breeding convicts

[fishingman]

I have male and female in a 20 high tank. They have been in there for about 3 days. Does it take a while for them to get comfortable with the tank and each other before they mate? I have seen them "kissing" and chasing each other around. Is that normal?

[Ben1988]

kissing is actually fighting. a 20 high is not a great tank for breeding. they need space to run a 20 long is better but in the long run your going to need a 55 for full grown breeding pair of covicts. also how big are they? did you let the tank cycle? what else is in the tank?

[fishingman]

they are about 2 inches. yeah i let the tank cycle. there is nothing else in the tank except for plants and rocks. they don't seem to be chasing each other around anymore. they both hide in a cave i have in the tank together when they are not swimming.

[baytherman]

Yep! They are going to probably mate. Sounds that way. The male can be extremely harsh on her after the fry arrive as he wants to mate right a way. It is sometimes best to remove one of the parents till the female is healthy again. Good Luck!

[cipsoasm]

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I do agree with you. Those are the most effective way
have a blessed day

[ablockag]

yea u will need to put them in a 55gallon long tank u can try craigslist there is always nice 55gallon tanks on there

[vince mc. cichlid]

I have bred thousands of the standard black and white striped cichlids, the female will become very red on her sides and green in the fins sometimes this is when the female is ready to bread the males will tend to be larger because they do not expend energy on egg production if you want a full sized pair I suggest keeping them separate for a while so the female can grow, once they are mature enough to breed which can be at an inch or less they will not stop infact they will breed about once a month if you remove the fry, the kissing is normal at breeding time and the pair will become very dark in color and become more and more aggressive