Which cons do I keep? (pics)

[Big Vine]

wait... what about the pleco?

Ah yes, I forgot about the poor little guy...he's still alive and kickin'!

Just picked up a female salvini...she's just a tad smaller than the male convict, so hopefully she'll be able to hold her own. Considering her age/size, I think she's every bit as---if not more---beatiful than the larger female I traded in at the LFS. Still, I'm gonna go see if they still have her tomorrow (they were closed today)...I may just pick her up.

BV

 

[big54bob]

<----------------really confused
Why did you dump your old salvini pair anyway?
Now u got a new one.
Plus you got them convicts.

 

[Big Vine]

As I mentioned earlier, I just didn't see being able to have a salvini pair work long-term in a tank this size. Convicts will prove to be a much more suitable fish. At the time of giving up my salvini pair, I did not realize that I'd be able to house a lone female in with a convict pair---hence the reason why I just picked one up tonight.

It's involving a little more shuffling around of various fish than I would ideally have wanted, but the setup is coming together quite well:
-convict pair
-female salvini
-tetras
-leopard pleco

The confusing part comes from the fact that I've got 4 convicts in there at the moment---2 males and 2 females. Since I only want one pair now, I think I'll net out one of the males and leave the best-looking one to choose between the 2 females that are in there.

Hope that makes sense.
BV

 

[FishGeek]

.....I am getting some cons here soon though, you have me getting even more excited. .....

Hmmmm....I just wonder where those Convicts are coming from....Hmmmmm.......

Looks Great Big Vine!!! But Im not sure that Tetras will live with a breeding pair of Convicts. ? I also dont know about the Salvani. It doesnt seem right. Cons are REALLY NASTY when they are breeding. I currently have a pair and a lone daddy taking care of his 3 babies (moms passed away ) and I would dare put anything with these guys. They are so mean.

 

[VirgoWolf]

Haha Jess, yeah, I wonder.... If I remember correctly, they're comming from some place in CT...

Big V, you scared me for a minute... I thought you gave up on the plec! I think I would have sriveled up and died on the spot LOL.

 

[Big Vine]

Lol...so are you getting the 3 babies that Jess's 'big mean poppa con' is taking care of? Or some from a different batch? lol

And Jess---where are all these pictures of the cons?!?

Tetras, in the long-run, will likely become feeders...you're right. That's just the way she goes, I guess. The guy who advised me about keeping a female salvini in there seemed fairly optimistic; despite warning me that most folks would likely recommend against it. Could be iffy, but we'll see. The sals can supposedly hold their own pretty well, so time will tell.

When I asked him about keeping a male salvini instead---which get just about double the size of the females---he said that it would destroy even a larger pair of spawning convicts.

Anyway...I wanna see some con pics, Jess.
BV

 

[VirgoWolf]

LOL Actually Jess just recently adopted/rescued them and I am adopting them from her, I'll be getting the dad, all 3 of his kids, and the other pair.

If Jess doesn't post pics before I get them, I'll definitly post pics... the pair has some really different coloration and I would like to know what you guys think of them.

 

[Big Vine]

the pair has some really different coloration and I would like to know what you guys think of them

You've definitely got my curiosity, that's for sure!

I took some more pics of my 55 gal. tank tonight, but unfortunately the lighting is so poor in there that they didn't turn out very well at all (I tried mostly without the flash). The few that I did take with the flash on would've been great---were it not for the water-marks and scratches on the glass...damn used, dirty tank.

Maybe I'll post some anyway...gotta get to bed soon, but I'm bored, so what the heck...

BV

 

[Big Vine]

Yet another stocking update

Salvini is now out of the equation...
I found the larger female at the LFS, so I replaced the smaller one with her. Based on my observations of the 5 cichlids together, I decided it would be too much to keep her.

Still, I'm glad I threw her in there with the convicts...even despite the fact that it was short-lived. Had I not done it now, I would have ended up always being curious to try it out down the road---when things would be even more volatile. Now I won't have to deal with that issue.

So...
It's now back to a tank of 4 convicts, a leopard pleco, and some tetra dithers. As soon as a pair forms and I decide which one to keep, I'll just have one pair of convicts which will live out their happy lives in my tank. Oh...and I added some java fern tonight too.

I'll be sure to get pics up and provide updates here and there.
In the meantime, I think it's fairly safe to end this convoluted thread, lol.
BV

 

[FishGeek]

Here are the pics Krystal was talking about. They arent the best of shots. I will try and get some more soon.

Baby 1

Baby 2

Baby 3 is always hiding behind Daddy
Daddy, hes a very nervous fish, he is black though

There was too much stress for his female to handle when I first got her.

 

[FishGeek]

Male from other pair (he is white, thats not color fading)

His Female

 

[Big Vine]

They're cute! Are they considered 'pink' convicts?
They somehow look different to me---so white, and with those orangy stripes that show up. Never seen any like that before. Only thing I've seen that's come close to that is white convicts with a pinkish hue; none of which had any visible stripes of any shade whatsoever.

BV