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Convict cichlid breeding joural

Hello,
     I decided to make a journal of my convicts breeding cycle. Just thought it would be interesting...

Names:
Female-no name yet
Male-no name yet
MORNING, DAY 1:

Convicts are checking out all caves and corners, they follow eachother everywhere. They hide behind the heater sometimes. Female is developing a metalic orange/yellow color on her belly, wondering if she's going to lay eggs soon. fed convicts some flake food and tubifex worms, whitch they gobbled up, didn't know they could eat so much in 3 minutes. After feeding breakfast, convicts hid behind the heater, I wonder if that will be their future nesting site.(it may be their current nesting site
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) I will have to clean the gravel soon, it's getting dirty pretty fast, but what can you expect? The more a fish eats, the dirtyer the gravel gets.
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I am going to watch the fish for a while, and I'll edit what I see onto this post.

EARLY AFTERNOON, DAY 1

Nothing much going on. fed cichlids 3 flakes and 4 individual tubifex worms for a snack. females dorsal fin is starting to show yellow. After their snack, the female went behind the heater, and the male went on the other side of the tank, I hope they didn't break up.
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Corner under heater is getting very dirty, I don't see how such little fish could make that much poo.
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I guess cause the female is almost always behind the heater, so i guess the gravel under the heater is gonna get dirty no matter what.
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I'm thinking of getting a couple of mollys, maybe that will turn on their parenting instincts. (-; I can't wait till the female lays eggs!
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Her belly, the part that has turned a metallic yellow/orange, is starting to expand. I hope she has a belly full of eggs.
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I wonder if they'll eat the eggs after their layed? I've read that convicts will do that occasionally.
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Morning, Day 2:

fed convicts some flake and tubifex worms. females dorsal fin is turning yellow. male seems to be guarding a cave, he swims out and waatches every move i make, he even made some aggresive movements! female's orange-yellow belly is swelling alot, now I know there's eggs in her!
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I went to a local fish store last night, they said they would be willing to take any 'extra babies' that I get. Phew! I was thinking that i would run out of freinds to give them to! lol. I'm guessing that she has about 80 eggs, hopefully more. I read that they can have up to 400 eggs in one spawning!
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Don't put in the Molly! It'll either get beat up, or it'll munch of the eggs/babies when they hatch
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ok, thanks for the advise.
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afternoon-night, day 2:
fed convicts some flakes and tubifex worms, as usual. Mother used to look like the fattest fish on earth!
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now it's skinney again!!! I hope she layed eggs!
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they are still guarding the cave, I bet there's eggs in there
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OK so I see nothing wrong with addition of Dither fish (These are any fish we add to a Cichlid breeding tank in order to attract the parents aggression) I would say that mollys would be an inappropriate choice. I would chose something a little larger and slightly faster, for example Red eye Tetras, Rosy Barbs, or any Australian Rainbowfish will do for that matter.
The key to using Dithers is to add them as a group large enough that no one fish is singled out, I usually add at least 6 at a time if the parents are already present.
I think my favorite breeding tank would have to be my 55,
I have a breeding pair of Archocentrus septemfasciatus (a very close reletive of the Convict) as well as a dozen New Guinea Red Rainbowfish, Glossolepis incisus,  I have had this setup for over 4 years and the parents still produce anywhere between 100-200 eggs quite consistently which they defend with vigor! Let me tell you this, Cichlids are excellent parents and would never allow one of thier fry to be eaten, most certainly not by a molly!, The main predators of Cichlid eggs and fry are catfish and their relatives, or any nocturnal fish species, so all you have to do is asure you not keeping anything other than the dithers with the parents. You should keep in mind when purchasing Dithers you want fish that inhabit the upper portions of the tank, this is free space as far as most Cichlids are concerned. One really nice benefit of breeding with Dithers is that you are much more likely to observe uninterupted "natural behavior" , Cichlids are very cautious by nature and use the behavior of schooling fish inorder to gauge whether the "water is safe" or not.
For example if your fish see the school swimming around the tank loosely grouped and not really paying much attention to one another they would assume it safe to move freely about the tank but the instant the school acts eratically by grouping tightly, the Cichlids dart for cover, This is why your female is hiding behind the heater. she has nothing to gauge.
You also completely avoid the inevetable interspecific aggression, that is the male beating on the female, the male instead devotes his time to defending the nest while the female tends to the eggs/fry.
On another note I know some will disaggree but I avoid the use of Tubifex at all costs, It is a dirty food and has been known to carry infectious bacteria. Instead I would Highly recommend live or frozen blackworms. My fish love these, I enjoy feeding it to them. Its quite funny to see a Cichlid with a mouth so fully of worms theyre spilling out on to the bottom of the tank and wraping themselves around his/her face!
FWIW
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Thanks for the advise! Yes, tubifex worms can carry bacteria, but they seem to like it so much i fed it to them anway.
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I will get some blackworms, but I heard they too can carry diseases...
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NAMES:
Female, no name yet
Male, no name yet

LATIN NAME FOR CONVICT CICHLID:
'Cichlasoma' nigrofasciatum

MORNING, DAY 3

Fed Convicts some flakes and tubifex worms, Will feed convicts only flakes and blackworms in the future. Males and females colors are getting very vibrant and colorful. Pair is hiding in cave, I'm guessing there are eggs in there. Tried to get a look in cave, but the male came out and folowed my every move. I added some live plants 2 weeks ago, and I'm starting to see algea on the gravel! I haven't seen algea in my tank now for 3 years! I will have to get a sucker fish to take care of it.
 
The valid name for the Convict is currently Archocentrus nigrofasciatum. Cichlasoma is trade talk now. Of coarse the pet trade never keeps up, this why Hypostemus are still called pleco's well Im sure I could write a book on that lol.
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Oh, I found the name in an great old cichlid book, "Cichlid Fishes" By George W. Barlow, first printing November 2000.
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Yeah some of them (authors) like to keep up with Icthyology others simply like to lump everything because it is familier to them and easier for the novice.
I say to #### with em
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