New Type of Cichlid Found!

Ok, so this post doesn't have anything to do with the convict cichlid, but I just read this and thought it was too cool not to post.

In this day and age, I'm always amazed when something new is discovered. I think that most people are like me, and just figure that with as long as people have been around and factoring in satellite technology and the internet for communication and information, it would be tough to actually discover something no one else was aware of. And then a story will pop up like the one a couple of years ago, about some island off the coast of Madagascar with new types of parrots. That's just crazy to me.

But now I'm getting sidetracked. What I really wanted to mention is I found an article about some scientists finding a new species of cichlid in Venezuela. It is a new type of Laetacara dwarf cichlid that lives in shallow waters from the upper drainages of the Rio Orinoco and Rio Negro in Venezuela.

If you want to know more about these, you can check out the article here.

Hope you found that as interesting as I did and that you'll keep coming back for more, even if it isn't about the convict cichlid!

Breeding Your Convict Cichlid

Breeding the convict cichlid is very easily,luckily. In fact, much like guppies, you'll have a harder time not breeding them!

The best information I've found on convict cichlid breeding came from Wikipedia:

Like most cichlids, convicts have prolonged brood care of both eggs and free-swimming fry.The species can reach sexual maturity as young as 16 weeks of age, though sexual maturity is more commonly reached by 6 months.Sexually mature convicts form monogamous pairs and spawn in caves or crevices, like other Archocentrus species, eggs are laid on the upper surface of the cave and are adhesive. In the wild caves are frequently dug underneath large stones. After fertilisation the eggs take approximately 72 hours to hatch, a further 72 hours is required for the larvae to absorb their yolk sacs and allow fin development prior to the fry becoming free-swimming. While in this free swimming stage fry feed and forage during daylight in a dense school and return to the cave or crevice during the night. Both parents are involved in guarding the fry from brood predators and engage in behaviours to assist feeding such as moving leaves or fin digging.Brood care of eggs, larvae and free-swimming juveniles in the wild can last 4-6 weeks, and occurs only once per season for the majority of females.In contrast, females in aquariums are known to breed many times per year with short intevals of 12-13 days between broods.In captivity, breeding pairs of convict cichlids have been demonstrated to adopt similarly aged fry from other parents.

A good suggestion I had given to me was to place a flower pot on its side in the bottom of the aquarium. The cichlids will use it like a cave and dig a depression in the gravel around it. Another thing to be aware of, the convict cichlid will sometimes bury the newborn fry when they’re threatened, so don’t panic if they come up missing for a couple of days.

By the way, this guide has some really great information in it and was a huge help to me when I first got started with cichlids.

So, good luck on breeding your convict cichlid!

The Right Aquarium For Your Convict Cichlid

If you’re new to the world of the convict cichlid or just aquariums in general, picking out and setting up a new tank can be a daunting task. Thankfully, setting up an aquarium isn't too tough. Hopefully you've already decided you're going with a Central American cichlid tank, because Central American and African cichlids don't really mix. The Central American cichlids are much more aggressive, so you really should separate the two species. You will, however, want to make sure to include plenty of hiding places, like plants or caves, to protect the fish.

Also, you should keep in mind, that it is best to limit your tank to only two species of fish, especially if they're the Central American cichlids. If you have a very large tank, you could go with more, but I really wouldn't suggest it. The last thing you want is to have your fish killing each other.

As I've talked about before, you'll want to go with an external filtration system since convict cichlids love to dig. That means an undergravel filter just won't cut it. I also suggest getting at least a 30 gallon aquarium. Besides the fact that larger tanks are easier to maintain and take care of, cichlids are aggressive, so a larger tank means the weaker fish have an easier time avoiding hostility.

Finally, you may want some plants in your aquarium. I personally love to have plants in the tank. However, be aware that your cichlids, especially the convict cichlid, will eat the plants. So look into getting some hardy plants like sword plants, anubias, and Java ferns.

Obviously, there are other ways to decorate the aquarium. I like driftwood and plants. Some people like the little diver guy with the treasure chest that blows bubbles. Classics like that never go out of style. But do try to give your fish a place to hide, because the convict cichlid can be (ok, will be) very aggressive.

Here's a really cool book that I found that helped me out a lot when I was first putting my cichlid tank together.

I hope this helped you plan the layout for your new aquarium!

Getting Started with the Convict Cichlid

If you're reading this, then you must either have a convict cichlid or be thinking about getting one. If you've already got one (or more), then feel free to let me know what it is you like about them. Why do I like them? For starters, they're relatively small and they're easy to breed and keep. This makes them an ideal choice for people just getting started with cichlids. But don't go crazy with them, one pair is really all you want. They get aggressively territorial during breeding, so pairs are better kept alone in a decent sized tank.

Another reason I like the convict cichlid is because they're not picky eaters. Laugh all you want, but if you've kept many fish, you'll know that some fish can be picky about what they eat. Not so with the convict cichlid, they're omnivores and most types of fish food are fine with them. But be careful, they'll also eat aquarium plants.

Yet another consideration for keeping a convict cichlid is what kind of filtration system you're going to use. These guys like to dig, so you're better off with an external filter system than an undergravel. For me, that's no problem, I never really cared for looking at an undergravel filter, but that's not really the point. This link takes you to a pretty cool book that really helped me out when I was having some troubles with my tank.

One last question you may have: Why is it called a convict cichlid? Think back to those old black and white movies with people in prisons. The stripes on the convict cichlid kind of looks like those old prison uniforms.

I’m trying to keep these posts short, no one wants to spend all day reading my thoughts on aquariums. But, I always like hearing about aquariums and setups, so let me know what you like about the convict cichlid.