# Convict



## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

Hi I am thinking about converting my semi empty tank into a cichlid tank. I am thinking about getting Convicts but i kinda want the tank to be filled. Its a 55 gallon so i was wondering if i could get like 6 convicts or would they just end up killing each other. 
And I don't really want them to mate either so i was hoping 6 male convicts or 6 female convicts? or maybe another type of cichlid?


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## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

Its fine about keeping convicts together...they are aggresive and so dont reallly get on with other fish. You would have to have a species tank


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## Clerk (Nov 22, 2006)

After you have a pair, they will attack the other convicts, and everything else, So other things to keep with them is iffy. But I had heard use of dither fish such as tiger barbs, in tanks such as this, but.. I have also heard of convicts killing oscars 3x their size.

I would wait and get a good consensus from knowledgeable people 

Nathan, don't talk about things you don't understand please.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I think you would end up with a pair in one corner and then 100's of fry. Picking sexes when they are small is kind of iffy.


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

ooo yeah i read some more about them and i really don't wanna deal with the fries so i think im going to go with Angelfish (5 of them).
I read they are suppose to be easy to breed (as in the do it themselves without me helping) so i was wondering if there were any fish that are compatible with them and would eat the fries(sorta cruel but oops)?


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## Clerk (Nov 22, 2006)

The 5 angels would pair off eventually, and you would have to separate the rest, so they wouldn't be bullied or killed.

Many fish can be kept with a pair of angels, and many of which would be happy to eat fish fry and eggs. Such as most tetras, Platys, barbs, rasboras.


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## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

Clerk, us two dont seem to be getting on..im sorry for the things i dont understand but thats why ive joined here.


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

GAAAH sooo 5 Angelfish would be out of the question??? like DEFINately?
and im planning on getting 10 silvertip tetra and 8 Corys if the tank can handle the 5 ANGELFISH!


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## Clerk (Nov 22, 2006)

Angelfish are still cichlids, if you have 5, you will likely get at least a pair. Usually after they pair off, they will fight the other angels. Its not a matter of a tank cant support the amount of fish, its just that they will fight, possibly to the point of killing each other.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Clerk is right about the angels. If you can divide the tank with a divider or will a wall of plants so that the two sides don't see each other, you could have 2 pair of angels. Angels are only aggressive when they breed, but they can and do kill other angels and plecos if there isn't any place for the "driven off" fish to retreat to. Breeding pair of angels are in demand, so you could get young ones, raise them up, then trade the adults for more young ones when they start to pair off. Also look at smaller cichlids like Laetacara sp. or Dicrossus that defend smaller territories. An angelfish pair's territory is at least the size of a 20 gallon high tank.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

nathanbarry said:


> Clerk, us two dont seem to be getting on..im sorry for the things i dont understand but thats why ive joined here.


 What clerk is saying is that if you dont understand something, dont give advice about it because chances are it will be wrong. And thus is the case here.

To the original poster, Your best bet for convicts in a 55g would be to get 4-5 females, or 3 males. This would probably stop breeding and the agression that is associated with it. In my opinion you should get three males and a bunch of large characins like congos or giant danios as dither fish. If you go with the females there is still a chance they will mate.


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

ok Sry for switching it up again, now im thinking about getting a Jack Dempsey and a convict.
I would like a male jack dempsey and i was wondering if there were anyway to sex a juvinile.

And i kno a 55 gallon for those two is kinda pushing it but...


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## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

You are pushing it a bit...check out this link, it tells you some information on sexing jack dempseys.
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/cichlids/jackdempsey.html


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

Nice Site...
I don't think i'm gonna care what sex i get...the way i see it is
Female: they are Smaller and somewhat more docile[maybe] (maybe get a firemouth cichlid and a Convict)

Male: Bigger and more Colorful (just stick with a convict)

can i get the FM cichlid with the female?


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## NatBarry (Feb 19, 2008)

I should think so. Id watch though because firemouth's can grow big and are aggressive and territorial.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

A convict and a jack dempsey would be fine in a 55g. Sex doesnt really matter. Females have more coloration on their face.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

personaly i dont like convicts because they breed so easily and they are so aggressive. they remind me of a big black aggressive guppy. but never the less they do have there pros too. if you wanted to you could make a nice looking tank with a few different kinds of smaller cichlids


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2008)

nathanbarry said:


> I should think so. Id watch though because firemouth's can grow big and are aggressive and territorial.


again with the advise.

Firemouths get around 6 inches, hardly big IMO. They are less aggressive than many other cichlids, and all cichlids are territorial. FM's are some of the least aggressive of "medium large* cichlids.


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

lol ok well thank you everyone
I think I am going to pick up my convict and Jack Dempsey tomorow.
umm And then wait like 2 months or 3 and if it's a female i will get a Firemouth
Or can i get all 3 at once for my 55 gallon. its cycled already


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## Clerk (Nov 22, 2006)

are there any fish in the tank atm, granted they would need to be moved. However, if their is not a source of ammonia in the tank, any bacteria will have died off.


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

I have just moved all of my tank life out to my 30 gallon about an hour ago and there is still 2 danios in there that i have to get out...the tank has been up and running for 3 months now so every seems great.. water tests are cool too.

[qote]"lol ok well thank you everyone
I think I am going to pick up my convict and Jack Dempsey tomorow.
umm And then wait like 2 months or 3 and if it's a female i will get a Firemouth
Or can i get all 3 at once for my 55 gallon. its cycled already"[/QUOTE]
Back to the question above


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

and i was thinking of doin a 25% water change to prepare for my new fish tomrow should I? and also read the post above


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Wait... 30 gallon? I thought you said 55? 

Is the tank cycled? What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?

If your tank is fully cycled, go ahead and get your fish. You could probably do 1 convict, 1 jd, and 1 fm if you wanted to. JDs and cons are easy enough to sex even from young ages. Female convicts will have orange/pink on their stomachs, and males are ALL black and white. Female JD's will have much more speckling and coloration on the gill plates than males.


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

I am moving my stock from before from the 55 gallon to the 30 gallon. Then im going to stock my 55 gallon with the Convict and JD. lol
Yes the 55 is cycled
I don't really want the Firemouth anymore. Any possibility i could get 2 male convicts and a JD?
lol so many switch ups. I'm just excited.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Avoid having multiples of the same fish, especially two males. How about two female cons and the JD? If you do this you may also want to make sure the JD is a female.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

personaly i really like the blue JD. you might want to look into that


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

karazy said:


> personaly i really like the blue JD. you might want to look into that


There is a downside to those: they cost 40$ for a 2-3" specimen and are very hard to keep alive. In fact, many die for no apparent reason at 4-5".


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

o. my bad.......


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## fish4fish (Jan 18, 2008)

ooookk well im just gonna get 1 convict and 1 jack dempsey tomorow
and keep researching for new stuff Thankyou everyone

I think this thread is done..


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

its not done till we see pics!


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