Training Convicts

Jan 17, 2003
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New York
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#1
Okay heres how it all started,

About five months ago my fathers friend had a 55 gallon tank with at least 20 of these convicts. I took some home one night, supposedly a pair, and introduced them into my 55 gallon. The next morning theyve pretty much claimed opposite ends of the tank and have pushed most of the rocks aside. They were also attacking my other fish. They were not attacking each other and so until i could figure out a solution i put them into a much smaller 5.5 gallon which maay have been a mistake. Now they started fighting and what looked like the male obviously one. With only him in that tank now i planted it a littletic plants no live ones) and made it nice and comfy, almost like home. About 2 months ago i think, i put him back into the bigger tank because a channel catfish was getting to restless and it needed to be separated from the rest. It was about a foot long and i had gotten him when it was much smaller. So heres what i think is the interesting part. I put the convict back into the big tank and it seems that it is now fine with everyone where as it had been attacking all the other fish a few months ago. It went into a little corner dug what looked like a nest and then also inhabited a little cave. He may slowly chase others away every once in a while but it looks like solitary may have done him some good.

If you are wondering about the cat dont. I had him in the small tank for 1 night. the next day a friend took him.

That was just my experience which struck me as odd. It was the same fish as before and yet now he is completely peaceful.

Any ideas as to why that happened.
 

colesea

Superstar Fish
Oct 22, 2002
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NY USA
#2
He established his dominance and territory, his ego has been stroked by the death of the other convict. He's top fish now and doesn't give a rat's tail about the other fish in the tank. Add any other fish, and trust me, he'll pick on them. Add another convict and it'll be world war three.
~~Colesea
 

Jan 17, 2003
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New York
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#3
Thanks for that reply i was really wondering why nobody else was dying. I also have another question that i forgot to put down. Are the pink dots and stripes on the convicts side signs that its a female? I heard that somewhere and i was just wondering if it was true. Thanks