The How to Guide?: Rasing African Cichlids

[Reefdude5]

My 2 African Convict Chiclids just gave birth(spawned?) last night. They've been doing this for about 6 months, as i purposefully made a mated pair. The young always die in a week or two. I'm not sure if its the large male eating them, or if they are starving. I feed them ground up flakes, but can't actually see them eating. Is there a way i can seperate the male from the mom and young, or something different i could be feeding?

[big t]

Hey reefdude

Just so as you know, convicts are not africans, they are from south america I believe. What size is this tank? you could catch a bunch of babies and put them in another tank w/ a sponge filter. The ground up food should be fine, I had great success raising convicts. They are probably the easiest fry to raise

[Reefdude5]

Thanks for the origiin, i love to know more about fish than what they eat! It's a 20tall. I have a ten gallon, guess i could use that. All though i was hoping there would be like a mesh tank divider or something, and then i could use the 10 for something else! Thanks!

That's why im a bit embarresed, cause Convicts are supposed to be so darn easy, its just they keep dissapearing! Any other food like growing artemia or brine i could try? Did you feed yours just flakes, or did u get a special kind of baby flakes, Thanks Tom!

[JennM]

Could they be sucked up by your filter?

I know nothing about them - just speculating.

Jenn

[Reefdude5]

Seems difficult, but a possibility, they keep dissaperaring after almost exactly 1 1/2 weeks, every time

[Stang69]

You could pull the eggs and hatch them sep. from the adults. Like T said ya could use a sponge filter for filtration. Actually this does two things. Serves as filtration as well as a food source for the fry. They will eat the bacteria and such off of it. Ya will still have to feed them but they will eat pretty much anything ya throw at them hehhehe


Jeff

[Reefdude5]

i can never find the eggs, where do they lay them?

[big t]

Hey Reefdude

You can try putting a small teracotta pot in there, It simulates a small cave and the female will likely lay her eggs in there. Next thing you know you will have more convicts then you know what to do with Anyway you should be able to tell where the female is laying the eggs as she will likely hang around them very closely and guard them. If you put a pot in there you can take them out and put it in another tank. Good luck.

[Reefdude5]

Or could i wait until she gives birth, and put them in a 10g with a sponge filter, heated by just being in the room, and just room light? That would be nice!

[Stang69]

That would all deend on how constabt the room heat is and how high it is. They should have a constant temp of between 74 and 78. Temp swings either way are pretty hard on them and most fish for that mattter


Jeff