# Breeding Convicts



## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

Got myself a pair of breeding Convicts in the hope they would supply me with enough feeders for my P's. After half an hour in their new tank, they got down to business. By the following morning they had layed loads of eggs and now the eggs have hatched and from what I can make out I should have about 150 fry from this batch. They are currently only wrigglers but after a few days they should be free swimming. I'll have to do a bit of tank shuffling but I'm sure I can come up with a tank to grow them out. Here's a few pics.

You can see the eggs on the walls of the pot.
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They have hatched
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2 more days and they will be free swimming.
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## 2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY (Nov 1, 2005)

yea! some member fed thier p's convict..but i personally dont feed my p's live food. it not good from them, i would feed them frozen food.


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY said:


> yea! some member fed thier p's convict..but i personally dont feed my p's live food. it not good from them, i would feed them frozen food.


There is nothing wrong with feeding live foods to your ps as long as they do not contain Thiaminase (sp?) and do not have diseases.

Very nice looking setup though... one of the best foods to help them grow fast I have found is these little sticks of brine shrimp... I get it from PetSmart, it is with all the other dry foods, is relatively cheap and they seem to love it as babies as once it is in the water it becomes very soft and almost melts and they can easily eat it. Also, try to keep a lot of algae in the tank you keep the fry, they love to eat that as well. No need to take the fry out of the parents tank until they are getting ready to lay more eggs either, convicts are extremely good parents.


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## 2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY (Nov 1, 2005)

^^ i know there is noting wrong feeding them convict or live food..i just dont fed mine at all...but that just me


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

150 fry is a lot of Piranha food... nice Convict BTW...







!


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY said:


> ^^ i know there is noting wrong feeding them convict or live food..i just dont fed mine at all...but that just me


In your first post you said it isn't good for them, now you are saying there is nothing wrong with it.









Congrats on the breeding jobeak. I've bred them before and it is quite an experience. They usually are very good parents. Keep this thread updated with their growth so people get the idea on a convict's growth rate.








~Taylor~


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

I jus also found eggs in my 10G today from my cons. How many eggs do they typically lay?


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

the_w8 said:


> I jus also found eggs in my 10G today from my cons. How many eggs do they typically lay?


Mine are a mature pair and it looks like aboot 150. From looking at the amount of eggs that did'nt hatch I would say I should have maybe 140. From what I hear though, they are capable of laying a lot more. This is my first attempt at breeding convicts so I'm sure there is someone out there who knows more than me. I only know what I read online and in books. I think you may also need a bigger tank for the parents and another one to grow out the fry. Once they start breeding again, they will kill the first batch.


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## Rick james (May 2, 2006)

I just checked on my eggs and they all have little tales sticking out wiggling like crazy. I tried to count them but there are so many. I am estimationg around the 150 mark. I have read of batches as large as 400. I am just hoping that the parents don't eat them as this is there first batch together.


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

Your fry are called wrigglers and they stay at that stage for about 3 days, then they become free swimming. You should keep an eye on the parents. Once they show signs of breeding again, take the fry out and grow them out in a seperate tank. They will eat the fry once they lay eggs again. They usually breed every four weeks or so according to my research. Convict are mouth brooders, so watch them carefully. What you think is fry being eaten may only be the parent moving the fry. The parents also clean the fry in their mouth. I would give it about three weeks and then move the fry to their own tank.


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## Rick james (May 2, 2006)

jobeak said:


> Your fry are called wrigglers and they stay at that stage for about 3 days, then they become free swimming. You should keep an eye on the parents. Once they show signs of breeding again, take the fry out and grow them out in a seperate tank. They will eat the fry once they lay eggs again. They usually breed every four weeks or so according to my research. Convict are mouth brooders, so watch them carefully. What you think is fry being eaten may only be the parent moving the fry. The parents also clean the fry in their mouth. I would give it about three weeks and then move the fry to their own tank.


Thanks for the tip.


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

No problem and good luck with the fry.


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## LouDiB (May 22, 2006)

bad, and expensive idea. The growth rate in Convicts is so slow there is really no point in breeding them to feed your p's. They take 1.5-2 months to even hit the .5-.75" mark, even with great nutrients and water changes = lots of time and money. If you have a spare tank and dont mind doing a lot of work for little progress: Go ahead. But essentially to keep your p's satisfied, you would probably need about 10 10 gallon tanks and a continuous inflow of fry from breeding pair.


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## rocker (Aug 12, 2005)

Louie D said:


> bad, and expensive idea. The growth rate in Convicts is so slow there is really no point in breeding them to feed your p's. They take 1.5-2 months to even hit the .5-.75" mark, even with great nutrients and water changes = lots of time and money. If you have a spare tank and dont mind doing a lot of work for little progress: Go ahead. But essentially to keep your p's satisfied, you would probably need about 10 10 gallon tanks and a continuous inflow of fry from breeding pair.


exactly, this is y i say its not worth it :nod:


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

Louie D said:


> bad, and expensive idea. The growth rate in Convicts is so slow there is really no point in breeding them to feed your p's. They take 1.5-2 months to even hit the .5-.75" mark, even with great nutrients and water changes = lots of time and money. If you have a spare tank and dont mind doing a lot of work for little progress: Go ahead. But essentially to keep your p's satisfied, you would probably need about 10 10 gallon tanks and a continuous inflow of fry from breeding pair.


Time I've plenty of and as far as it being expensive, it would still work out cheaper than buying feeders. As far as convicts go, they breed at the drop of a hat. A new batch of fry can be expected every four weeks. I think that should be a constant enough supply. I also breed mollies to feed to my P's, so their diet is gonna be varied. I dont mind waiting a couple of months to get the Convict fry to a good size for my P's. If the supply from the breeding pair keeps going, the second batch of fry should be a good size by the time the first batch are gone. As far as space is concerned, I have 8 tanks so I think I have the room.


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## rocker (Aug 12, 2005)

jobeak said:


> bad, and expensive idea. The growth rate in Convicts is so slow there is really no point in breeding them to feed your p's. They take 1.5-2 months to even hit the .5-.75" mark, even with great nutrients and water changes = lots of time and money. If you have a spare tank and dont mind doing a lot of work for little progress: Go ahead. But essentially to keep your p's satisfied, you would probably need about 10 10 gallon tanks and a continuous inflow of fry from breeding pair.


Time I've plenty of and as far as it being expensive, it would still work out *cheaper than buying feeders*. As far as convicts go, they breed at the drop of a hat. A new batch of fry can be expected every four weeks. I think that should be a constant enough supply. I also breed mollies to feed to my P's, so their diet is gonna be varied. I dont mind waiting a couple of months to get the Convict fry to a good size for my P's. If the supply from the breeding pair keeps going, the second batch of fry should be a good size by the time the first batch are gone. As far as space is concerned, I have 8 tanks so I think I have the room.
[/quote]
the answer is not to use live feeders as it is not nessecary for a p's diet. A more varied diet (other than mollys and convicts) will do much better which u can only achieve by purchasing frozen foods


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## LouDiB (May 22, 2006)

jobeak said:


> bad, and expensive idea. The growth rate in Convicts is so slow there is really no point in breeding them to feed your p's. They take 1.5-2 months to even hit the .5-.75" mark, even with great nutrients and water changes = lots of time and money. If you have a spare tank and dont mind doing a lot of work for little progress: Go ahead. But essentially to keep your p's satisfied, you would probably need about 10 10 gallon tanks and a continuous inflow of fry from breeding pair.


Time I've plenty of and as far as it being expensive, it would still work out cheaper than buying feeders. As far as convicts go, they breed at the drop of a hat. A new batch of fry can be expected every four weeks. I think that should be a constant enough supply. I also breed mollies to feed to my P's, so their diet is gonna be varied. I dont mind waiting a couple of months to get the Convict fry to a good size for my P's. If the supply from the breeding pair keeps going, the second batch of fry should be a good size by the time the first batch are gone. As far as space is concerned, I have 8 tanks so I think I have the room.
[/quote]

Hey man, whatever works, but that's why the pet store supplies me with frozen fish food so I don't have to waiste time and extra money. Who said anything about buying feeders: Do your p's eat fillets or shrimp. Ecnomically that is way cheaper than breeding cons and buying feeders. If you have extra space. I would suggest removing the fry into a couple fry tanks, and buying 1 more pair as well.


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

Sorry Louis D. I misunderstood your last post. I thought you were talking about using feeders. I do feed my P's fillets. I also feed them shrimp and blood worm. They get the odd batch of neon's as well. Unfortunately, buying in feeders here in Ireland is quite expensive. It costs me 10 euro's to buy six neon tetras. Convicts are about 15 euros a pop so I'm afraid the only way my P's are going to get a good supply of live food is if I breed them myself. I actually enjoy breeding the fish that I have as well. I treat fish keeping as a hobby. I don't only look at it as a way of keeping my Piranhas fed. Sorry for any confusion.


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## Rick james (May 2, 2006)

If you can't affored it mabe you should get a new hobby. I Enjoy raising these fry and it is not about saving money for me at all. If I was worried about money. I would not have bought P's in the first place. I am not saying it is economical at all. I am just saying that it is a part of the hobby I enjoy and can learn from. I don't only feed live feeders. Infact I rarley do feed them live feeders. But I like my fish to have a varietyu of food in there diet and also get exercise. This is one way of doing it. If you don't like that is just fine but I don't think you need to bash it for those of us who do enjoy It.

Thanks 
Rick James


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

It doesnt have anything to do with money for me. The way I look at it is, why buy fish when you can breed them. I am currently on the look out for a female convict to make a second pair. I also enjoy raising the fry and at some stage down the line, when my P's reach maturity, I would also like to breed them. This is a hobby I started with only one small 5 gallon tank of Goldfish. Check out my signature to see where I am now. I only started keeping fish about 4 months ago. Its all fun and games.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

nice cons..should give you lots of feeders for a longg time.


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

Trigga said:


> nice cons..should give you lots of feeders for a longg time.


Thanks. They should help a bit alright.


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## LouDiB (May 22, 2006)

Trigga said:


> nice cons..should give you lots of feeders for a longg time.


Trigga is officially a post whore. He has no idea what is going on, yet he still posts like he knows, then asks noobish like questions. Have you ever kept convicts...and if so, bred them, and if so, noticed how slow they grow, if so, you've gained some respect back dude.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

Louie D said:


> nice cons..should give you lots of feeders for a longg time.


Trigga is officially a post whore. He has no idea what is going on, yet he still posts like he knows, then asks noobish like questions. Have you ever kept convicts...and if so, bred them, and if so, noticed how slow they grow, if so, you've gained some respect back dude.
[/quote]
f*ck u eh im just new to ps ive been breeding ciclihds since i was like 14 so u can just stfu. I knowconvicts grow slow i was just saying that they breed soo often that he should be happy with the amount he has. So f*ck u an shut up.


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## LouDiB (May 22, 2006)

Trigga said:


> nice cons..should give you lots of feeders for a longg time.


Trigga is officially a post whore. He has no idea what is going on, yet he still posts like he knows, then asks noobish like questions. Have you ever kept convicts...and if so, bred them, and if so, noticed how slow they grow, if so, you've gained some respect back dude.
[/quote]
f*ck u eh im just new to ps ive been breeding ciclihds since i was like 14 so u can just stfu. I knowconvicts grow slow i was just saying that they breed soo often that he should be happy with the amount he has. So f*ck u an shut up.
[/quote]

You are still an idiot.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

ok thank you now shut up


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Louie and Trigga,

Lets not get our posting privileges suspended over something stupid. Please follow the rules and be respectful to all members. If you feel like you want to go postal on the computer just shut it off and take a break.


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## Trigga (Jul 1, 2006)

i wont happen again im sorry but what exactly is a "post whore"??


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

Here are tonights pics.

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## Malok (Mar 26, 2006)

i have done this also but my p's dont eat many i have bout 12 3/4 inch cons in there and i havent lost one in a week or two but they will pick them off its just a little variety of live cheap food for them i also feed them worms free from my garden in addition to squid shrimp talapia and salmon and cray fish oh and cherry shrimp.

and by the way cons are not mouth brooders
mouth brooders actually raise the fry in thier mouth for a while.

hey we should trade some babies i have the pink ones and you have the grey and black we could get a little diversity.


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## Canso (Jun 19, 2005)

trade your males and you both will breed veriety.... or trade your females. doesn't matter

you might even get some marble cons out of a batch.


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## nick007x (Sep 9, 2005)

i tried this and ended up giving them to my girlfriend--the fry hatched in like February and they're still nowhere near big enough to be any kind of substantial meal. you'll have feeders by christmas if you want to wait it out. on the plus side though, its an amazing process to see if you've never bred fish before--and convicts make for especially interesting parents. so even though i never really got any food from the deal, it was totally worth it. so you look at it that way-


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

Wow, congrats jobeak! You have a LOT of fry there! I'm sure you will have fun watching them grow.


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## jobeak (Jun 3, 2006)

This is only my second attempt at breeding. The first was with molly's and now this. I still plan on using some of the for food for my P's. Its all a learning curve so I'll just have to wait and see how it goes. I have a free 30 gallon so I can move them there to let them grow. This first batch of convict fry is my test batch. My Piranha may not even go for them when they are big enough. Its always worth a try at least. Thanks for the positive feedback guys


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

Very nice looking batch of fry and very large from the looks of it. As they start to grow, see if any of them are pink convicts... I know my pair produces close to 30% pink and then 70% normal... if you are ambitious, usually pet stores will pay a little more for the pink convicts as people like them more for their color variation.

As far as growth rate of the convits, it all depends what you are feeding them and how often... mine are at over half an inch and some are approaching an inch after two months... I feed them or my gf feeds them 3-5 times a day and they get fed flake food, cichlid pellets, brine shrimp, blood worms, algae tablets, all kinds of stuff to have a very nice diet and they seem to love whatever they are given.


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## Deaner (Apr 18, 2006)

jobeak said:


> It doesnt have anything to do with money for me. The way I look at it is, why buy fish when you can breed them. I am currently on the look out for a female convict to make a second pair. I also enjoy raising the fry and at some stage down the line, when my P's reach maturity, I would also like to breed them. This is a hobby I started with only one small 5 gallon tank of Goldfish. Check out my signature to see where I am now. I only started keeping fish about 4 months ago. Its all fun and games.


put em in a rubbermaid container with a filter on the side lol


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## LouDiB (May 22, 2006)

My Cons are breeding with my P's...they are squigglers right now... lol...see what happens...I will let them be as long as the parents dont get too agressive.


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