One Lone Male Convict In A Community Tank

[phishstixx]

Hey just wondering would I be able to put a lone male convict in a community tank as I know that's impossible with a m/f pair. I have a 55g with swordtails, mollies,neons,platies, bristle nose plecos. Moderately planted with an ehiem 2224 pro and a whisper 60 also use aqua clear 50 which i move back and fourth between my fry tank.

 

[fry_lover]

every fish has its own personality and sometimes we can get lucky, but i dont think it extends so far as to have a Convict in a tank with neons...

even if the convict doesnt have a few fish for lunch as he gets bigger, and even if he doesnt act so aggressively he just plain kills fish, he will most likely want his own space in the tank, and with the fish you mention, they are so active, they will intrude in his space and even if he doesnt kill them or terrorise them to death, he is likely to stress them all out

not worth it in my opinion

i have all the fish you mention by the way, they all in the same tank (apart from my Convicts!)

it would also be a completely alien environment for him, so even if he didnt cause any aggro, he would could well be stressed (thats just my best guess)

I thought i would try and give my take on it, rather than just reply "no" which is what i feared my happen, the answer is "no" pretty much, but its good to discuss why etc......

 

[SJ2K]

Say goodbye to any fish that can fit in its mouth.

 

[phishstixx]

thanks how bout any recommendation for something slightly bigger that will co-exsist with my community set up

 

[idlefingers]

My old male con could only be kept with fish more aggressive than himself because he'd bully anything.. so no peaceful community for him! As fry_lover said, every fish has it's own personality and you can never second guess cichlid behavior.

The thing with most american cichlids is that they come from places which flood/dry with the seasons.. During the floods, they breed and proliferate but then the pools they're in start to dry out and competition gets fiercer and fiercer. So a successful fish in these situations is a strong, smart (or both) fish, generally speaking. So what I'm getting at is that the bigger the tank, the less aggressive they're likely to be.