convict fish

johnnie

Small Fish
Jan 7, 2010
14
0
0
kansas
#1
i have a 75 gal tank with nine convicts cichlids and one what looks like a flowerhorn two set of my convict have just paired off one of them have 50 to 75 fry swimming around the other pair has spawned i think but not sure i need to clean my tank its been about two weeks sience last time it was cleaned i also want to change my tank around and put in a flower pot and maybe some pcv pipe in there do i clean it now or wait to see if there is more fry to come can someone help me with this question for me if you can:eek:
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#7
it should be able to handle the pH...75 is a good size for just one of them. try not to put anything else in there...a pair of oscars is pushing it...

Idk if its worth it. They're very awesome fish, and are more like a dog than a fish. im sure you'll grow very attached to it once you get it.

another option at that pH would be a tank of african cichlids...dont know what you like :p
 

johnnie

Small Fish
Jan 7, 2010
14
0
0
kansas
#8
is a flowerhorn and a amphilophus trimaculatus the same fish they look alike i hive one but dont know witch one it is as soon as i learn how to post pictures on here i will if anyone can tell me how and are they the same
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#9
yes they are. i think flower horn is the common name for them. they can look a little different in the shape of their heads, so i wouldn't be surprised if your flowerhorn looked a bit different than some the pics of amphilophus trimaculatus. they can be considered the same fish.
 

johnnie

Small Fish
Jan 7, 2010
14
0
0
kansas
#10
do you know if convict are african cichlids i have one tank that is 75gal with convicts in it already they just had fry may end up putting some of them in there still debating how long can i leave them in with mom and dad
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#12
convicts are not african, they're more neotropical, and they prefer lower pH than Africans. still they can adapt to to a really wide range of pH so even if your water is 8 pH they should do fine.
Generally you keep the babies with the parents until the parents show signs of wanting to breed again and raise a new batch. then you gotta separate those fry out, or if you dont care, you can hope that some of the fry make it, though the parents will start getting aggressive towards them.

Johnnie, I have a Goldfish, some Bettas, some Swordtails, Siamese algae eaters, otocinclus, and red cherry shrimp.
 

johnnie

Small Fish
Jan 7, 2010
14
0
0
kansas
#13
thanks newman you have been a big help hope we can stay in contact in case i have more question got to go get some loving before wife goes to sleep
 

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johnnie

Small Fish
Jan 7, 2010
14
0
0
kansas
#15
what do you think about those frozen bloodworms and frozen beefheart my convicts seem to love the bloodworms but will not eat the beefheart. same with the flowerhorn he loves crickets. want to know if i should feed them feeder fish heard they can cause sickness is this true
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#16
if the fish dont eat beef heart, thats fine. let them have the blood worms instead, those are good as treats. the main diet of the fish should not be bloodworms however but some sort of pellet or flake commercially developed for that specific type of fish.cichlid pellets might work for you. variety in food is key to happy healthy fish, so feed them as many types of safe appropriate food as you can get, within reason lol.

The crickets are not a good source of any vitamins so should only be used as fun food for the flowerhorn. don't feed those more than 2x a week.

Feeder fish you should steer clear of, as you're very right about the disease factor. they're not nutritious anyway.

For your convict I recommend you also get some flake or pellet food that has spirulina in it. check the flake's ingredients...they like brine shrimp as treats too. also try boiled vegetables with them like cucumber and zucchini. boil the vegetables for 2 min. The Omega One Cichlid flake mix should be good for your convicts. I know its for african cichlids but convicts have a similar diet..

As for the flowerhorn...a staple diet of Hickari Cichlid Gold is advised. then supplement that with live foods, try the vegetables, as described above too. for live food, either breed your own platies, OR go with the crickets that you give, meal-worms and if its a smaller flowerhorn, then a little live brine shrimp :)
 

Doomhed

Large Fish
Feb 11, 2003
687
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0
41
Rhode Island
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#17
Feeder fish you should steer clear of, as you're very right about the disease factor. they're not nutritious anyway.
"Feeder" fish aren't nutritious if you are feeding your fish junky goldfishes. However, smaller convicts make fine feeders for oscars and flowerhorns.

think of it this way, if you need to eat something, the most nutritious thing for you is something made of the exact minerals you need. Convicts are related to oscars, making them fairly efficient feeders for them!
 

Newman

Elite Fish
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#18
o right, I completely forgot that he could use some of his convict fry to feed the Flowerhorn.
In that case I would first feed the convict fry with something nutritious to "gut-load" them and THEN feed them to the flowerhorn.