How Many

[mickey]

how many pair of breeding convicts can i put in my 100 gallon fully planted tank.
I can purchase 6 pair if i need to.
Also are there any suitable tank companions that i might put in with the convicts.
:confused:
Many thanks

[hanif]

your best of with 1m/5-6 females others wise there will be to much aggression in the tank, for tank mates you could try other similarly sized cichlids, good luck.

[Rare Cichlids]

I seriously doubt you will have any problems with multiple pairs in a 100g. IMO, 3 pairs of Nigrofasciatus along with some other fish will be a nice setup.

I think it would interesting to start off with 10+ nice wild fish and form a colony. This is something I want to do. Hopefully I can find some nice wild ones at the cichlid convention this year. I plan to keep mine in a 125g with Striped Midas though.

Good luck

[Tightdog1]

i doubt you could have more than 2 pairs in that 100g. convicts are jsut too destructive when their breeding, they would cause all hell to break lose in the tank.

[GEV83]

I agree convicts are called convicts not only for there stripes but because if they did what they do and they were human then they would be convicts on death row in pelican bay. Convicts get to agressive during the mating process even in a 100gal. you might be able to get way with 2 pairs but I wouldnt risk it. I would also go with one male and several female. If its color you want just get some pink convicts regular convicts and calico convicts. All same fish just differant morphs.

[Rare Cichlids]

I think you guys are being extremely conservative. I currently have 6 subadult convicts in a 125g, along with several other cichlids, and there are no problems. Convicts don't just kill for fun, they kill over territory. A 100g should be plenty of territory for several pairs.

[GEV83]

You just solved why they get along. One you have a bigger tank and 2 yours are sub adults as they grow they need more territory and that means more conflicts and more injured fish. What other fish do you have with yours in you 100+ tank.

[ChilDawg]

I would not recommend Cons for your tank for one reason, which has not yet been mentioned: it is fully planted. Central American cichlids are diggers (especially when breeding), and the Con is not even close to being an exception.

Could you fit three pairs of adults in there? Yes, as long as a few territorial markers or some target fish would be in there with the Cons, but I would not do it if you enjoy the lush plant growth.

[rus]

what is the footprint of the tank. if it is 6 foot then 3 pairs may work but i doubt it in a 4 footer.

[kewlparrotz]

i had three femalesthat had eggs at the same time in my 65 gallon tank with like two dominant males

[GEV83]

Yeah you could get away with that with just convicts but they want to add other fish as well. Maybe we should give her fish that would be ok with her one pair instead of argueing how many convicts. I would go with a Jag they could defend themselves or a red terror, or a trimac. But then they get big go for a texas. Help with tank mates enough with the convict issue they probably got a headache from reading all this conflicting info.

[Rare Cichlids]

ChilDawg, very good point. I didn't even see that the tank was fully planted.

Ger1023, a 100g should be 6' long like my 125g and should offer nearly the same amount of territory. Rus brings up another good point, if its a 4' tank then there may be more problems with several pairs.

I said sub-adults, but maybe "young adults" would have been a better term. The males are 4" easy, and are fully mature at over 12 months of age (but not fully grown). My 6 Convicts (3 males, 3 females) are currently accompanied by

(2) 8" Striped Midas - males
(1) 4" Blood Parrot - male
(1) 4" White Midas - female
(1) 7" Lima Shovelnose
(1) 6" Synodontis sp.

I'm trying to breed the Midas and will probably introduce more wild females in a few months. The Convicts were originally placed into the tank as target/dither fish (yes both), but have become very interesting inhabitants. The largest male has a large nuchal hump, trailers on every fin (other than pectorals), and is constantly displaying.

[Harry Tolen]

I agree with ChilDawg and Rare Cichlids. Breeding convicts will wreak havoc on a planted tank.

In addition to that point, I would note that the world already has plenty of convicts, and we should probably not be adding to the oversupply by intentionally breeding them in aquaria.

Thus if you have not already purchased any, I wouldn't.

Excellent alternatives for your tank would include: Bolivian rams, Aequidens dorsigerus, Nanacara anomala, Apistogramma cacatuoides, and Anomalochromis thomasi, all of which are compatible with plants, remain relatively small and non-destructive, and establish small enough territories that you could have 3-4 pairs in your tank. A large school or two of tetras or danios as dither/target fish would also add a lot of color and activity to your tank.

Good luck.

[mickey]

the tank is 5 foot long x 2fh x2fw
What kind of tetras make te best shoaling fish and could you please tell me the common names of the fish recommended by harry as I am not offay with their scientific names.
many thanks.

[ChilDawg]

Aequidens dorsigerus (now known as Laetacara dorsiger): "Gold-Fin Flag Cichlid", "Dorsigerus", "Greencheeked Aequidens", or "Red Breasted Cichlid"

Nanacara anomala: "Golden Dwarf Cichlid"

Apistogramma cacatuoides: "Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid"

Anomalochromis thomasi: "African Butterfly Cichlid"

[kevinn2003]

I have 1 male and 3 females in my 55 with 2 oscars and there not very aggresive, i dont know why people say they are that bad mine never do damage to eachother or any other fish even when they are breeding

[ChilDawg]

Kevinn, that tank is very very overcrowded, and that might be why the aggression is minimized, but that is a matter for another thread.

[GEV83]

Other thread my butt. That tank is way over stocked that is only good enough for one oscar. 2 oscars is way to much then to have all those convicts. Man how big are these fish how long have you had them in that disaster waiting to happen????

[kevinn2003]

It was supposed to be temporary until i get a 125 but i cant get the 125 as soon as i thought, the oscars are only like 2-3 inches and the cons are 1.5, they have been in there for over 2 months now and no problems at all

[ChilDawg]

Okay, so that's good that you aren't planning on that as a permanent solution. I honestly think that you will have aggression problems once your fish get larger.

Brook - soory for taking this so far off-topic. Hopefully what I had sent you a few posts before was helpful!

[GEV83]

Even if you get a 125 your going to have probs. If those convicts make pairs the oscars will get a beating. Also if the oscars grow to fast the convicts will be lunch. I would get rid of either the oscars or convicts.

[kevinn2003]

THe convicts are breeding now and they arent aggresive to the oscars, the 125 is going to be for my o's only

[Harry Tolen]

ChilDawg: thanks for posting some common names for those cichlids.

As for schooling/shoaling fish to add to a tank with some of these smaller cichlids, my first bets would be neons and rummynose tetras, as their schooling behavior is so pronounced when under a minor threat. I am also partial to Garnet tetras, Red Phantom and Black Phantom (note: not the same as Black Skirt) tetras, Emperor tetras (not good schooling fish, but interesting nonetheless), and Green-Eyed and Harlequin Rasboras.

[ChilDawg]

No problem, Harry.

Ooh--I like Harlequin Rasboras--those would be tons of fun in that tank...if I had room for and time to manage (and transport to and from school) a planted tank, I'd go for a school of those or maybe Cardinal Tetras (but those are mostly wild-caught so they are less hardy than the other choices).

[mickey]

harry would the neons not be mistaken for lunch by some of the cichlids the guys mentioned.

[mickey]

Thanks for all your help and advice guys although i still
would like to try my hand at breeding convicts or some other type of cichlids.
I am even prepared to change my planted tank setup for an alternative setup.
Your ideas and opinions on this would be much appreciated.