Convicts, Eggs

[j@mie]

I looked in my tank last night and seen 1 of my convicts defending a place where shells are, i looked into the shell and can see black spots which look like eggs, can any1 advise me on this, they wont let any other fish near, and it seems like the darker 1 of the 2 is constantly on guard.

please help

 

[Ben]

first off convicts are New World cichlids, please post questions about them in the NW cichlid forum next time

hmm.i dont know about them being black but if they are infact eggs the parents will guard them and take on anything.what other fish are in the tank and what tank size?
DD

 

[j@mie]

soz about that - admin plz move to nw section - the tank is a 20g

 

[semper fi]

usually the eggs are yellow in color. could appear to be black due to being inside a shell though. the eggs will turn clear with one black spot. this is when the fry are ready to emerge. usually takes about 4-5 days. the parents are very protective of their fry. if you have anything that is nosy in the tank, more than likely if it comes too close, the parents will kill it.

 

[digital_run]

A breeding pair of convicts in a twenty gallon will probably end up killing anything else in the tank... Idealy you should have nothing else in that tank!! ... Most cichlids will fail in their first couple of attempts to spawn. They will usually eat the eggs and try again within the next few days .... Dont be alarmed if they do this as its completely normal. What else is in the tank with them?

 

[j@mie]

a few of the african cichlid species, 4 yellow labs, nothing else. They are on guard 24/7 quite interesting to watch tbh, the other fish are keeping well clear anyway.

tell me what 2 do from ere. will the labs eat the fry, or am i best moving them to my empty hexigon tank. Im just so unsure of what 2 do, so a step by step explanation would be great.

cheers every1. and ty admin for moving this thread,

 

[digital_run]

I've seen breeding convcits attack and at times injure fish more than double their size...I'm pretty sure your labs are in for a nasty time with a pair of breeding cons. Especially with a smaller tank and not nearly enough territory to go around. Convicts will claim up 75% of your tank ( probably all of it ) and attack anything that they see. If you have a spare tank i would set it up in case you have to make an emergency evac. I'd bet that the labs wont get anywhere close enough to eat the fry...

 

[j@mie]

so how big will the fry be when they hatch? will they just hang around the parents. If 1 of them explores, YUM YUM i would think the poor bugger would be eaten

 

[digital_run]

The parents will keep them very close....and by time you see free swimming fry id say your labs would be getting the point...I'm not trying to be a bummer...its just from experience that i wont keep anything with my breeding cons.

 

[j@mie]

well these 2 cons were picked from a tank of about 30, just my luck they are different sexes - so this wasnt intentional. Im just in a pickle now

 

[Vip]

I think you have a problem on your hands now dude, atm the are guarding a small part of your tank but once the fry are free and swimming they might take over the whole tank due to the babies swimming around, the yellow labs can out up a good fight but not against a father who is ready to die for his young. Its really upto you if you want the fry to live or not.
PS: The one with the orange on there belly is the female.

 

[GrannyH]

I've had that happen, if possible to remove the rest of the fish the paired chiclids will raise a good scool of babies. I started with 1 pair of white convicts and ended up with a 55 gallon stock tank sitting in the middle of my room! I could'nt find enough homes for them! They are very protective of the ofspring and the male is the main caregiver for the fry ,he will even run the female off.

 

[fufanu360]

ya, my breeding cons are insane, i cant have anything in the tank, even when there are no eggs or fry lol,

 

[digital_run]

ya, my breeding cons are insane, i cant have anything in the tank, even when there are no eggs or fry lol,

Same.....

 

[j@mie]

thing is, neither of my 2 cons have a orange belly - the only difference between them is 1 is a brighter colour! where as the other is just plain black