Convicts Flaring And Rubbing Each Other

[onidrase]

I just added the male convict to Glory's tank, after removing her and redecorating to break territory bonds, not that there wa any territory, realistically. Just a flower pot since she tried to break everything else. But I added a large rock-thing and a big plastic plant

Anyways, now that they're together, They've been following each other around, flaring and rubbing against each other, and after a little while of that, glory (female con) has gotten a bit nippy and chasey, and the male seems more submissive than not... I'm not sure how any of this is gonna go, or what I'm supposed to be looking for.

What do I do? The male is still a little smaller than glory, but hardly. He's growing fast. Does that effect their ability to like each other? How will I know if they're "paired"? should I maybe get more males? I was under the impression after a discussion on another thread that convicts don't really pair like other cichlids do.

Should I remove the male again now, or wait a while?

Any advise appreciated, thanks much.

 

[snake007]

My female convict is bigger than my male so I dont think it makes a difference on size, when their pared you will know, they will stay together, swim together.
When I added a male convict, the female would chase him around and he would hide behind the filter, I kept re-arranging the decor and after two weeks in the tank, he stood up for himself, they had a big bust up, but they paired right after.
I think you should leave them to it for a while but keep an eye.

If she gets too aggressive then take him out, when they start their paring ritual, the male will fight back.
IMO getting more males would make the matter worse and they will all fight, and it would be a big brawl in your tank.
Convicts do pair, and stay together.

Good luck

 

[onidrase]

My female convict is bigger than my male so I dont think it makes a difference on size, when their pared you will know, they will stay together, swim together.
When I added a male convict, the female would chase him around and he would hide behind the filter, I kept re-arranging the decor and after two weeks in the tank, he stood up for himself, they had a big bust up, but they paired right after.
I think you should leave them to it for a while but keep an eye.

If she gets too aggressive then take him out, when they start their paring ritual, the male will fight back.
IMO getting more males would make the matter worse and they will all fight, and it would be a big brawl in your tank.
Convicts do pair, and stay together.

Good luck

He flares back now and then, but after glory flares bigger he chickens out and runs some more.

 

[thereverendturtle]

Convicts are one of a few cichlids where the female tends to initiate pairing. It's perfectly normal behavior. Make sure there are plenty of places for the male to hide and in a couple of weeks they'll be paired and you'll be trying to figure out what to do with all the fry.

 

[onidrase]

Convicts are one of a few cichlids where the female tends to initiate pairing. It's perfectly normal behavior. Make sure there are plenty of places for the male to hide and in a couple of weeks they'll be paired and you'll be trying to figure out what to do with all the fry.

thank you! I honestly wouldn't be breeding them if glory was nicer.. She was originally gonna be the star of the show in a tank full of tiger barbs and upside down catfish, but then she discovered fish eyes are delicious (to her, anyway) and she's been alone in her own tank. So I've been trying to get her a mate. This is my first time breeding.. Well.. Anything, for that matter. So I'm a little clueless about how this goes.

As for the fry, I think I might try to bring them to my LFS's for a while, and if that fails, I think my firemouth might take a few.. But I'd have to test that theory.

 

[thereverendturtle]

With my last pair, eventually I just let them keep their own population under control. Most fish will eat them if they are under a quarter inch. After that they start to get to spiny for most fish.

 

[onidrase]

Well, the male is now cowering in the top corner of the tank, I have loads of decorations in there, but it seems glory is hoarding them all. I can't stand to see him up in the corner like this. I'm gonna move him back to the bigger tank for a while longer, and try again once he grows some balls

I think the problem would be more the tank than the fish, though. I'm being hasty, and trying to pair them in the hexagon, which has the unsightly small footprint. I'll wait until I have the long tank before trying again.

None the less, any advice you guys can give for when I retry once the new tank is set up will be appreciated.