Convict Cichlid Behavior

2 weeks ago my convict cichlid laid eggs in my 55 gallon tank. I let them stay there until my order of firemouth cichlids came the very next week on saturday. I wanted them to go into my 55 gallon instead of putting them into my breeder tank. That's when I came to the point I had to remove the baby convicts from the parents and put the adult convicts into my 20 gallon breeder tank. I put them in there last week on Sunday. I rearranged the place nicely for them and the female got aggressive for the vase I put in there. My male would flare around the tank wanting attention and if he got too close to the female she would flare and nip at him. A couple of times he would flare nip back at her sometimes locking lips with her. I then rearranged the tank Wednesday and it seemed to be okay until later in the night the male became aggressive of one spot of the tank. He chases the female all over until she sits in the top by the filter. She comes down sometimes but then he chases her back to the filter. She has faded so much right now. As of now were speaking he is chasing her! My male has dropped his papilla but the female hasn't they have 4 hiding spots.

Is there anything I can do for her!?

 

I think you need to separate them. Can you move her back to the 55? Even if it's temporary it may help calm the male down, then you can try reintroducing her back to the breeder (is it a 40g?) after a few days...

You'll want to watch her with the FM's though. Are they juvies? She might kill them if they are too small.

 

Best idea would be to remove the male until the female is ready. It's generally a bad idea to add a female into the territory of a ready-to-breed male, unless you're certain she's ready.

 

Sometimes cichlid pairs break up and things go south, it happens. Hey they aren't your typical community livebearer with no real personality.

Maybe try reintroducing her later? Or add more structure to the tank.

 

I think you need to separate them. Can you move her back to the 55? Even if it's temporary it may help calm the male down, then you can try reintroducing her back to the breeder (is it a 40g?) after a few days...

You'll want to watch her with the FM's though. Are they juvies? She might kill them if they are too small.

It's a 20 gallon long? I'm getting a 40 soon. I have 2 adult male firemouths which I'm scared if I put her in there she'll breed with them. Then I have 1 female juvie. I'm getting one more female next week. the males are at least 4 inch. and the female is 2 inch.

 

Would I want to remove the male into the 55 or the female?

 

Sometimes cichlid pairs break up and things go south, it happens. Hey they aren't your typical community livebearer with no real personality.

Maybe try reintroducing her later? Or add more structure to the tank.

So do I remove the male or the female to the 55? if I do that which sound like a may have to. How would I know if she is ready? I don't want her repairing with a firemouth though.

 

I don't know. I wouldn't like to put either of them with the Firemouths really. A while ago I had a lone 2" female that wanted to breed and terrorised the whole of a 6' tank.

I learned this saying a long time ago..... "To keep one cichlid, you need two tanks". This applies to all territorial cichlids. What it basically means is if you're keeping aggressive territorial cichlids, as said above they're gonna fall out now and again, and you'll need to separate them into two tanks. And for their size convicts claim a big territory.

If you put one in with the firemouths and it terrorises them you'll have nowhere for the firemouths. And I absolutely wouldn't be getting another convict. You could very easily need 3 tanks just for these 3 fish.... aswell as a tank or two to raise fry...

 

I don't know. I wouldn't like to put either of them with the Firemouths really. A while ago I had a lone 2" female that wanted to breed and terrorised the whole of a 6' tank.

I learned this saying a long time ago..... "To keep one cichlid, you need two tanks". This applies to all territorial cichlids. What it basically means is if you're keeping aggressive territorial cichlids, as said above they're gonna fall out now and again, and you'll need to separate them into two tanks. And for their size convicts claim a big territory.

If you put one in with the firemouths and it terrorises them you'll have nowhere for the firemouths. And I absolutely wouldn't be getting another convict. You could very easily need 3 tanks just for these 3 fish.... aswell as a tank or two to raise fry...

So your point is??? haha

 

I have a guppy breeder tank? where one of them could go.?

 

I think if you moved the convicts and fry to the 20 gallon long everything would have been good.

 

This is what convicts do. They are mean to each other, they are mean to other fish. Especially when they are breeding. None of this sounds like anything I haven't seen with convicts. Other than separating them, which means they can't breed, there's not much you can do.

 

I had a pair of em that were aggressive to everything but then take the female out and the male is very passive

 

I had a pair of em that were aggressive to everything but then take the female out and the male is very passive

That seems to happen with a lot of fish. I been having luck by buying more than I need and re-homing the aggressive ones. The 'killer' fish I owned was a female black molly. She 'offed' 2 platies, 2-3 mollies, a tiger barb, and tried to bully my first yellow lab. She was super crazy.

 

Wow, well I had the male in the guppy breeder for 2 days and just let him back in. the female is super fat! but no papilla showing. she seems to be liking the male more though and are both nipping each other now and the female has chosen a spot behind a log but the male wouldn't know that because he was in the guppy breeder tank... but sometimes she'll go hide behind the filter. I hope they lay eggs again!....

 

If they're not fighting its good news.

 

Today I got home to my moms after my football game and saw that they are both back to flaring at eachother and kissing eachother and locking lips! They are doing much better! All the male wanted was to be loved again and he is very passive now that the female loves him and is ready! Although she does not have her papilla down yet. But That's OKAY!

 

Sounds like married life.

 

I'd like add that I just moved my black convict pair and their fry to their own tank and the female started beating on the male. They avoid each other right now. I hope they reconnect. *wink wink*

 

haha. my heater broke in my 20... their in my 55 now and are ready to breed. the females papila has dropped! but it's in the 55 with other fish...

 

I woke this morning to a dead male con. it was smaller than the female and I think he was bullied to death. um goin to buy a larger male and hope they pair up

 

They were just warming up to each other again, but they seem still scared of their new home. They're still faded