Cichlid Growth

[Mad Hero]

I've kept a pair of convicts in 38 gallon tank. Thry share it with three danios. They've only bred twice in the year that i've kept them. My convicts seem to be the same size as when i got them, they are only about 2-3 inches. Is there anything i can do to enhance growth? Their diet mainly consists of flakes and sometimes bloodworms. Any recommended food?

[optix]

The common convict gene pool has grown weak over the many years of mass breeding and inbreeding. 3" isn't uncommon to be a maximum size for most specimens these days.

[Tightdog1]

for fast growth normally people recommend forzen beef heart, bnlood worms and plankton, and also freeze dried plankton, shrimp, krill, and blood worms.
my brother feeds his convicts a combination of frozen beef heart, blood worms, brine shrimp, and ocean plankton, and freeze dried plankton, krill, baby shrimp, blood worms, flakes, tubifex worms, and pellets. if you give them a wide varity of foods they tend to grow faster his have grown to about 3-4" from 1" in about 6 months, and the viriety of food is also better for them to keep digestive diseases at a minimum.

[DarthV]

Wow, my convict must be the exception... it's grown close to an inch in the month or so that I've had him. The little tyrant is now the ruler of my 55gal tank and developing a hump and he's still under 3" long.

[optix]

Had those same exact results with mine darth. He grew like a weed, has his hump extremly rare finage. Dorsal and anal are both past his tail and his tail is lyred. He stopped at 3" though. He wont grow anymore now.