Have Pink Convict Fry - Problems With Fry Net!

[Athena]

First, a bit of background...

I have a pair of pink convicts. Have had them almost a year and they are about the same size as when I bought them - male 2.5", female 2". Anyway, they spawn every couple of weeks, produce fry, but eat them off after 3-5 days.

In the past I've always left the fry with the parents as I didn't want to raise a batch of fry. This weekend, however, upon seeing yet another batch of fry - this time the largest batch yet that literally took my breath away when I saw them - I decided that I would try to save a few of them since I don't know how easy it would be for me to get another pair if anything should happen to the adults. This batch must already be approx 3-4 days old, judging by their size - so the parents had them well hidden after hatching!

I already had a new fry net in a box, so set that up and put it in the tank where the adults are.

Trying to actually capture a few of the fry proved to be a hellish experience, with both adults attacking my net very aggressively to the point I was afraid they would injure themselves so had to stop. I managed to get 5 fry - put them in the fry net with a squirt of liquid fry food, turned off the tank lights to try to calm the parents down - and left them alone for a while.

When I came back to the tank, I could see the male was desperately trying to rescue the fry from within the fry net - and in so doing he had inadvertantly killed them all. I guess he was sucking on the netting so hard that the little fry ended up squashed, one by one...

I felt devastated.

I left it a few hours, then went through the whole procedure once again, except I timed it better and managed to scoop up 5 in one go. This time I added a little gravel and floated lots of plants in the fry net, thinking it might obscure the fry from the sight of Daddy convict. But, no - he still spotted them in there and went mad trying to get them and once again they all died.

What I want to know is, have any of you ever used one of these fry nets and had any success with convicts? Or do you put the fry net into another tank, away from the parents?

Also, do you know if there are any other types of fry nets - well, maybe not netting at all but actual plastic with teensy holes in it?

I feel so bad that because of me, a bunch of fry died. I know that they will all probably have been eaten by the end of this week, anyway, but I still feel guilty about it.

Thanks - and Happy New Year to you all!

Athena

 

[foley69]

best thing you can do really is have another tank on standby i just got a tank today ready for my convict fry once they are ready to be separated other than that you will just have to let them do their thing leave them till they get about an inch or so see how many have survived and either sell them or before they reach this size get another tank set up

if you have an aldi nearby they do a 54 litre tank that would be perfect for putting your fry in its only £38 with a full set up i just got myself one today for my babys

 

[shroob]

Peopel sometimes use breeding traps to keep fry in, though these are mostly used for livebearers such as guppies to allow the fry to escape the mother, I did use one once though to keep the fry in.

I havn't heard of them being used for convicts and I think it would probably tourment the cons like you have experienced - dad not being able to get to the fry so he would probably keep trying over and over if he could see them. If you got an opaque one you might have better luck, but the father might know his kids are in there by other methods of detection such as chemicals and still try and get them out.

My honduran red points (similar to convicts) eat their young if they arn't removed but after a longer period, around 2-3 weeks, thankfully I have another tank set up so I'm able to save some young ones but not all, would need hundreds of gallons to save every fry.

I think realistically another tank is the way to go if you want to raise some young convicts but be warned the market for rehoming is a limited one and you don't want to be stuck with fish you can't keep or rehome.

 

[foley69]

am tellin ya get yaself to aldi £38 for a 54 litre tank full set up aswell...... bargain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Athena]

Cheers, Foley & Shroob!

I wish I had room for yet another tank as £38 for a whole set up sounds fantastic! But I don't have anywhere suitable to keep another tank, unfortunately. Oh boy, the temptation is so strong though! I could get rid of the TV and put a tank on the corner unit and watch that of an evening instead (which I wouldn't mind but my OH might not be so pleased)... but no...I will be good, I WILL be good... LOL

I don't really want to rear loads of fry to rehome elsewhere - I just wanted a few that I could keep for myself. These particular pink convicts don't seem to grow much larger than 2.5 - 3" - and at the moment I only have two of these in a 3ft tank! I have no idea what their usual lifespan is as they are not the same as normal convicts. I was thinking that if I could save and rear (in the same tank) at least another 2 or 3, the tank wouldn't look so empty - and when my adults eventually die off I would hopefully still have a few of their offspring.

They are really beautiful little fish!

I don't think I am going to bother even trying with the fry net again - it's too upsetting for me and very stressful for the parents. Will have to think of some other way of doing it. I suppose I could put one of those small tanks upstairs in my bedroom, although they wouldn't get seen much but that's one option I could go for.

Anyway, am off home now so nite nite x

Thanks - Athena

 

[foley69]

the pink convicts are the same as the striped ones in every way but colouration they live the same lifespan and have the same needs ...also for £38 i didnt have enough space in my room so i made room for such a bargain so i wacked it in ma sisters room with her little 5 gal tank with her crowntail in she thinks its just another tank for her haha

 

[~T~]

am tellin ya get yaself to aldi £38 for a 54 litre tank full set up aswell...... bargain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dont mean to hijack the thread but do you have any pics of your aldi setup? I might grab myself one.

 

[Fleck]

First, a bit of background...

I have a pair of pink convicts. Have had them almost a year and they are about the same size as when I bought them - male 2.5", female 2". Anyway, they spawn every couple of weeks, produce fry, but eat them off after 3-5 days.

In the past I've always left the fry with the parents as I didn't want to raise a batch of fry. This weekend, however, upon seeing yet another batch of fry - this time the largest batch yet that literally took my breath away when I saw them - I decided that I would try to save a few of them since I don't know how easy it would be for me to get another pair if anything should happen to the adults. This batch must already be approx 3-4 days old, judging by their size - so the parents had them well hidden after hatching!

I already had a new fry net in a box, so set that up and put it in the tank where the adults are.

Trying to actually capture a few of the fry proved to be a hellish experience, with both adults attacking my net very aggressively to the point I was afraid they would injure themselves so had to stop. I managed to get 5 fry - put them in the fry net with a squirt of liquid fry food, turned off the tank lights to try to calm the parents down - and left them alone for a while.

When I came back to the tank, I could see the male was desperately trying to rescue the fry from within the fry net - and in so doing he had inadvertantly killed them all. I guess he was sucking on the netting so hard that the little fry ended up squashed, one by one...

I felt devastated.

I left it a few hours, then went through the whole procedure once again, except I timed it better and managed to scoop up 5 in one go. This time I added a little gravel and floated lots of plants in the fry net, thinking it might obscure the fry from the sight of Daddy convict. But, no - he still spotted them in there and went mad trying to get them and once again they all died.

What I want to know is, have any of you ever used one of these fry nets and had any success with convicts? Or do you put the fry net into another tank, away from the parents?

Also, do you know if there are any other types of fry nets - well, maybe not netting at all but actual plastic with teensy holes in it?

I feel so bad that because of me, a bunch of fry died. I know that they will all probably have been eaten by the end of this week, anyway, but I still feel guilty about it.

Thanks - and Happy New Year to you all!

Athena

----------
Hi
In theory how long can the fry be left with the parents before they drive them away?

 

[kribensis12]

^ You never know. I have left fry with the parents for up to 2 months, and then I take the parents away( I did it so the pair would breed again). Sometimes they will only take care of the fry a few weeks.

 

[Fleck]

^ You never know. I have left fry with the parents for up to 2 months, and then I take the parents away( I did it so the pair would breed again). Sometimes they will only take care of the fry a few weeks.

I see . Thank you.

 

[kribensis12]

Anytime

 

[juanveldez]

as suggested already the best thing you can get is another tank. but never undestamate the parental draw of a cichlid. even if they eat every one of their fry they are still very protective then again I havn't had one that hates a net espically when I had my jags got bitten more than once. and have a rag tag algae scrubber to prove it.

 

[kribensis12]

Ohhh, i forgot to tell you. No breeder will work fro convicts, tanks are most definatley the best option. I had put a couple fry in a breeder in a convict tank a while ago, to see if the ones with the parents grew faster. So, the next morning, i woke up to find the mom convict jumping into the breeder and taking some babies and jumping back into the tank, and pistting them out ( it was very bizzare!)

 

[Athena]

Wow - jumping convicts! Actually it doesn't surprise me - I could see how desperate the parents were to get their fry out of that breeder net. I think had the top of the net been at water level I may have seen the same thing happen in my tank! There's no way they could jump into mine, though, as the tank lid sat flush with the top of the breeder net.

Well, this morning the parents were still guarding their fry - and I'm quite surprised the fry are still alive as this is the longest they have left their fry to survive. I can see that the fry are becoming a little more independent and free-swimming at times, although they always seem to end up hiding together under a plant once the lights go off. I really hope that they don't eat them all off too soon - would be great if they allowed a few of them to survive!

I'm thinking I might set up a little tank in my kitchen or bedroom, just for a few fry - if not from this batch then from a future batch.

Thanks to you all for the advice.

Athena

 

[kribensis12]

Im glad they are doing their job!