How do you kill a convict?

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chinnp

In denial of MTS
Mar 24, 2005
540
3
0
Apparently you don't. I had a 29 gallon tank housing 1 convict that had fallen into disrepair. Mainly some artificial plants had just gotten old and had fallen apart in the tank. I finally got around to cleaning it up. Another issue I had was that the tank originally had a sand substrate which I simply covered up with pea gravel. So I went to break it down and drained the tank halfway. Then I couldn't find the convict anywhere. So I drained the tank even more and got it down to about an inch of water over the gravel. Still could not find the fish and figured I had scooped him out inadvertently even though I couldn't find him in any of the decorations I removed. It's a 29 g tank though. Where could the fish hide? So I proceeded to clean out all the sand I could. I filled the thing back up and wiped off the algae on the side stirring up a gigantic mess with 29g of green water once I got it filled up. I got the filter back on and let it all settle down over night figuring I'd use the tank as a sort of QT for my 29g tank. Got up this morning and found the tank still cloudy. After coming back from work though the water has cleared and what is waiting for me? My convict. How he survived in 1 inch of water is beyond me. How he survived in a tank that was so cloudy you couldn't see an inch in front of you is beyond me. I don't know what it is about convicts, but they survive anything I do to them.

So far the various convicts I've had over the past 10 years or so have survived 1 inch of water. Being dropped from 4-5 feet while in a plastic bag. Having a 5 g fish tank dropped on them. Numerous mistakes I've made that killed my filter and made the entire tank cycle from scratch.

Is there anything at all that will actually kill these things? I swear they're like my favorite fish at this point.
 

Vicious_Fish

Moderator
Mar 6, 2007
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The Land of the Lost
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They're practically bullet-proof in my experience. Your story really doesn't surprise me at all. I think they'll be here long after we aren't........along with the cockroach. :D
 

chinnp

In denial of MTS
Mar 24, 2005
540
3
0
Honestly, the only thing I've ever had kill a convict was another convict.
 

Vicious_Fish

Moderator
Mar 6, 2007
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I use to breed them as feeders for some of my larger cichlids. Every time I dumped a batch in one of my tanks, 2 or 3 of the smart ones would hide and eventually grow to be too large to be eaten. Then I had to find homes for them. It was kind of annoying hence why I don't bother to breed them anymore.
 

Fractalis

Heavy Weapons Guy
Mar 3, 2011
699
1
16
I use to breed them as feeders for some of my larger cichlids. Every time I dumped a batch in one of my tanks, 2 or 3 of the smart ones would hide and eventually grow to be too large to be eaten. Then I had to find homes for them. It was kind of annoying hence why I don't bother to breed them anymore.
why not get some serrasalmus to feed them to?
 

chinnp

In denial of MTS
Mar 24, 2005
540
3
0
I use to breed them as feeders for some of my larger cichlids. Every time I dumped a batch in one of my tanks, 2 or 3 of the smart ones would hide and eventually grow to be too large to be eaten. Then I had to find homes for them. It was kind of annoying hence why I don't bother to breed them anymore.
One of the LFS (since went bankrupt) had a huge several hundred gallon tank with oscars in it primarily. It also had a pair of convicts who ruled a good portion of the tank. Even though the oscars were literally 2-3 times the size of the convicts they did not come near the area of the tank the cons had staked out as theirs.
 

Vicious_Fish

Moderator
Mar 6, 2007
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That is a nice looking fish, no argument there.
 
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