# New to this, bought Convict and JD without knowing anything



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

Here the story
I bought my fathers house and he gave me is fish tank along with the house
The tank was really really dirty and having only pebbles 2 small rocks and 9 goldfish (1 - 2 inches)

So i decided to clean up that mess and when to the shop to get 2 new nicer fish to put along the goldfish but the person didnt tell me anything about those fishes ... so i decided to do reseach and found that forum and at the same time maybe a new hobby

So basicaly i bought a Convict and a Jack Dempsey they are both less than 2inches in a 35g aprox. (36x18x13) Im just starting to realised that they will grow much bigger and they might eat my goldfish (which i dont really care)

I added a pieces a driftwood, another rock and a fake plant to give them more cover
So far i notcided that the goldfish are hanging more in the corner than before but none of them seem to have been attacked

so is my goldfish gonna be ok for a while since they are bigger than their new young friends ?

looking foward to share with you guys, im reading a lots since 2 days and it seem a really interesting hobby, so i will experiement and get use to this than thinking about getting something bigger (maybe around 75g) next year or two

pic will follow soon im not just use to take aquarium photos and my lighting doesnt seem really strong, maybe my bulb is too old ? anyway any advises will be apreciated

David


----------



## phishes (May 17, 2005)

I think the 35g would work out for a little while. I would ditch the gold fish. The problem is that they create a lot of waste, and gold fish are cold water fish and cons and JDs are tropical. The JD would eat the gold fish one day, but it will take some time for the JD to grow big enough. 
What kind of filtration are you using? 
A 75g will be much better when the con and JD are adults.


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Welcome to the addiction :? Wait... I mean hobby :dancing:

Dempseys and Convicts area a good first choice. Both are rather hardy fish that both have the interestin, intelligent behavior of Cichlids.

FYI - Your tank sounds like what is commonly referred to as a "40 breeder"... being a 40 gallon tank...

The Dempsey will outgrow the 40 gal in 9 months or so, but Convicts stay smaller. So I would suggest your options are to keep the Dempsey and upgrade down the road... or return the Dempsey for another Convict (they are super easy to breed, if you want to go that route) or something else suitable (although Cons are pretty darn aggressive for their size so that may not be so easy).

As for the Goldfish... they will avoid the Cichlids as long as they can... the Cichlids will likely chase them and will eventually eat them. On occasion we hear of a Cichlid that becomes "friends" with a Goldfish, but that's definately the exception to the rule.


----------



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

Yea another forum adiction... im pretty active in a few cars enthusiam forum so i know what it is hehe

so let say i transfer the two cichlid in a bigger tank like a 75g in about a year, would i be able to add other fishes to it ? or being bigger it will be harder ? which kind of fish school can i safety add to make it more lively ?

btw the convict is definitly a male but im not sure for the JD but from what i read it seem like a male too

oh and as for the goldfish situation since i have nobody to give them away i will just wait and see, hopefully most of them will survive until i upgrade my tank

for the filtration im not really sure but its written whisper 20 - 40 on the cover and have some kind of green slot filter that im suppose to change every month. is it enough ?


----------



## MidNightCowBoy (May 7, 2007)

Hi Courteau,

Welcome to the forum!

One thing I always suggest to new fish keepers is to go buy a book on basic aquarium keeping. It will give you lots of valuable info like water chemistry, maintenance, stocking compatible fish, feeding, etc.. The basics! Then if you want you can also buy a book on cichlids. This way it will help you to avoid learning by making mistakes. Which will also save you time and money down the road.

As far as your filter goes, it might be ok for goldfish, but with cichlids we all tend to go with the philosophy of "over filtering." Meaning your probably going to need a filter upgrade. There is a reviews section here on cichlid-forum which you can read through, and also read through the "equipment" forum to see what filters people are using/suggesting for specific sized tanks.

Welcome to the hobby as well. If you get addicted it can be a bit expensive but it's very rewarding!

Good Luck! :thumb:


----------



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

here some pic i took tonight, not great, its the first time im picturing fishes, the room is dark and my tank's lighting is really bad... thinking about upgrading it for better picture :roll:

oh and another thing, i know for sure the convict is a male but what about the JD ?


----------



## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Courteau said:


> so let say i transfer the two cichlid in a bigger tank like a 75g in about a year, would i be able to add other fishes to it ?


Yes. But get rid of the goldfish. It's likely to get the $h!T kicked out of it in a tank with a con and a dempsey. Give it back to the pet shop, it doesn't belong in a cichlid tank; except MAYBE as a feeder for larger cichlids. 
In a 75, you could add some blue or gold gouramis. A red or rainbow shark. A pleco. A pictus cat. Jewel cihlids. Mbuna cichlids. More cons :lol: Lots of options, but goldfish are not likely to do well; and more then likely, would be very stressed or get killed in a tank with a a con and/or a dempsey.


----------



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

ok after 3 days the goldfish seem to have lost quite a few scale on their side, mainly the bigger one, the smaller one seem all fine. saturday im gonna look to get rid of them and exchange them for a small school of fish, maybe 6-8 (now there is 9 goldfish)

will tiger barbs will be suiteable with my two cichlid because i really like the look of them


----------



## NORMAND (Oct 27, 2008)

tiger barbs would be ok, as long as there in a group i think there known as fin nipers but if ther in a group they tend to keep it to them selves... correct me if im wrong anyone? there nice fish dont get very big but there neat in a skool


----------



## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Courteau said:


> will tiger barbs will be suiteable with my two cichlid because i really like the look of them


Yes, they CAN be suitable. It's worth a try but no gaurantee they will last. Some people have had success keeping tiger barbs with cichlids, but me, personally, have never had them last more then 5-6 months, at most. I like tiger barbs too and have tried them a number of times over the years, but they always get killed in my tanks. There "nippy" fish that can end up paying with their lives.


----------



## severseas (Apr 4, 2007)

I did not see a heater in the tank and I didn't see anybody ask. Do you have a heater in the Tank? If not you need one!


----------



## MidNightCowBoy (May 7, 2007)

severseas said:


> I did not see a heater in the tank and I didn't see anybody ask. Do you have a heater in the Tank? If not you need one!


Good call!

Goldfish tank usually means no heater.


----------



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

yea no heater but planning on getting one soon to be safe
for winter it doesnt really bother me because im heating my house only with firewood and the fireplace is downstair in the basement... with the fish tank in the other room

so its a 78-81 all the time... but as the coldest month coming i will get one for the cold afternoon when nobody's home

im also considering on getting a new filter cause since the news guys are there the water seem to be less clear then before...

what will be a good budget upgrade for my 40g
keep in mind that in 6 month to a year im gonna go with a 90-110 so i dont want to spend to much on a tank that im just gonna keep for the next 6 months

both fish are below 3" right now
the actual filter is a whisper 20-40


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I would simply get a heater that is big enough for the 90~110 gal... and use it on the 40 gal for the time being... I suggest Stealth Heater 250W which could serve either set up. For the larger tank you may want to add another heater of similar size, but you can deal with that when the time comes...

You could use the same approach with filters. The AC110 is a good Power Filter that would serve your 40 Gal by itself... and then could be transferred to the larger tank when need be. This will also help establish (cycle) the bigger tank as there is bacteria in the old filter that you want in the tank.

For the reason of perserving bacteria, you will want to leave the old filter (Whisper 20-40) on the 40 gal along with whatever new filter you get for at least a month or so. By that time your new filter will be 'seeded' with bacteria and the old filter can be removed.


----------



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

Update:

Today i got a heater, a good clearance deal on a Elite 300w that was actually the same price as the 100w !?!

also introduce a 2.5" redtail shark and after a few hour in there he seem to do fine
now still have to find a way to get rid of the goldfish cause no store want them back


----------



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

ok bad news... the redtail shark died last night, he was doing fine and about a hour later he seemed slower and more at the bottom but still fine
another later i was looking for it and i found him dead behind a rock 

no sign of agression but he just seems brownish rather than previously black


----------



## MidNightCowBoy (May 7, 2007)

You should probably get an aquarium test kit and not add any more fish until your aquarium is stable. Besides a red tailed shark probably isn't a good addition to your aquarium.

get your temperature and your water parameters stable before doing anything.

Also, re read my original reply to your post about getting a book on basic aquarium keeping


----------



## Courteau (Nov 19, 2008)

i only have the PH test and yesterday it was 7.4
which other test kit should i buy next ? which one are must have ?

As for the book i will prefer to get a english book rather than french (which is basically all what sell around here in quebec) to familiarise myself with the english term first rather than the french term that will make it easier to ask question or search online


----------



## MidNightCowBoy (May 7, 2007)

You want a test kit that can also test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

And a book on basic aquarium keeping


----------

