Convict Cichlid questions, PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Question

How big would a female convict grow if she had her own 10 gallon tank? The females are 4-5 inches so I think it should be fine.

Are they sold in Petco or Petsmart? I would think so..

Would she eat feeder minnows? The internet says that they eat smaller fish in the tank, so I would think so.

Do they have to be in pairs? Can one female be alone, or would she be lonely? The internet says 25 per pair. Everything on the internet is about breeding, but I don't want to breed.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

I have a 50 Gallon tank full of Convict's. I originally started out with two in a 20 Gallon tank.

I'm currently trying to sell them on craigslist. I have in total [guesstimating] 112 convicts.

If you didn't want to breed, you should not have bought Convicts. This is ALL they do.

And an average EVEN one Convict should never be kept in a tank smaller than 25 Gallons. They will get large. I have the older Convicts in my tank, they're the size of my hand. Also, they're 5 years old.

These fish can out live any water condition too.

I'm convinced they can live after the World Ends.  

Answer 2

Archocentrus nigrofasciatus





Overview:

      The bar-room brawler and reproducing rabbit of the fish world. This cichlid is a mean S.O.B. that will hold it's own against fish more than twice it's size!

Quick stats:

      Listed tank sizes are the minimum

      Size: 5-6 inches (15cm) full grown males; females an inch or two smaller

      Tank: At least 20 gallons, 25 per mated pair (24 inches)

      Strata: Lower middle

      PH: 6.0 to 8.0 (very wide range tolerated if kept stable)

      Hardness: Soft to neutral

      Temperature: 68°- 80°F (20° to 27° C) (wide range tolerated if kept stable)

Classification:

      Order: Perciformes

      Family: Cichlidae

      Genera: Herichthys (Archocentrus)

      Species: nigrofaciatus

Scientific name: Archocentrus nigrofasciatus

Convict cichlids fish is very easy to keep and breed in aquariums and is therefore an ideal beginner’s fish and especially suited for those who want to keep their first cichlid. The name convict cichlid describes these beautiful fish and its black stripes on a white background very accurately. Convict cichlids are also known as zebra cichlids.

Convict cichlids is a hardy species that can adept to just about any water condition which is one of the reasons behind this fish suitability as a beginner cichlid for all aquarist how can offer them an aquarium of at least 100l/ 24gallon You should however know that Convict cichlids can sometimes be white aggressive towards other fish which means that they shouldn’t be kept with other to small or timid fishes. Suitable tank mates to keep with convict cichlids are instead fish species that are large enough to stand their ground or hardy species that are fast enough to avoid the convict’s aggressions such as some barbs. Another good option is to keep a pair of convict cichlids alone in an aquarium without any other species in the aquarium. Keeping them alone will make it easier to observe their fascinating breeding behaviour including the rearing of the fry.

An aquarium intended for convict cichlids should be decorated with a few flat stones and perhaps a cave or two. Plats are not necessary and most plants will be destroyed by the fish. There is however a number of hardier plants that can be kept with convict cichlids such as Amazonian swords plant and java fern. Using plants of this type can be beneficial by making the fish feel more at home and by making the aquarium more beautiful to look at. The fact is that convict cichlid will make them selves feel at home however you decide that you want to decorate as long as you avoid using harmful or toxic things in your aquarium decoration.

They will accept a very wide temperature range and pH level range as long as it keep relatively stable but is best kept in 20-28C/ 68-82F and pH 6-8.

Feeding convict cichlids is very easy since they accept any food you may choose to give them and can without any problem be kept and bred on foods such as flake food and pellets.

Convict cichlids are one of the easiest fish in the world to breed. They can spawn from very young age and I have seen a 50L / 15gallon in a store that contained about 50 1-2 inch long convict cichlids. The aquarium was decorated with 3 small stones at the bottom and under each of these stones you cold find a pair of convict cichlids that had dug a cave under the stone and breed in it. Whenever you visited that aquarium there would be fish breeding under each of those stones. Of course no fry managed to survive under those conditions but it reflects how easy convicts are to breed. The saying that all you have to do to breed convict cichlids is to add water is almost true. Feed your fish and they will spawn.