INTRO: If you can read my last question please do. QUESTION: How intelligent are Convict Chilchids?

Question

From my last question I have read up on them. I am also a nurse (Human kind) studying behavior. My single mother whom I've named Rita displays much more behavior patterns than some of the histories I've read; i.e. she plucks her babies off of the nylon stocking I've wrapped around the filter input (I was changing the filter and found twenty plus wigglies on it so I put the stocking), she wiggles in the gravel to expose food for them, she attacks my hand when I try to clean the nylon stocking thingie, she herds the babies into the bubble stone stream as if to play or clean them, she is attempting to cover the air stone with gravel, etc. This is just out of curiosity. Thanks!

Answer 1

Most Cichlids in general are highly intelligent compared to other species of fish, they also have unique and interesting personalities. It is not abnormal for the female to be attacking the male after spawning, in most cases before spawning the male will attack the female to mate with her.

Answer 2

They are a pretty intelligent fish. The females are outstanding when protecting their fry. My female even protected her fry the entire time I was trying to catch all the fish to move them into a different tank. They are definitely aggressive during spawning. The fry follow their parents everywhere. I can see that they are a smarter species than some cichlids I have also bred. The fry are also smart little things from day one. If you try to net them out, you won't get very far. They cling to the gravel and decorations so well, you cannot get them in the net. I also had a breeding pair kick the daylights out of an oscar, and the female was only 2.5", the oscar was 6".

Edit: If this is the male that no one wants to pair off with, then take him out and never put him back. Obviously the 2 were not compatible, and they don't want to pair off. I also suggest removing the other female, she will eventually be killed by the other pair if they are spawning. Convicts are very private when spawning, half the time you won't see any eggs, but all of a sudden you see little wigglers. The parents will move the young around, sometimes hiding them. They will dig large holes in the gravel and take their children on field trips. A 10 gallon tank was way too small for any cichlid of that size, especially 4 of them. Even a breeding pair should be kept in at least a 30 gallon. Sometimes a female will even be hard on the father of the young, and will chase him away. Convicts will even take food in their mouths and spit it out in smaller pieces for the babies. She probably herds the babies towards the air stone because she likes the location, and she will try and cover it so her babies are not blown all over the place. Convicts will attack anything you put in the tank if it's near their young. I have had them attack my algae magnet before, even the gravel vacuum.

Answer 3

if she attacks him that means she doesnt need him and she will kill him, it was good of you to remove him. Same happend to my cons. If you take too long in the time to re add him to the tank,the male may lose his parental instinct and will not recognize the babys same with the female she will consider him a threat to her babys. P.S. they are very smart.