New Convict - How To Tell If They Have Paired

I decided to try breed some convicts in my 55 gal and bought a male juvie today(About 1.5" -2")

I know that it is best to get like 4 and wait for them to pair up but I wanted to see if I could match him up with the female I already had.

She is about double his size right now, however as soon as I dropped him in, they've been swimming together. I know it's way too soon, but I wanted to know what are some signs to watch out for to see we're on a good track.

Thanks!

 

Convicts are fairly easy to pair IMO, not as hard as rams and angels. But once they do pair prepare to get rid of the babies as they breed like rabbits and produce A LARGE amount of fry........

 

Awesome!

Yeah that is mainly why I wanted to try them. I've kept Bolivian Rams before but they are really hit or miss. I have a pair that has spawned maybe twice in three years, and now they won't even stick together in the tank for whatever reason.

I'll probably keep the nice looking ones and sell the rest.

I also have a red devil that might like a feeder here and there if it's too much.

Thanks

 

Like the breed PROFILICALLY....... spawn 1 week, next week fry are free swimming and the pair is at it again. You will have your tank overrun by convicts just like MTS xd

tell me how it goes though i'd like to know

 

Hey I wanted to give you a little update. You were right on the money!

Looks like my female convict layed eggs last night.

It's hard to say if they are paired yet or not because it looks like the male is hanging around on his own. So I'm not sure if they are fertilized.

It's a good start regardless tho. I've had the female for a few months now and she's never laid eggs before.

Quick question, should I cover my intakes with a sponge or do you think they will be fine for the most part?

I've heard some people don't even bother but I wanted to know if it's preferable. I had the sponges on once but it seemed to reduce my flow quite a bit.

Thanks!

 

 

Hey I wanted to give you a little update. You were right on the money!

Looks like my female convict layed eggs last night.

It's hard to say if they are paired yet or not because it looks like the male is hanging around on his own. So I'm not sure if they are fertilized.

It's a good start regardless tho. I've had the female for a few months now and she's never laid eggs before.

Quick question, should I cover my intakes with a sponge or do you think they will be fine for the most part?

I've heard some people don't even bother but I wanted to know if it's preferable. I had the sponges on once but it seemed to reduce my flow quite a bit.

Thanks!

Just so you know the signs of a pair of convicts is if one is male and one is female that’s about all you need to know.

I wouldn’t worry about covering the intakes the fry grow pretty quick and are good swimmers and in all honesty if half a dozen go up your filter that will help with number control

 

Aaaand looks like they started hatching last night.

Almost half of the eggs started turning white so I thought I wasn't going to get any from this batch. With the male being so much younger than the female I assumed they were going to need more time. But I guess not lol

I did end up covering my intakes with a sponge to try keep the few that hatched. I'm curious to see how fast they will develop.

Does anyone know how soon I can start
doing water changes on this tank? should wait for a few more days?

Thanks again!