Convict cichlid in 60 gallon

[RisiganL.]

Ok, so recently my green sunfish has been beating the tar out of my Jack Dempsey so I decided to get a Convict cichlid. I am hoping this will stop my dempsey from getting beaten on so much. I was just wondering wether I should get a male or a female. I like the coloring of a female but I think a male would be able to stand up against the green sunfish better. Can anyone tell me one would be better?

[rockhoe14er]

I'm not sure it really matters too much but i'm not a convict expert. I would suggest changing the tank around and changing up the territories because i find this always help reduce the aggression in my tank.

[joel.uejio]

I'm not sure if adding one fish will help in your case -- might end up with the sunfish beating on both. You might consider instead adding a bunch of "target" fish as a distraction -- maybe a small school of giant danios or rainbowfish. (you may lose some, though)

Also agree with rock's suggestion about changing the territory -- adding hiding spots and decor can help.

Good luck!

[stevezx2002]

If the Dempsey is getting beat up a convict wont stand a chance, I agree with joel on the dither/target fish option.

[RisiganL.]

I have tried dither fish but they just got eaten. I had 4 giant danios that were about 3 in but my green sunfish who is about 6in managed to choke them down. My Jack Dempsey is only about 4 and he is a bit of a wuss. The person that I am getting the convict from have a male and a female just over 5 in.

[rockhoe14er]

I have tried dither fish but they just got eaten. I had 4 giant danios that were about 3 in but my green sunfish who is about 6in managed to choke them down. My Jack Dempsey is only about 4 and he is a bit of a wuss. The person that I am getting the convict from have a male and a female just over 5 in.

did your green sunfish and jack dempsey grow up together? Sometimes when a cichlid is by itself for a while in a tank it's really hard to add other cichlids because they are used to being alone and can get super aggressive. If this is the case it's pretty hard to add any cichlid to the tank without haveing a lot of agression. You can always try adding a larger cichilid with the green sunfish so that he will learn r e s p e c t.

I have a feeling that the convicts will get beaten up too. you could maybe look into a jaguar but those fish get pretty big and you might have to upgrade your tank in the future.

[RisiganL.]

I have had the green sunfish for about 4 months now. About a month after I got him, I put the Jack Dempsey with him. They were fine for awhile but for about a month the green sunfish is constantly chasing the dempsey. I am not sure why there was a delay with the aggression. Also, the green sunfish was wild caught.

[Ballyhoo]

I agree with Stevez,a convict will only get bullied as well. You may be better off trying to rehome the jack or the sunfish

[rockhoe14er]

Yeah i've never had a wild caught one but from what i hear those guys can be pretty nasty. It's going to be tricky to get any other fish in there with him unless you get a much bigger one.

[Pittbull]

North American panfish aka sunfish, bluegills and pumpkinseeds can be nasty, in a sense they are North American cichlids they really need to be housed in larger setups with others of the same species..

When we add tropical cichlids like Jack Dempsey, Oscars and others respectfully they are aggressive in their natural setups and environments but sometimes can not handle others from different locals..