MarkN Posted November 23, 2008 Report Share Posted November 23, 2008 Well I recently ended up with a pair of concivts! I have never had them before and really like their attitudes! That said I now understand the talk about them being prol;ific breeders! Within two days of puting them in their new tank I now have eggs on the back of the pot in their tank. How long do convict eggs take to hatch??? I have also heard they are good aprents and wont eat fry, is this true? Thanks Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodles Posted November 23, 2008 Report Share Posted November 23, 2008 It usually takes around 3-4 days until they are little wrigglers. The parents are very good at protecting their young, unless they feel very threatened or if the fry are deformed... then they have been known to eat them. Sheldon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 Convicts are very good parents when it comes to protecting their young. Mine will kick the daylights out of any fish that come near them. There might not be a high success rate the first spawn or 2, but after that watch out lol. To be honest, I usually now let the babies stay in the tank and most of them end up dinner for somebody. I have found too that the parents will protect their babies for a good couple of months or more if you let them. They usually won't eat their fry unless they feel absolutely threatened. If you want to remove the babies from the tank, best to do it within a week after them hatching, or else they are near impossible to catch without removing everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soliver Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 I have a pair of convicts that breed roughly every 3 weeks. The length of time it takes for the eggs to hatch depends on the water quality. Mine take 2 days. Then another 3 or so for them to become free swimming. I usually leave the fry in for about a week after they hatch. Ive never had trouble catching them since the parents keep them huddled tightly together, moving them around the tank then back into the pot at night. I love to watch the parents such them up in there mouth and spit them out in there designated location. Like everyone else has said, convicts are amazing parents. I found they will even try to take me on while im cleaning the tank. The only problem i have found with taking the fry out is the next day or so the female will be very mad at the male. She gets extremely upset. And if you don't manage to get all the fry out, they will eat the remaining(If there is only a couple) before they breed again. The number of eggs laid depends on the size of convict. And you will also find that the survival rate will increase dramatically as time goes on. Im using the convict fry as a protein snack for my larger Cichlid tank. I would be overrun with convicts in a very short time if i didn't. I haven't left the fry in the tank for more than 2 weeks but i have a new batch of wigglers right now that im planning on raising. I hope you have fun watching your convicts breed+ raise there fry. They defiantly have personalities. :smokey: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polleni-puffer Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 eggs take 3-4 days to hatch ,and to say the least they are exelent parents at the best of times ,my pair has got my sal and theyre older fry all in one corner/side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 I have found if you let the babies go anymore than 2 weeks, and you try to net them out or siphon them out, they actually cling themselves to rocks or huddle very closely to the substrate, making them near impossible to remove. I gave up on trying to take mine out, and they end up as snacks for the other fish eventually anyway. My pair actually had one baby left from their last batch, he has been in there with them for about 2 months now and is almost 1/2" in size. They seem to still protect this little guy, and haven't bred since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jus_sum_guy Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 Are these the ones you got from me? As you saw in my tank, I left the babies from the first batch in with the parents. They ended up protecting those little guys along with any new fry. They made fantastic parents!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkN Posted November 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 Are these the ones you got from me?As you saw in my tank, I left the babies from the first batch in with the parents. They ended up protecting those little guys along with any new fry. They made fantastic parents!! Yeah they are the ones from you! Not sure if you got my PM but the guy I got them for got a pair on the same day so now I have a pair! Odd though after I posted this all the eggs disappeared! WE will see what happens in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 I doubt they're gone though , look for a little "puddle" of movement on the substrate , usually near where their eggs were. I think they hatched and the parents just moved them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmamnstr Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 Odd though after I posted this all the eggs disappeared! WE will see what happens in the future. About the time frame everyone was saying to hatch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkN Posted November 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 I doubt they're gone though , look for a little "puddle" of movement on the substrate , usually near where their eggs were. I think they hatched and the parents just moved them . I will take a look tonight, although from what everyone states above I should see swimmers by now and there are none?!?!? Who knows they are my daughters favorite as she can sit on the couch and look right in, she may have spooked them? Although the usually come out and "attack" her! Its pretty funny to watch a two year old and fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jus_sum_guy Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 I did get that PM.. Sorry didn't have time to reply. Those parents won't take the babies out swimming until after 2-3 days of hatching. You will see them this weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismas Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 If they have had babies,get ready because they don't stop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmamnstr Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 If they have had babies,get ready because they don't stop Too funny, -roll- the voice of a "breeding convicts" owner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkN Posted November 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2008 Well again you guys never stop amazing me with all your advice! I went home and took a look in my tank and low and behold a school of fry!! Allot of fry! Thanks for all your advice we will see what happens now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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