Convict cichlid breeding in predator community tank

My two convict cichlids are building three nest to breed witch I’m stoked about but I know I gotta get the babies out of there ASAP cause I also have an Oscar, jack dempsey ,and a fire mouth in there and I’m certain not very many babies will make it so do I need to just get the bandied out of there or do I need to set up a tank for babies and parents I have an extra 30 gallon around I can use

 

You could do either, but I would prefer to rear them with the parents if possible. It’s interesting watching them care for the eggs and fry, and if you just take out the fry the parents will keep on breeding frequently. So as you have a spare tank I would take the parents out before they spawn. It might put them off for a bit, but probably not for long.

 

Convict cichlids having babies is probably one of the few situations where it can all work whichever way.

Convict parents often become super aggro, and can in fact relegate all the other fish to the corner while rearing fry. XD

 

Speaking from experience, maybe a better idea to allow the predator tankmates to knock off the majority of the fry.
Build a good sized hardscape w/ plenty of retreats. A few Convict babies will probably survive.
Convicts are prolific breeders. Once a mated pair is established there will be no shortage of fry, but there will be a shortage of tank space & rehoming possibilities.

 

Yea letting Mother Nature take its course might b the way to go I went through this when i first got back into fish keeping and started out with mollies and plattys saving all the fry and eventually saying just let Mother Nature take its course I’m really excited about the convict cichlids breeding maybe I set up the tank for the first batch of fry then move the parents back with other fish and then let things play out the way they play out do u think it will b ok to do that or will that have the parents out if tank to long and have the other fish targeting them thinking they are new fish

 

There's a good chance the parents will eat the first batch or two.
It's been my experience that reintroducing Central American Cichlids into an established tank isn't nearly as troublesome as reintroducing African Cichlids.
Convicts are very durable, probably no worries.

 

Ok thanks for the tips on the convicts Ut I think I’m gonna just leave them in there and let Mother Nature take it’s course I really don’t have the space and time to deal with even one brood of convicts since I got someone with reintroducing African cichlids maybe u could help me out I have a 72 with Africans and they are with my ex and I’m getting them back and since gotta move them I’m upgrading them to a110 gallon it was the plan all along just not this way and I have lost a few fish to my ex Gf keeping them improperly so I want to get some more Africans but I know that putting them into a tank that’s this well established they won’t have a chance so what I’m thinking is pre put them into the 110 gallon before I move all the others do u think this will work or will they kill the new fish off anyway they just killed one of the original because tank is to small hence the urgency to upgrade

 

So I decided to move the convicts into their own tank I’ll send pic and I’m about to move them out of the tank they are in and I’m wondering should I b watching g out for a bite lol and if so does it hurt lol

 

Convict bites never broke the skin or hurt me. They strike quick, it's quite a surprise when it happens.

 

Ok I’ll try and get myself ready lol but I’m sure I’ll still jump lol
I’m gonna b grabbing their flower pot with eggs in it so I’m expecting an attack

 

I find fish nips rather entertaining actually. My betta will be glaring at me with murderous intentions while I’m giggling on the floor because he charged at my finger like an angry dog. A small, wet, slimy aquatic dog.

 

Lol that’s funny i actually didn’t even get bit
Here is my next question about the convicts I just finished moving them to their new home a 30 gallon and when I put the flower pot with the eggs in it in the tank I noticed almost all the eggs were gone and then the female started sucking them up so did she suck them up for safety and gonna put somewhere else now for safe keeping as they are both zipping around their new tank kinda looks like they are looking for hiding spot or did she eat them out of stress from the move ?

 

She probably ate them. If the eggs hatched they would move the wrigglers, but then they would be guarding and fanning them, not zipping round the tank. I don’t think they ever move the eggs before hatching.

 

Yea I don’t think they got saved I don’t see them anywhere Ut they did build a nest again so I’m assuming they will have more eggs in a couple Weeks I thought maybe they did move them cause all the eggs were in the back/bottom of the the flower pot and just before I moved them I seen the female sucking them up in her mouth and moving them to the floor of the pot in a pile that’s why I wondered if they sometimes kept them in their mouth for safe keeping and I heard they move the babies at night back to the cave that way I guess lucky for me they are prolific breeders so I won’t have to wait long till they do it agin lol

 

So my convicts did have a batch again recently and today I had to move there tank all went good but the parents are fighting like cats and dogs will they get over this ? Is it just cause they are both stressed from the move ? I shut all the lights off so they can chill out in the dark hoping if they can’t see each other they won’t fight but it’s almost like they all of a sudden got a divorce one has a pile of babies on one side of the rock and the rest are with the other but the parents like I said meeting in the middle to fight should I b worried I really have gotten to like watching them and would b Devastated if one died any info is greatly appreciated as always thanks

 

If possible transfer the male to another tank. If that's not an option, rearrange the decor, or place additional decor into the tank.
Unfortunately not all Cichlid pairs turn out to be good parents.

 

That’s the thing they been great parents but started fighting when I moved the tank I put them in the dark and that seems to have chilled them out hopefully they were just fighting cause of the stress from the move and will b back to normal when the lights come back on for them in the morning
Hope it works out cause the female used to pick on the male right up until she realized he was only compatible mate lol