Black Convicts and fry.

[Haelstrom]

My first tank when I was a teenager I had Black Convicts. They are what got me started in this hobby. I had probably 6 tanks back then. Everything from the Convicts down to Neon Tetras. unfortunately I took a couple of decades hiatus and now I'm happily back in the hobby. Now with 3 tanks. My 75g salt. This 40g Convict tank and my daughters 20g (I'm sad to admit) glow fish tank. Not really a fan of this type of stuff. But hard to tell that to a 5 year old.

 

The convicts are a very hardy and easy to breed species. Although a bit of a attitude to them. I would'nt put any other fish in with a breeding pair as they will beat the crap out of any thing. Even fish 2-3 times their size. And if the male catches the female snacking on the young he will drive her off as well. So I decided I wanted to breed some Convicts again. Let my daughter enjoy it as I did. I setup a 40b and picked me up a breeding pair. Not that it's hard to get a breeding pair. In fact all you really need a male and a female of breeding age and its a done deal. You just have to hope that the male doesn't kill her first. The mating ritual can be rough. My female spent days at the top of the tank at one end while the male dug out a nest for them. He would run at her and chase her down. Once she laid the eggs that was it. They are now a great couple and great parents. Here is a minute long video of them.

 

http://vid1149.photobucket.com/albums/o584/Markj1974/A9691A3E-A02B-4576-89E1-D576BF4074C2.mp4

[seabass]

Sweet. I bet your daughter gets a kick out of them.

[ajmckay]

Hahaha Yeah I remember convicts... I had 2 pair up on me... I decided to let the eggs hatch which was really cool to watch - but definitely not so cool for the other fish in the tank... Some of the other fish were killed by the convicts... Lesson learned these guys get really aggressive.

 

Still the opportunity to see the whole process is really neat as a kid.

 

Sounds like you've got some cool tanks - even the glo fish one... I've thought about getting some glo fish for my daughter. They're gimmicky, but sorta cool looking and fun too.

[Elizabeth94]

I don't know much about fish breeding, but do you actually have the fry grow out in your home aquarium or do they just die out if you don't take them out and put them in a fry tank?

[Haelstrom]

Hahaha Yeah I remember convicts... I had 2 pair up on me... I decided to let the eggs hatch which was really cool to watch - but definitely not so cool for the other fish in the tank... Some of the other fish were killed by the convicts... Lesson learned these guys get really aggressive.

 

Still the opportunity to see the whole process is really neat as a kid.

 

Sounds like you've got some cool tanks - even the glo fish one... I've thought about getting some glo fish for my daughter. They're gimmicky, but sorta cool looking and fun too.

Thanks. My daughter loves the GloFish tank. And they are cool looking. The ones we have are suppose to have modified gene to give them the glow. No injections or dyes used. They were modified years ago and these are the off-spring of that line. Of course this is just what they tell you.

 

I don't know much about fish breeding, but do you actually have the fry grow out in your home aquarium or do they just die out if you don't take them out and put them in a fry tank?

Well. If you leave them in the tank with the parents they will be fine for a while. The parents will keep them safe for a months at least. They usually won't spawn again till the babies have left. But at some point the parents are just ready to move on. Depending on the size of the tank, at some point you will need to remove the babies if you want them to live. If the parents lay more eggs then they have to go as the parents will drive them off and/or kill them. The bigger the tank and more places to hide the better chance they will survive in that tank. But its just best to move them. I haven't fully decided what I'm going to do with them. But most likely if I leave them they will grow for several months and when the parents spawn again they will kill them. Its a harsh world.

 

Sweet. I bet your daughter gets a kick out of them.

Everyday when we get home we go to the tank and watch the 100+ babies swimming every where. She loves it.

[ReefSafeSolutions]

You guys don't like the GloFish? Aw man, I think those fish are awesome! I don't have any, but I absolutely dig those little suckers.

[Haelstrom]

You guys don't like the GloFish? Aw man, I think those fish are awesome! I don't have any, but I absolutely dig those little suckers.

I do like the GloFish. I like the concept. My daughter loves them. Just leary about how its done and what effects it may have. Probably none. But who knows. Just like so many people today are shying away from GMO food. Do we want to move toward GMO fish? Instead of recreating natural enviroments in our tanks we start having hybrid genectially modified fish? When do they start crossing a Clown fish with a yellow tang and end up with a Clown Tang? Where do you draw the line in the sand? Not to say a Tang that had the markings of a Clown Fish wouldn't look awesome.

[ajmckay]

So most of my convict fry actually survived even with a few barbs in the tank! It was a 35g I believe...

 

I tend to agree with you Hael to just kinda let things ride out... It's harsh but I don't think there's much of a market for convict cichlids as you can already buy them anywhere for like $2 on sale... If you have any fish that enjoy live food though I think it's not a complete waste - I mean sucks for the parents that they had to do all that work but it's what they're instincts are right?

 

Also to be clear - I like glofish - just not the price... Some of the larger ones get quite costly. I'm not 100% sure on the ethics of it yet - but they're not injected with dye or anything so I suppose I view it like any deformity where some are beneficial and some are not. It's beneficial for looking at though... My concern - if you could call it that - has to do with lighting. I'm not sure people light these tanks appropriately or provide enough hiding places.

[Haelstrom]

So most of my convict fry actually survived even with a few barbs in the tank! It was a 35g I believe...

 

I tend to agree with you Hael to just kinda let things ride out... It's harsh but I don't think there's much of a market for convict cichlids as you can already buy them anywhere for like $2 on sale... If you have any fish that enjoy live food though I think it's not a complete waste - I mean sucks for the parents that they had to do all that work but it's what they're instincts are right?

 

Also to be clear - I like glofish - just not the price... Some of the larger ones get quite costly. I'm not 100% sure on the ethics of it yet - but they're not injected with dye or anything so I suppose I view it like any deformity where some are beneficial and some are not. It's beneficial for looking at though... My concern - if you could call it that - has to do with lighting. I'm not sure people light these tanks appropriately or provide enough hiding places.

Lifes a bitch!

 

It isn't like i'm torturing them or anything. Just letting nature take its course. In their natural habitat only a hand full would reach maturarity. Other wise at the rate they breed they would quickly over run any enviroment.