Keeping and Breeding Convict Cichlids

Convict Cichlids are very hardy fish and can live in a wide range of water conditions. To keep a convict healthy you should still keep water clean and optimal in the tank. Water temperature should be between 68 and 77 Fahrenheit with some type of cave in the form of rocks or an empty flower pot.

They are very territorial and also very aggressive. Only single specimens or a single pair should be kept in small aquariums of 20 or 29 gallons. In larger aquariums that have plenty of rocks and caves, other robust Cichlids can be kept with convicts. If keeping a breeding pair then no other fish should be kept in the tank.

Breeding convict cichlids is not very difficult to do. They are actually one of the easiest of the cichlids to breed. If kept in a clean aquarium, a pair of convicts will breed often producing many broods of fry. All that is required of the aquarium owner is good proper tank maintenance and a pair of convicts.

To tell the difference between males and females, a female will have orange coloration on her belly while males do not. Once a pair is chosen they should be placed together in a tank no smaller than 20 gallons in size. The tank should have some type of hollow log, empty flower pot or cave for the eggs to be laid in when the fish spawn. With all that in place all that is left is to let nature take its course. The pair of convicts will spawn and after they are done both will guard the eggs and the fry when they have hatched.

A 20 gallon tank will not be big enough for the parents to raise their fry so only use a 20 gallon if the eggs are going to be removed and placed in a separate tank for hatching. If the eggs are removed the pair of convicts will normally spawn again within 1 to 2 weeks.