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Help with Convicts!

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convicts
2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Fishin Pole 
#1 ·
Hey i have a 20g tank with one convict cichlid who is about 2-3 inches. I had 2 other convicts in there but one was killed and i had to separate the other they were a little smaller than the bigger one. i was just wondering if there are any other fish i could put in there with him that he wouldnt kill? is it because of his size or the tank being too small? I was thinking about maybe getting a firemouth or angelfish but i think the angelfish would be killed. Advice is appreciated.:)
 
#3 ·
i was just wondering if there are any other fish i could put in there with him that he wouldnt kill? is it because of his size or the tank being too small? I was thinking about maybe getting a firemouth or angelfish but i think the angelfish would be killed. Advice is appreciated.:)
Yeah. A bigger convict. Unfortunately, he'll probably wind up killing the killer eventually. Or a bigger tank. Forget putting an Angelfish in there. Thats the fun part of cichlids - Trying to keep them from killing each other. They are very territorial. They need their own space. Caves work great, until their size catches up with the tank, or if another fish goes near their cave.
I had a dempsey, a couple jewels, a firemouth and a red devil with a channel cat in my 37 long. First the dempsey started claiming the tank till I set up some hiding places. The red devil set himself up in a cave, buried the entrance with gravel except for a small entrance, and attack every fish that came near him. He killed the dempsey, & the firemouth. The jewels started breeding and were able to fight him off for a while (the channel cat kept grabbing their eggs so he had to go). Eventuall the jewels started getting roughed up so I moved them out and he got the tank for himself. The kids still talk about "that crazy fish" and I gave him away years ago.
Now I have Angelfish.
 
#4 ·
wow, glad you gave them away. those are way too many big fish for that little 37 long you had

to the OP:

your best bet for the convict tank is another convict. is the one you have a male or female?
you could try a firemouth, however you will need a lot of hiding places if its going to work.
and unfortunately, because of the small tank, that will be the end of the stock list for that tank. a 20g is barely enough room for the 2 convicts, so more fish is out of the question.
 
#6 ·
generally you dont want to mix new world with old world because of their different water parameter requirements. however, south american and central american species have much more similar requirements, sizes and temperaments, so they can be kept together.

youre better off getting a female convict then a jewel. if you end up with a male jewel, they will fight.
 
#7 ·
The jewel cichlid is from Africa, but is a riverine fish.....Its water parameters are real close to what your convict needs......The other African cichlids (Lake Malawi, Lake Tang, and Victoria), need a much higher Ph to do well in.....I have kept a jewel in a community tank with a Jack Dempsey, a female convict and 3 silver dollars.....That was in a 75 gallon tank though.........IMO, Combining any other fish with your convict in a 20 is just asking for more trouble, especially since he has a history of beating everybody up......In my infancy of fish keeping, i had a pair of convicts in a 30 gallon all by themselves, after the 3rd hatch of fry, the male became really aggressive towards the female....He almost ripped her top lip off......Then is when i contracted "Multi-Tank Syndrome"......Put mom and baby fry in a tank all to themselves and everyone survived......If you want to keep your convict with other fish, try to upgrade to at least a 55 for him
 
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