excellent parents, which means you could be looking at a 100 or 150 fry, every month or two. There is just not the demand for these kind of fish (many go as 'feeder's ) so you could be stuck with a lot of fish you don't have space for and can't get rid of.
 
One more thing; if you're thinking of putting these in your Biorb, then it's an absolute no no; Biorbs are not big enough.