Help With Convicts

[stucolls]

Hi guys, I have recently taken a few albino marbled convicts off a friend of mine, I had 3 or 4 small ones anyway (I think their growth was stunted) but I have taken on what I think is 1 male and 2 females, the male is huge! and the females decent sizes, they hve produced regularly over the last 2-3 months for my friend who I took them from.

I have a couple of questions though.....

(1) Hpw do you know when they are ready to lay eggs or are pregnant?

(2) What kind of tank mates can they have?

(3) are there other cichlids I can put in with them as im tempted to turn my tank into a cichlid tank rather than community?

(4) Do they require any special conditions or are they fairly community like i.e clean water, heated water, stable parameters?

Thanks all

 

[Davo86]

Hi stu, what size tank do you have them in?

If you have 3 then one is going to start taking a battering as soon as the pair are ready to spawn so you could say that would be the first sign, The pair should also be seen preparing/securing an area

Again tankmates would depend on tanksize, in a 60G or larger you should be fine with some hardy quick dithers like giant danios or larger Rainbows, as well as Bristlenose plecs and other hardy catfish,

Again depends on tanksize,

No special conditions are required,

 

[stucolls]

180litre, 5ft long, slightly narrow but plenty of room and I have made a few caves and hidey holes, when you say preparing an area? what are they likely to do? and because I have 3 or 4 smaller cons will the bigger ones be less likely to fight?

 

[Davo86]

180litre, 5ft long, slightly narrow but plenty of room and I have made a few caves and hidey holes, when you say preparing an area? what are they likely to do? and because I have 3 or 4 smaller cons will the bigger ones be less likely to fight?

ah ok missred the first post, so there are 6-7 cons,

well the 5foot tank will certainly help, and will definitely reduce aggression,

an established pair will stick together and unless you have provided coconut or slate caves they will dig a pit in which to lay the eggs, with both fish becoming aggressive to any other fish that come nearby