Female Convict Cichlids pairing off

Perhaps against my better judgement, I bought a pair of convict cichlids about a year ago. I say "against my better judgement" because while convicts check a lot of boxes in the positive column, they also check a lot of boxes in the negative column.

To Review:

Positives - not too large, quite hardy, very active, great inquisitive personality, great color (especially the females) and they breed easily for those that want them to breed

Negatives - can be quite aggressive when breeding and protecting young, they breed too easily for those that do not want them to breed, young are very hard to sell, and if you do sell them you get almost nothing for them.

So since my nice standard pair did what convicts do - they bred and had a good sized spawn which they defended well. I eventually moved the female to my 40 gallon long which is home to other cichlids including a pair of severums, pair of angelfish, 2 female electric blue acaras, a pair of kribs, and some plecos and corys. I later moved 3 more nicely colored females over to the 40 gallon and now I have 2 pair of female convicts that are apparently happy as sterile pairs, although I do not think they know that yet. No eggs yet, I wonder how disappointed they will be when they do not hatch out.

They are fun to watch going thru their pairing rituals especially as no real harm is being done to other fish. What I did is highly recommended if you do not want a bunch of fish that you will have a hard time selling and you really otherwise like the size, look and behavior of female convict cichlids.

Barry Simon

 

This is actually outstanding news for me! I've always wanted a pair of convicts. Would a standard 30 gallon be enough for a single pair of females?

 

Yes, years ago back in the 70's when I got started in the hobby, I had a male/female pair that did just fine in a 15 gallon tank.

Barry

 

I started out with a Convicts several years ago and my oh my are they aggressive. Hands down the most aggressive fish I have had to date. I could not believe how relentless they were. They would not give up chasing all other members in the tank. I would like to try another pair again someday though to see if I get a less aggressive pair.

 

I started out with a Convicts several years ago and my oh my are they aggressive. Hands down the most aggressive fish I have had to date. I could not believe how relentless they were. They would not give up chasing all other members in the tank. I would like to try another pair again someday though to see if I get a less aggressive pair.

You won't. It's how convicts are - their reputation is very well deserved.

It's very common for female cichlids to pair up and go through the motions in the absence of a male to mate with. Angelfish in particular also do this regularly. And with a fish as instinct-bound to breed constantly under any and all circumstances like a convict, this is not surprising lol.

 

You won't. It's how convicts are - their reputation is very well deserved.

It's very common for female cichlids to pair up and go through the motions in the absence of a male to mate with. Angelfish in particular also do this regularly. And with a fish as instinct-bound to breed constantly under any and all circumstances like a convict, this is not surprising lol.

I will make sure to avoid them. Always wondered if maybe I did something wrong, not providing enough hiding spots/breaking sightlines. Glad to know there was not much else I could do with them. They were possessed. I have had other aggressive fish, but nothing quite like they were.

 

Don't avoid them. They are very colorful and full of personality. I would suggest that you do what I did. Go with several females. They are smaller and with their orange bellies and some orange splashes on the base of their dorsal fins, they are more colorful that the males. I have two pair in my 40 gallon long. The larger one is the mother of the other 3 who have pretty much caught up in size. They co-exist well with a pair of angelfish, a pair of kribensis that hold their own. The kribs and the convicts respect each other and hold their own so they basically leave each other alone. I also have 2 female electric blue acaras in here plus some corys and 2 roseline sharks. As there will not be a swimming cloud of baby convicts for the adults to go nuts over, no problem. All is well.

Barry Simon