Convicts: Black and Pink Nature's Breeding machines

Cichlasoma/Archocentrus- Nigrofasciatum

Convict Cichlid Facts

Origin Central America
Maximum Size 4 to 6 inches
Longevity 10 years
Housing Bigger the better
Breeding Likes tunnels, caves, pipes
Temperature Prefers 70 to 85o
Attitude Good eater. Territorial.
Foods Loves live foods and every thing else
Water Survives in crummy water

From Central America. Pink convicts were a variant of the good, old Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum or convict cichlid from south of the NAFTA border. The normal bluish grey with black bars version grows wild in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. By the way, the nigrofasciatum in their name means black bars.

Young Breeders. Convicts get down to serious egg laying at a very young age. Many cichlids think about these things after they turn one year old. Convicts are quite precocious. Most will pair off under six months of age. Many parents spawn before they reach two inches in length.

Size. Convicts breed at a small size. This means most wind up in small tanks (10 gallons and under). This stunts their growth so they top out at three, maybe four inches. But if you give them plenty of space and food, they will grow to six inches -- especially if kept away from the opposite sex. Most convicts are more interested in breeding than feeding. Constant egg production probably inhibits part of their growth potential.

Males. Male convicts of the same age as females are larger, more colorful (with the exception of the female have a gold abdomen), longer finned, and bluer. The males get a blue sheen when the light hits them right. You can really see their sheen when you net them. When ready to breed (which is most of the time), their body darkens and their bars turn a dark jet black.

Females. Female convicts are usually plumper, a shade less aggressive, and have a gold belly -- especially if you look at them in a net under strong light. The gold gets much brighter at breeding time. This sex-based color variation is apparent on both the regulars and the pinks.

The Pair. Try to find potential breeders about the same size. The larger male convicts can easily overpower the weaker females. This results in her trying to hide lying on her side at the top of the tank (which, by the way, rarely works). The three above are pairing off in a half-gallon critter cage. Of course they need more room.
Spousal Abuse. Male convicts quite often beat the tar out of their females -- especially in small tanks. They beat on them, rip off scales and fins, and often kill them. As a result, there are many more large males out there than large females -- maybe ten to one. At least once a week someone will come in looking for a large female convict cichlid.

Cover. The female needs several places to hide. If she can get away from the male, he may kill her. Ceramic caves make easily defended hiding places and spawning sites. Rock jumbles and bunches of plants also help. Any driftwood, PVC pipe, plastic plants or shipwrecks will give her a place to get away from his not always wanted (and sometimes deadly) attention. Once she lays her eggs, he better watch out. Some females will run off or kill their former spouses. Say no more.

Spawning Site. Females usually pick a cave to spawn in (but not always). If you want to watch their eggs develop, put a ceramic cave in the front where you can easily see it. Of course, they reserve the right to spawn wherever they decide to spawn.

Conditioning. Convicts breed without special diets. However, certain foods and feeding practices will get their little over-juiced hormones flowing even faster. Feed them four times a day -- not huge amounts, just enough to pooch out their little bellies. Give them more than one type of food. You will see their colors brighten. After one of their daily feedings, slip them some extra nutrition from this tasty list:

Live black worms
Frozen or live brine shrimp
Frozen plankton
Frozen bloodworms
Small earthworms
Mealworms cut in half

Match Making. If you drop an unsuspecting female convict into the same tank where a large male has lived alone for a while, her chances of survival are limited. He owns the joint. All intruders will be beat down to a pulp -- even potential mates. Better: Put him in an isolation tank for a week. Let her take over the spawning tank and set up housekeeping. Put him in after she owns the tank a week or so. Her chances for survival increase dramatically. However, she still needs cover.

Getting it on. The pair starts by displaying their fins at one another. They sidle up and rub together head to tail. If its true love (and it usually is with convicts), they start locking lips and tugging each other around the tank. This oft-repeated ritual reduces the breed able females in the population by half. If she survives this tug of war match, the pair will very likely breed .

Spawning. Both prospective parents clean the future spawning site. Their lips can get frayed and injured in the process. They often spawn inside a cave where you can see the eggs. If youre female convict starts hanging out in a certain hiding spot, shine a flashlight in there. You can easily see the eggs once you know what youre looking for. Or you may see little wigglers.

Tank Mates. If convicts breed in a tank with other fishes, they will take one half (or more) of the tank. The other fishes will gladly give up the space (or die). Once the fry start free swimming, the parents try to herd them together. The other fish look for opportunities to snipe them off one by one. The little convicts don't know enough to stay hidden. The parents will usually protect more than enough of the little varmints to continue the population. This particular species reproduces so readily, that most convict keepers feed their young to their other fishes.

Fry Food. Most egg layer fry eat only the tiniest live foods. Convicts will eat commercial foods from day one. Just crush some of the parents flakes and give it to the babies. Oddly enough, many parent convicts will chew up their food and blow the shreds out for their kids. (At least it looks that way. Who knows?) They will not starve. If you want to see fast growth, feed them newly hatched brine shrimp and/or micro worms. Watch their bellies turn orange as they pack in those baby brine shrimp. Baby convicts eat the frozen baby brine shrimps just as readily as they eat live.

In Conclusion. Breed your convicts for fun but know that they breed too easily to be sold for profit commercially. Most wind up as Jack Dempsey or Jaguar cichlid food.

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