Originally posted by Danmoquin.
Guys I wrote this article back in June and it was published in the PVAS monthly newsletter. It tells my story of convict-keeping and breeding. Please, give me some feedback.
Breeding The All Too Common Convict Cichlid
Two years ago when I started the hobby I purchased a juvenile striped Archocentrus Nigrofasciatum . When I got it I had no idea of the proper care, diet, or tank conditions it required. At the time of purchase it was probably about a third of an inch (SL). I put it in a 10 gallon tank with 2 Xiphophorus Maculatus, which disappeared after about a month. I fed it Wardley flake food and did 10% water changes once a month. (Luckily I chose a hardy fish!)
I have now learned that Convict Cichlids are Central American and are found from Guatemala to Costa Rica and Honduras to Panama. They like a pH of 6.5-7.5 and temperatures of 72-80 degrees but, will tolerate 60-86 degree temperatures. Convicts are also hardy enough to cycle a tank.
I kept him (he turned out to be a male) for about a year and a half, and cycled seven different tanks with him! I also noticed that in the four smaller tanks that he was placed in that he would build a nest by pushing the gravel away from the corner of the tank. I could not figure out why since there was no female in the tank but, this strange behavior continued. So one day less than a month ago I went to James Tropical Fish and purchased a beautiful 2″ female. She had beautiful red spots on her stomach, blue tinted fins, and 7 or 8 full black vertical stripes. My male was at that time close to 3 1/2″ and also had full stripes and blue tinted fins.
I placed the female in a 20 gallon long aquarium with the male who had been in there for about two months. Inside of the tank there were a few plastic plants, Java Moss, and one peice of slate tipped sideways againt the left wall. Well, three days after I got the female she laid her eggs on the slate. She laid between 100 and 150 eggs and fanned them for four days until there were wigglers. She even picked off the dead white eggs. The male showed no interest in the eggs or the wigglers until three days later when the fry were free swimming. After this, the female began to drift away but, the male travelled everywhere with the fry.
I left the fry with the parents and now have about 75 that are three weeks old. I’ve never fed brine shrimp or microworms to the fry, just crushed up flakes. I feed the parents frozen mysis shrimp, frozen blood worms, krill, earthworms, banana, garlic, and Sera Vipan flake food. I also do 50-75% water changes on them weekly. And I do know that Convict Cichlids have been arround forever and are easily available but, the ones that you see in the store now are pale and discolored. So if you take the time and keep up with those water changes, you really can raise a prize winning fish.