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JDogg

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Messages
2,294
Location
Rapid City, SD
Hello all

I would like to set up a 50 gallon tank to house my mated pair of Convict Cichlids. i would like to recreate there natural ecosystem as closely as possible. what would you suggest as far as other inhabitants? both other fish as well as invertebrates and other "critters".
 
hmmm....so you're setting up a bio-tope. I don't know what fish Convicts live with in the wild. Mongabay.com has a lot of stuff on bio-topes and such. They might have a list of what species convicts live amongst.
 
thanks for that advise, i have seen that site, however the fish they suggest are not ones i find in my local fish store :(
 
I wouldn't advise you to put other fish in with the pair :( I had a mating pair and they killed almost every other fish in the tank :cry: They will herd ther babies all around the tank attacking anything. And for a Biotope probably some slate caves and a few plants? Not to sure.
Good Luck
 
well maybe that kills that idea then, i do not need that big of a tank for two fish :?
 
I also would not advise putting any other fish in there with them. Convicts are a very aggressive fish especially when they breed and they are great breeders. They are often used in classrooms for this purpose. I set up a 30gal tank with a several juvenals in my sister in law's grade school classroom. When I checked back 2 months later they had about 15 fish.

Make sure you have a plan for the young (i.e. extra tanks or a LFS that will take them). Convicts are pretty common so do not count an getting much $ for them. They are neat to watch though.

As for set up I would go with a natural gravel and a planted tank with a few pieces of drift wood to simulate roots.

Here is a link to a thread that I just posted info about starting a planted tank if you need any info.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?p=498212&sid=a3bf7e9fe421f4b3f4f542636ba13ab5#498212


Good Luck,
 
afilter said:
Convicts are a very aggressive fish especially when they breed and they are great breeders. They are often used in classrooms for this purpose. I set up a 30gal tank with a several juvenals in my sister in law's grade school classroom. When I checked back 2 months later they had about 15 fish.
I am a High School Science teacher, and that is why i have the convicts. as far as the fry.
1. give them to students/staff
2. give to local pet shop
3. feed them to other class pets my panted turtle and Albino Clawed Frog :twisted:
 
OK, SOunds like you have that covered. 8O

I also forgot rocks, they need some larger round rocks that can create small caves. They will lay the eggs here and then the young can hide out until you remove them. Convicts are pretty good parents by nature, but without adequate hiding places many of the fry can still end up as food.

Here is a link on them:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=896

HTH, and good luck,
 
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