Convicts

wayne

Elite Fish
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
3
0
#2
If you don't like cichlids in general then cons are a shocking purchase as one ofthe most cichlidy cichlids. They are one species, feed em and house them ok and they all end up the same size.
 

Managuense

Superstar Fish
May 16, 2003
1,204
0
0
43
Springfield, MO
#3
convicts are indeed very CICHLID in nature. pound for pound i would say these guys are the toughest cichlid out there.

however, they are extremely hardy and quite good for cichlid newbies. just dont think about mixing them with any of your community fish.:)

if you want cichlids that mix a bit better with community fish i would go with rams or possibly kribs, apistos, etc.
M
 

Managuense

Superstar Fish
May 16, 2003
1,204
0
0
43
Springfield, MO
#6
Originally posted by theeyrietrainer
since i know nothing except they breed like guppies and eat meat.
whoa! this is actually one of the myths about cichlids. many cichlids are NOT carnivorous, and some eat nothing but vegetation!

african cichlids, well... the mbuna anyway are a good example of cichlids that (for the most part) eat almost nothing but algae. in fact, feeding certain mbuna species a diet with too much meat can cause the infamous "bloat" disease, which is not something that you want to mess with.

convicts are actually an omnivore, and while they certainly like meat in their diet, it is really better to feed them a pelleted diet rather than just "meat".

even some of the piscivores like the managuense do just fine on a pelleted diet with only occasional feedings of fish filets and insects, etc.

just wanted to give a word of caution.
M
 

Jul 9, 2003
8,866
14
38
38
Columbia, SC
www.youtube.com
#7
I think you are saying you don't know which color to get not what type. They have Pink, Black, and Marbled. All the same but with differnt patterns.

Great beginner cichlid. Yes convicts breed like mad. I guess they will take meat but plz don't get them mistaken with pirannas or anything.

To tell the truth i only feed my convicts flakes and they are thriving. Tank is pretty dirty too. Convicts are hardy fish that is why they are good for the beginner.
 

#17
See if you can find a set that has already paired off. If you see 2 that already have a nest, then they are ready to go. My pair had already dug a nest, and chased the others to the surface of their petsmart tank. And there were those orangy midas in there too... lol. Had my convicts laid eggs there, I bet they would have torn up that tank... I got the pinks, really just cause they were already paired. Plus, I don't believe it is proven that pink is really recessive. Chances are some of the babies will be black stripes, possibly marbles depending on their heredity (more likely in a couple generations though). Although I do have my black striped female in the 29... Also, this is probably a stupid question, but can kenyis cross with convicts? I hope I don't have to worry about that, although blue convicts would be neat... (j/k!) Would the babies be meaner than the parents? lol
 

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Emily

Medium Fish
Sep 13, 2003
55
0
0
38
kansas
msn.com
#18
convicts are great
i had a black one they show alot of interesting color (the one that commited suicide). but the pink one is really pretty too, and it is most definantly thriving, i would reccomend them. if you were wondering how big they are supposed to get, they should be somewhere around six inches when full grown, and flake food should be perfectly fine if you plan on raising some 1/1/2 inch ones, but then again they will eat about anything.