Breeding Cichlids

[Tacoguy2112]

I have 2 Convicts a larger male and a smaller female in a tank with a Jack Dempsey . The Male Convict and Female Jack Dempsey are the same size , For the past 90 minutes my Convict and Jack Dempsey have been locking jaws . I never planned on breeding Cichlids , But can a Convict and Jack Dempsey breed

[Andy Sager]

What you are seeing may be the male Convict actually fighting with the Dempsey because he wants to breed with the female convict.
Lip locking serves more purposes than just for breeding.
With all that said, there is the possibility of them trying to mate but if that were the case, the female convict would probably be being harassed to keep her away from the pair.

[Tacoguy2112]

My large Convict is a male My Jack Dempsey is a female a few moths ago she killed my mail Dempsey and then ate her young My smaller female Convict is a bully She has come real close to being flushed several times

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Tacoguy2112

My large Convict is a male My Jack Dempsey is a female a few moths ago she killed my mail Dempsey and then ate her young My smaller female Convict is a bully She has come real close to being flushed several times

Well, I can tell you that it is possible for them to spawn together so it's a possibility you are witnessing pre spawning behavior. It's a little unusual that the pair would allow other cichlids to be in their spawning area.

If you are not interesting in breeding them, you should separate them. If you want to see what happens, make sure if they start beating on the other fish in the tank that you take measures to protect your other fish.


As a hybrid, the offspring may be infertile so it can be a one and done for them. You won't know if they are infertile however until they spawn and you see if any eggs hatch.
So you need to decide how you want to go forward. Raising the fry is not the easiest and can be time and money consuming but it can be done. Just know this before you get too far ahead.

[Tacoguy2112]

I don't care if they breed or not The parents will eat the fry If I get too many Ill just flush the unwanted ones

[Colin_T]

Don't flush fish down the toilet. They can survive and end up in natural waterways. Any diseases they are carrying can also get into natural waterways and infect native fish.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Tacoguy2112

I don't care if they breed or not The parents will eat the fry

Not necessarily. They may ( and probably will) try and raise them. As for flushing them, it's not a good idea. You and they are better off euthanizing them any number of humane ways. How you do it will depend on what you can handle.