Pink convict cichlids -- help needed

Ami

Greetings all !
Last Sunday I acquired a 29 gallon tank with a TON of pink convict cichlids in it. A guy dropped the tank & fish off at the PETCO shop I frequent regularly, saying that he'd got sick of them. Since their company policy didn't allow them to sell it, they just gave it to me ! Fortunately I had a heater and a 40 gallon HOB filter. Also put in a bubble curtain for extra oxygen and some hornwort & anacharis from my other tanks. The tank didn't have any rocks, so I threw in some driftwood and rocks to create hiding places.

The tank has
Three 4.5-in males
Seven 3-in males & females
30-40 juvies ranging between 1/2 to 1 inch

I've noticed the males spar occasionally, but no injuries yet.

They're quite pretty, so I'd like to keep a few. However, I do need to get rid of most of them. Should I start by offering the largest to the mom-n-pop owned fish stores, or the smallest? Also , is it better to keep a single pair of grown ups, or a few juvies? If I could sex the small ones, I'd probably keep 3 pairs of the small ones and watch 'em grow up. But is this a good idea in the long term?
What worries me is that a male-female pair has claimed an upturned pot and is shooing others away. The female is in full breeding regalia and is quite pretty. Fortunately no eggs yet.

I read that the convicts breed like rabbits and are VERY aggressive...would it be a better choice to make a species only brichardi tank instead? (I read that they become one large family)

Thanks,
Ami

1077

Convict's are much easier to come by than to find homes for due to their temperment,and propensity for re-producing.
29 gallons is a bit small for more than a male /female pair and a few fry of the convict's.
I would opt for the Brichardi assuming my water was moderately hard to alkaline. pH 7.5 to 8.0.
Brichardi fry grow slowly and are maybe easier to re-locate when number's become too many,and adult brichardi are considerably smaller than adult convict's.