Convict Cichlids

[sproett]

I bought a pair of convicts a few months back in hopes of breeding fry to feed to my oscars.  I fell in love with them and ended up putting them in their own 55 gallon tank to live in and now have 6 (3 males and 3 females).  I set it up with lots of rocks so there would be plenty of territories for them to fight over.  The pH is 7.6, ammonia and nitrites are 0ppm and nitrates are 10ppm.  One female is about an inch long and the other two are 2 inches.  The males are all over 2 inches.  So far I haven't seen any pairing off or anything resembling pairing off.  This week I noticed a pit has been dug on the left side of the tank but I'm not sure which one did it.  I feed them 1-2 times per day with Omega One cichlid pellets.  I change the water just about every week.  The water temp is 82 degrees.  I usually have the lights on 8-12 hours (weekends vary, depends when I'm home).  Everything I have read says they breed so easily but I'm confused why I haven't seen any eggs yet.  I am not using flower pots like many sites suggest because I like a more natural look but if that is what they need then I guess I'll have to go buy some.  Any suggestions?  Or do you think the newly formed pit is a sign of eggs to come?  I could start giving them frozen/live foods to see if that makes them want to pair up.

[Zulaab]

Re: Convict Cichlids

Your Convicts if they are just over two inches in length are just about 4-5 months old - if they have been growing out in a big tank.   Give it about another month and I am pretty sure you will see spawning.
Now one thing you need to look for is female convicts get a rose colored belly...  if the females dont show this then they are not mature / old enough to breed.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Convict Cichlids

Size is a bad thing for determining age.......I have had females that never reach 2" and they were yrs old and on the same note I have had females that were 1.5" caring for young.

I think it might be the fact that there is 3 males in the tank that might be occupying the males times instead of courting females.

What are you feeding them and what temps do you have the tank at? I find that protein packed foods gets them going.... like NLS and Frozen foods like mysis/krill/spirulina brine/etc. Also with the temp if you keep it at like 80 or so there will be a slight change when you do water changes sometimes sparking the pairs. It's odd though cause usually with convicts it's a "just add water" type fish to breed.

[Tiapan]

Re: Convict Cichlids

i think both parts that were said may be it, they may be a little young, and you may not be doing a major enough water change at least in how they feel it. i would try waiting 2 weeks in between water change, and add higher protein foods, like frozen or one type or another at least twice a week. the higher protein foods may help get them to spawn or speed up their growth so they may spawn and waiting an extra week will make water changes slightly more dramatic so spawning may occur, either way that should do the trick after a few weeks if they are old enough. but the moving the substrate around is a good sign. and oh yeah forgot to add, they will breed on gravel or rocks or anything if the mood strikes them, flower pots are just cheaper then real rock caves. they every breed occasionally in my store.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Convict Cichlids

I have had them breed on slate

[sproett]

Re: Convict Cichlids

I've been blocked from logging in until just now.  There hasn't been any changes, although I've noticed more pits have been dug.  Should I get more females?  I didn't think about having more females than males, that's interesting.  The smallest female just started showing her red belly.  The medium-sized one has a pinkish belly and the largest has a vivid red belly and yellow fins.  I originally didn't want to buy too many convicts since they breed so easily, although the are pretty cheap I figured it was a waste of money.  But if that'll make them happier then I'm all for it.  
To answer some questions, I'm feeding them cichlid pellets (Omega One) but I just got some more frozen foods so I'm going to start feeding them it every evening (bloodworms and brine shrimp).  The temp is 82 degrees and I usually fill the tank with cold water straight from the tap (with Amquel of course).  
It's so crazy that I'm having such bad luck with these guys.  Oh well, it'll make it that much sweeter when I finally get some fry.

[Hanson77]

Re: Convict Cichlids

If you are sure that you have a male and a female, it's usually just a matter of time.  

I bought a pair on an impulse that just happened to be male and female and once they hit about 3" it was like clockwork.  I really didn't do anything special to promote breeding.  At that time all I was feeding was food from Walmart and doing normal water changes.  They were in with a group of Firemouths and a Green Terror.  There were a few hiding places but the tank was relatively small none the less.

[Zulaab]

Re: Convict Cichlids

Your vivid red females are ready to breed... in the start they will only lay about 40-50 eggs.. my larger female pink convict she will lay somewhere around 100 eggs..

If they are starting to dig and they have a piece of slate or a small cave to do their business in.. it will happen...  Like EK said.. these fish fall in the "add water and they will breed." category