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recently returned from camping trip to find a new batch of convict babies....that was cool...the bad part was the male had been beating up the female...she was at the top of the tank, trying desperately to stay out of his way....I moved her into another tank so she can recuperate, but why would he do that?....they were the only fish in a 30 gal tank.....

This is common practice for male convicts. They want to take total control of the fry and will kill all other fish in the tank including the mother to do so.

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TONY The Proud Aussie


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Yep. It's one of those "instinct" thingys. The male Convicts get very agressive after breeding and they just want to kill things. I've heard recommendations to put another fish in the tank so he would kill it instead of the mother, I think seperating the fish was a better idea. Good luck with the fry!

For some odd reason, when I think of Convicts, I think of rabbits.

Wire

Next time remove the losing partner as soon as possiable. If the male starts attacking the fry remove him also. Just make sure you have decent water current (not too much to blow them to OZ) so fungus does not attack them as the parents wont be there to fan them.

the reference to rabbits is quite accurate....I've had this pair for 4-5 months and there have been just as many batches of fry...and I don't do anything special.....how long do you think before I can put the female back in (after she has healed)?

The best method is is too use a pvc elbow instead of a orange pot for convicts. They will lay the eggs in there.

After two days remove the pvc elbow and put it in a separate tank with an air stone and raise the fry yourself. (Use maroxy for fungus control) Just put another pvc elbow in there and they will spawn again in 3 to 4 weeks.

That way the parents stop killing each other. Just remember to use a net to protect your hand from the attacking parent when you retrieve the eggs. I got my wrist nailed many times and I can say from experience that convicts do indeed have many sharp teeth.

Ouch!!!

EC