Female convict trouble

[pictuslover23]

Ok so I have a pair of 7 month old convict cichlids that have been caring for their first batch of fry. Everything had been going fine until today when I noticed the parents fighting. Now my male is caring for the fry by himself while the female floats in the corner looking ill. I'm quite worried. I'm new at convicts and I'm worried about her. My parameters are fine. Temp is 77. Nothing is out of the usual except for her behavior. Any advice on this would be great.

 

[IvanMike]

separate them - this happens sometimes. If you can't get another tank for mom, see if you can get plastic egg crate diffuser grating for lighting (it's white and made of a mesh of squares about 1/2" each. you can cut this with wire cutters to fit your tank - including a lip to secure it on top while you secure it on the bottom with rocks. This will separate the parents and allow both to care for the fry. Mom's probably acting funny as she's getting beat up and has no place to go.

 

[pictuslover23]

Thanks for the advice. I had to leave for a few days due to family issues and when I got back my female convict was dead. I know that this is my fault, I'm just not sure what to do now. I don't really want to get another female. The male takes really good care of the fry, so I don't think that's going to be a problem. I'm not sure if any other fish can go into a tank with a lone male convict (I'm planning to rehome the fry as soon as they are old enough), or if I should just sell him too and start over?

 

[IvanMike]

grow the fry - chances are you may get a pair out of them. you can also get another female when they grow and you remove them. normally cichlids settle down and form stable pair bonds - but sometimes new parents get things a bit wrong. live and learn.