My 38 gallon bow front aquarium with a pair of convicts

I have a pair of convicts i bought them as a pair but the male convict bullies the female convict any advice what to do the male is 2" and the female is 1,5" the male chases the female all the time please help

 

Don't know much abkut convicts, but maybe he trying to breed? Though i would think that might be a little small...

 

Prob just trying to breed

 

Convicts are very aggressive fish! It might get to hard on that poor female, and she might die. As long as he’s not damaging her too bad it should be ok. Do you have other convicts or just those two? When breeding convicts the male isn’t supposed to be too mean to his mate...

 

Yes, probably the male is ready but the female not. You need to make sure she has places to escape and hide. If the aggression gets too bad you might need a divider. I love convicts but they can be really aggressive, usually the best way to get a pair is to grow several young ones together and let them choose a mate themselves, then there is no fighting. But hopefully your two will settle down eventually.

 

Prob just trying to breed
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Don't know much abkut convicts, but maybe he trying to breed? Though i would think that might be a little small...

How Many Convict Cichlids Can You Keep?
While these fish are best kept in pairs, groups may also work if you have a sizable tank.

Aggression kicks in when a breeding pair forms, but you can keep unpleasant behaviors at bay by putting them in a large tank furnished with plenty of decorations. Doing so will prevent other cichlids from getting in the way of others’ business.


what does this mean ?? Another excellent strategy is to maintain a male-to-female ratio of 1:3. You would rather have more females than males, as they cause trouble.

 

The 1:3 ratio with could work in a large tank, but when a pair forms they are likely to attack the other two. I once had a lot of pairs of convicts, each pair formed naturally from an original group of 40. (It was for my PhD research). Each pair was kept in its own tank, and they all spawned repeatedly with never much aggression between the male and female.

 

The 1:3 ratio with could work in a large tank, but when a pair forms they are likely to attack the other two. I once had a lot of pairs of convicts, each pair formed naturally from an original group of 40. (It was for my PhD research). Each pair was kept in its own tank, and they all spawned repeatedly with never much aggression between the male and female.

Do you think my male is trying to mate with the female I Bought them as a pair on ebay from a breeder

 

It could be that he is trying to mate, he may have tried displaying to the female. If she is not responsive he may try to chase her away, in the wild this would allow the possibility of another, receptive female to come along. If she can hide and is not getting badly beaten up and is eating fine, she will probably be ready to breed before too long.

 

Does anyone have a picture of a 2" female convict

 

Does anyone have a picture of a 2" female convict

I think she’s about that size, why do you need a picture?

 

I think she’s about that size, why do you need a picture? View attachment 793525

want to know size different between male and female

 

look at what the male is doing the female tail fin when he chases her click on photo what should I do

 

Tail fins grow back as long as it doesnt get eaten back to the body. You need to add more places for her to hide- tall plants, caves, etc. I have convicts and this is just how they are. They may not yet be a true pair. They pair up naturally and if they one already had a mate they may never match or they may. No way to tell. Convicts are very territorial- they will chase all fish especially another convict. Unless the female decides she is ready to breed with him they will quarrel and she will get picked on because she is smaller. Once they decide to breed the rest of the tank will get picked on. I dont know what you have in the tank but it is much better to have a breeding pair alone in a 20-30 gallon tank so you dont end up with one of the other tankmates hurt. When they are ready to mate their colors should get much darker. The female is very pale because she is stressed out. BTW- females grow to 4" and males to 6" full grown.

 

Tail fins grow back as long as it doesnt get eaten back to the body. You need to add more places for her to hide- tall plants, caves, etc. I have convicts and this is just how they are. They may not yet be a true pair. They pair up naturally and if they one already had a mate they may never match or they may. No way to tell. Convicts are very territorial- they will chase all fish especially another convict. Unless the female decides she is ready to breed with him they will quarrel and she will get picked on because she is smaller. Once they decide to breed the rest of the tank will get picked on. I dont know what you have in the tank but it is much better to have a breeding pair alone in a 20-30 gallon tank so you dont end up with one of the other tankmates hurt. When they are ready to mate their colors should get much darker. The female is very pale because she is stressed out. BTW- females grow to 4" and males to 6" full grown.

I added more hiding places

 

I recommend adding tall plants- even fake ones to break up the eye line. If he cant see her from across the tank he will chase her less. One of my females killed the male after breeding so I currently have 3 females and they chase each other constantly. I found tall plants in corners and every so often in the background give them a place to hide and help so they don't see each other all the time. I know convicts are rough on plants but tall fake ones work well in my tank and can be cleaned easily if needed.
What else do you have in your tank? Convicts are aggressive cichlids and many fish cannot handle their temper or their high activity.

 

I am surprised your convicts don't bother the other fancy-finned fish that I see in your pictures. IME, convicts were terrible community fish (unless the community is cichlids of meaner nature). They bicker at each other as well, even at very young ages before breeding behavior occurs. In your case, I agree with others that the male is probably ready to spawn and the female isn't (they are just at the size to begin spawning). However, a lot of cichlid pairings start as sort of a love-hate relationship, one day they are fighting the next day they are pairs. there is no guarantee, however, that any male and female will form a breeding pair.

 

If the female starts to get really badly beaten up it might be better to use a clear divider until she starts showing interest in the male. I realise this would mean changing everything around in your tank, which would be a pain. They are quite tough fish though, so if its just a bit of fin damage, and she can escape when she wants to it may be ok, just keep a careful eye on them to make sure she is OK.