Fish Growth

[Reposado]

Hello,
You guys are going to think I am crazy for this question about ... convicts! I am wondering if there is anything I can give to my convict to optimize her growth. She is housed in a 75 gallon and fed a diet of spirulina flake, brine shrimp, lettuce and zuccini - she always has a fat belly. I do weekly water changes of about 20-30 percent. I have heard that vitamins help growth. Is this true? Any recommendations for vitamins? Is there anything else that I can do to help her grow? The one I am referring to is a female about 8 months old and is about 2 inches in length. I have been told that most females get up to 3.5 inches in length. She grew like a weed the first few months but has since tapered off. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get the best growth out of her. Also, does anyone have any ideas of how long convicts live? I've heard it can be up to 10 years, but I have no personal experience. Thanks for the help.

[Rex Karr]

Welcome to the Cichlid Forums, Reposado!

That is a bit odd for your convict to be so small. What are your water parameters and what other fish are in the tank? Also what is the temperature?

I never kept convicts until a few months ago. Probably because of how common they are (I'm into more unusual and are fish). But I finally picked up 7. The 3 males have grown fro 1.5" to 3.5" SL in just s few months. The females were around 1" and have since grown to 2" SL. So females to grow slower than males.

Rex

[Reposado]

Thank You! And thanks for the help.

The water parameters are: PH of 7.4 and the water temp is steady at 80.1 degrees, the tank has been running for about a year.

There is a male and female convict (the one in question), a 4" pleco, 15 .5" danios, and a pair of firemouths. Both pairs breed with each pair taking half of the tank. It is a remarkably peaceful setup...

It really perplexed me because the fish came from my brother as fry, and the fry (females) that he kept in his tank from the same brood are considerably bigger than mine - even though I feed it better food with a varied diet.

Thanks again.

[Rex Karr]

Hmmm.... I don't know. Everything sounds great in your tank. She may just be a small individual. You could try adding a little more meaty foods to the diet though. Mine really like shrimp, cuttle fish, squid, mussles and octopus. I found all of that mixed together in one bag at the grocery store for $4 (1 lb.).

[Reposado]

Hey thanks for the tip,
I went to the store and picked up that mix you mentioned - it's frozen right? After the holidays I will start feeding it to her and hope...
How do you prepare it? Slice it in small pieces or chop it up?

Thanks

[Rex Karr]

Yes it is frozen. I just chop it up a bit, nothing special. My fish seemed to love the oysters, squid, and shrimp the most, with cuttlefish coming next, and then the octopus (its kinda tough). I hope the new food encourages some growth.

Rex

[Reposado]

Stupid question I know, but just to make sure, you feed it to them raw right?
Thanks Again.

[Rex Karr]

Yep, raw.