Convicts

[mollylver]

Is a forty gallon high tank too small for a mating pair of convicts? I have read that anywhere from 15 gallons to 55 gallons are the minimum. If 40 gallons is ok, what else could I put in the tank? Red tailed sharks? Thanks.

 

[cheesy feet]

Thats excellent for breeding convicts in.You won't be able to keep any other fish with them though,they get so aggressive when breeding.

 

[mollylver]

Thank you.

 

[Nevergone815]

Thats excellent for breeding convicts in.You won't be able to keep any other fish with them though,they get so aggressive when breeding.

Well it all depends on what you put with them and the breeding pairs disposition. I've kept plecos, rainbows, other cichlids, all with ease. I don't recommend it for all, but I have done this with success. 15 gallons is good for breeding in, so a 40 will be more than enough space. In there, jsut make sure that if you put something else in the tank, then you will need to a ) make sure that your fish will let them go in and the fish are compatible and b ) make sure you put the other fish in first and then after a little while put the pair in. This will decrease chances of the pair taking over the entire tank for themselves if they're the only ones in it.

But like I said, you're probably better off with sut keeping them by themselves. You may get lucky with tankmates, but I've read stories of a convict breeding pair taking down a full grown midas, so that's always something ot consider...

 

[fuzz16]

the only thing i would put with a pair of convicts is probably...an oscar? and even then he'd get beaten up.
any fish you put with them they will shred to the point they cant swim and then knaw on them slowly until they die. maybe you should just stick with two pairs of cons? the black and the pink maybe?

some fish that might work...
green terror- somebody else might want to give input. it may not work with your tank.
other convicts
large eel-fire, peacock...will need a hiding place. someone else might want to give input here as well
firemouth

every convict is a hit and miss-like most cichlids. it may work it may not...but any fish thats really big and aggressive should be able to hold its own.

 

[Nevergone815]

maybe you should just stick with two pairs of cons? the black and the pink maybe?

some fish that might work...
other convicts

firemouths are too docile IMO/IME to kept with most cichlids period. as for the 2 breeding pairs, that is a very bad idea, depending on the pairs, they can kill each othr defending their young and increasing their territory. I kept another convict with a breeding pair, overnight they beat it to the brink of death where the only thing I could do is euthenise it. As for the green terrors, msot are actually silver and gold suams (sp). They are not the "true" green terrors first introduced ot the market back in the '70s. The true are bigger and much mroe aggressive. Unless you get one of these, which I hear are extremely rare and expensive and only can be got from select breeders, the suam will get killed. I have one in a community cichlid tank and it is a pansy and I can't think of it ever being able to hold its own against a breeding pair of cons. your suggestions are great, depending on individual fish (your cichlids and the tankmates you want to introduce) it can be a paradise or a a warzone...

My opinion, if you want to breed cons, keep them in a tank by themselves, like staed by fuzz as well as others like myself, tankmates are "doable" but EXTREMELY risky!

 

[vancouver]

I wouldn't put other fish in with breeding convicts unless they are dithers.

 

[cheesy feet]

Yeh,and they would have to be big dithers which means a bigger tank.My pleco basically died form my texas beating him up, so if convicts are breeding i would hate to think what they could do.