Just when I thought I was done...

nobody

nobody

Large Fish
#1
Sep 26, 2005
565
0
0
Utah
#1
Just when I thought I was done adding fish to my tank (for a little while at least) I come home and find a surprise.:eek: I got three convict cichlids about three weeks ago. One male and two female. I knew there was a VERY BIG chance of them breeding, but it didn't expect it to be this successful this soon. Some of you may have read my other posts when I showed you my new convicts, if you have, Banner and Connie Lu are now parents *celebrateof LOTS of little fry. I won't even try to count how many there are.*crazysmil I tried to get pics of the fry, but being that my camera doesn't focus on them very well and they don't like to sit still very long, the good pics I did get are still a bit blurry.

Here's the parents

Banner


Connie Lu


Some pics of fry (I circled them, or at least what I think is them, in case you can't find them)




Now, my question.... What do I do now? Banner and Connie Lu are good parents. They keep my other fish away from the babies (without injuring anyone) and they keep the babies grouped as close together as they can. I'm just not sure if there's anything I can do. My tank is a 40 gallon and the only other tank in my house is my dad's (which has no fish at the moment) I might be able to move my other fish there for a while. Don't think I'd be able to do it without scattering the parents and their wee ones though. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

P.S.

I know these little ones will need homes ifthey survive. So don't worry I am working on that detail.
 

Last edited:
Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#5
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
0
47
Florida
#5
Congrats on your first convict spawn!
If I remember correctly you've got them housed in with some rams and curviceps, correct? And this is a 4-foot tank, right?

If you don't have a separate tank for raising the fry, then I'd just leave them in with the parents. Even if you do have a separate tank, I'd still leave a good chunk of the fry in with mom and dad. Removing them all too soon will almost certainly result in the male harrassing the female to no end (he'll be wanting her to spawn again, but she won't be ready yet).

As long as you've got lots of cover and hiding spots for the other tank inhabitants, things oughta be fine for a while. Still, you may eventually find that the convicts won't tolerate any other tankmates once they've matured a bit and have gotten better at raising (and defending!) their broods.

Best of luck!*thumbsups
BV
 

nobody

nobody

Large Fish
#6
Sep 26, 2005
565
0
0
Utah
#6
Thanks for the advice Big Vine. I figured I'd just leave the fry with the parents. I don't have a breeding/fry raising tank, but I want one when I get room to get one. Any other advice on raising con fry is appreciated. I have a question though, how long will the parents tend the fry?

Right now my rams and curviceps are fine. I'm keeping a close eye on them but if (and when) they do start getting harassed too much my dad has a tank that currently has no fish and he has given me permission to move them there if needed. My family and I keep telling him he needs to get some fish. There is a good amount of decor and plant cover for them to hide in from the parents. The parents let them roam more of tank to when they take the fry back inside their cave for the night. I really enjoy watching the parents tend to their babies. I'll be sure to post pics as they grow.
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
0
47
Florida
#7
That's good that you have a backup plan for in case those smaller tankmates get bullied excessively. As for the fry, you can expect the parents to tend to them for several weeks before they are ready to spawn again and decide to eat them up. Just be prepared for them to get eaten prematurely though, because it is the parents' first spawn together...sometimes takes a few tries to get it right. Feed the fry crushed flakes several times a day and they oughta do just fine.

Lookin' forward to seeing pics!:cool:
BV
 

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