Convict behaviour

May 30, 2008
292
0
0
Midland, MI
#1
Good day all, I have been keeping an eye on my convict fry tank closely lately, as a few have died. I have currently 3 obvious males and 3 obvious females. However, there is one fish in the tank that I can't determine its sex. It is bigger in size like the males are, but has the red belly and shape of the females. It is about time for me to decide which pairs I want to keep for breeding purposes. I assume it is best to have more females in the tank for the males to choose from, so I was thinking of keeping just two males and 3 or 4 females. On another note, I have followed the smallest females behaviour for a bit too and noticed that whenever one of the males approaches her, she lays right on her side. I know this is an act of submission in other fish, but she always seems to show her belly to the males. I am wondering if the she is trying to 'seduce' the males into breeding with her, or if she is just scared that she might be the next to bite the dust. I eventially want only one breeding pair of convicts, but would like to keep two pairs for a bit, or until they get too big to keep both pairs in the tank. Thanks for reading this and any responses that you have.