quick convict question...

[jessey]

i started to ask this question in one of the oscar threads, but i suppose it's a bit more appropriate to give it its own thread

i'm planning on setting up an oscar tank in about a month or so, which has prompted me to revive my plans of getting a pair of cons. *crazysmil i would like to keep them in a 10 gallon tank, which i have heard from a variety of sources is feasible, but i need to figure out some of the kinks of the plan first..

*how long can convict fry stay in the tank with mom + dad (especially in a tank this size)?
*about what size are most LFS willing to buy fish? namely convicts? .5", 1", 2"?
*do i absolutely need a "fry growout" tank of some sort?

i think that's mostly it for now... though i'm sure i'll come up with more quesions later

jessey

 

[SinisterKisses]

Well, to start with...a 10gal is much too small for a pair of convicts. If you get them as juveniles (around the 2" mark) then it will suffice for a few months, but they really need about a 29gal or so for an adult pair of cons. Most people don't realise how big these guys actually get.

As for the fry...how long the parents will care for them is hard to say. In my experience, they are fine for a couple weeks until the parents start getting ready to breed again, and then the parents will clear out the old fry to make room for the new ones.

As for the store...to be honest, most stores won't even take convict babies. You literally can't even give them away most of the time. They are just too common, and are literally everywhere. I certainly wouldn't expect an LFS to buy convicts, but you might be able to find a store that will take some for free. There really isn't any point in breeding cons and keeping the fry at this point, IMO, other than to use the babies as feeders. Its best to just let the parents take care of them when the new batch is on the way.

 

[sweetpickles7]

I agree in that a 10gal tank is to small for convicts.All though C-man i think has done.Actually i dont know how this is where you live but pink cons are sold reallly quickly here and are pretty rare.So maybe where you live you could sell those.I know i could here.Around here i could sell them at .5 inches if they were pink cons, but probably couldnt sell black and white cons.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

I'm one of the ones who will disagree with the above. Now my convicts never were the huge monsters some have posted pics of on the boards...but they were indeed Adults with good size to them. I bred them sucessfully many many times. Trick is getting a pair that gets along.

I used to take the fry out when i saw them getting some mass to their body. Usually it ended up being around the .5" mark (abouts).

LFS is up in the air. There is never any demand for convicts, so there no telling.

For a pair in a 10gal, yes you need a growout unless you plan to cull all the fry.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Sorry Matt, but IMO adult cons in a 10gal is cruel. I can keep my 12" Midas in a 30gal tank, too, but that doesn't mean it should be done.

 

[jessey]

hmm...i don't know if i even realized cons in a 10 galln was such a hot debate. maybe i will rethink it... though i'd really like to keep them. :]

 

[Katie217]

I agree with Sinister... 10gal + cons long term just isnt a good idea. I'd aim for a 20gal, or bigger...
But since you already have the 10gal, why not do what I'm doing for feeders? KRIBS!!

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Well if it was cruel they sure didn't have the symptoms of it. Bred, ate, fought, perfectly fine and normal. Didn't sulk in corners or anything.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Well no, why would they? Fish aren't like humans, they're not going to sulk because their tank is too small. They don't have a "maybe if I sulk in the corner, Matt will realise that our tank is much too small for us" mentality Going back to my Midas reference, it would be the same thing. If I went and threw Karma in a 30gal tank, he certainly wouldn't sulk in a corner or at the bottom of a tank. He would still try to kill me and anyone who came near the tank, he would still eat, he would still do everything he's always done. Doesn't mean he's gonna be too happy about it.

 

[Hamburgler]

My .02....
I think the 10 may end up being a headache...i think a 20long would be more suitable. Theres just much more of a footprint...fill it with rocks, driftwood, and some pots. Keep up with water changes and i dont see the problem.

BUT-

Another thing to think about that i'm sure will stir the pot more...since convicts are so populous...to a degree that some shops wont even accept them. What does it matter if two arent kept in optimal conditions? Is it worse to let two live in a 20, maybe even 15, or even a 10......or to kill the fish without giving it a chance? ....I dont know, fish cant talk but i think we know what they would say if they could.

 

[Hamburgler]

Another note....from what i have seen from working at a big box store i would sure as hell want to see a pair going in a 10 with someone who knows what they are doing then some noob cramming it in a 2.5g.

 

[straitjacket]

I don't think it's as big of an issue as some may think. In general, no, a 10 gl will not do for most cichlids, even dwarf species.
With larger fish you don't want to start out small and plan to upgrade later cause it's that much easier to think "well they're doing so well why not put it off a little more", etc.. That's idea.
As responsible fishkeepers we try to provide the best we can initially and provide for the fish to the best of our abilities ...but acceptions, if dedicated, can be made. We're not perfect and don't always start things off as we should. We've all done it.
A pair of cons will be more than happy in a 10gl tank. At least till they get to about 3 or maybe even 4". One can upgrade but it's much smarter, easier on the fish and responsible to start off on the right foot which would be a tank of at least 30 gallons.
Anyone can grow out a large fish in tanks much smaller than what is generally recommended. No problem. Good food, excellent water, sterile conditions. However, I have to say, one couldn't say much about the fish's overall quality of life, and that's the difference.

To sum it all up cons just aren't for 10gl tanks as a permanent situation.

 

[SinisterKisses]

...And that (points to strait's picture), is exactly why a convict should not be in a 10gal tank.