# Advice on stocking



## rustyhorse (Jan 18, 2017)

Hi I have a 36 inch by 18 inch by 24 inch tank. It converts to about 67 gallons. I have 2 male zebra and 1 female. 1 female red jewel. 2 ice blue...was supposed to be both male but i think one is female. 1 male auratus. 1 small convict and 1 smaller pinky colored convict. In a seperate tank I have 2 red jewel fry waiting to grow. In another tank I have a convict and pink convict who just had babies hatched. I am NOT wanting to breed anything (I just got the 4 convicts and they bred the first week). I will be getting rid of the babies when they are big enough. Might keep one or two.

So far everyone is getting along. One of the ice blue is chasey sometimes but not always. From what *** read....in order to prevent aggression you can either overstock an aquarium or only have a few. I do not want to get stuck with just a breeding pair in the tank. Advice? Ideas?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Because the tank is 36" your options are limited. I might change things up entirely and get something that would use the height.

If you want to keep as many as possible I might try all male with one per species and no look alikes:
Zebra
Jewel
Convict
Ice Blue
Auratus

Maybe 3 more fish:
Yellow Lab
Rusty
Cynotilapia zebroides Chewere

Because the ice blue and the zebra are both Metriaclima they might fight...but you can try.

If you had no fish I don't think anyone would recommend this mix for a 36" tank...but you have nothing to lose as long as you remove anyone who is causing a problem promptly.


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## rustyhorse (Jan 18, 2017)

Is there a way to prevent breeding? Other than having one sex in the tank?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No. But breeding is not the problem because the parents will eat the fry. It's the aggression in competing over scarce females that leads to illness and death.


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## rustyhorse (Jan 18, 2017)

Hmmm so as far as I know I have a female red jewel, possibly one female ice blue, a pink colored convict and a regular convict that I think are female, a female zebra oblique something or other, and the rest are male... one auratus, ice blue, 2 zebras. Will I just put the females in one tank and males in another?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Do you have 2 large tanks? Normally a fish the size of a zebra or ice blue you would want a 48" long tank. Two male zebras are likely to kill each other if they are in the same tank.

Are you just trying for the best arrangement without rehoming fish? What are the sizes of your other tanks?


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## rustyhorse (Jan 18, 2017)

Yes it is hard to rehome fish around here and closest fish store is 2 hours away. The other tank is 36 x 16x20.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

rustyhorse said:


> Hmmm so as far as I know I have a female red jewel, possibly one female ice blue, a pink colored convict and a regular convict that I think are female, a female zebra oblique something or other, and the rest are male... one auratus, ice blue, 2 zebras. Will I just put the females in one tank and males in another?


The jewel and convicts are substrate spawners. The rest are mouth brooders. In terms of male mouth brooders competing for females, the sex of the convicts and jewel is quite irrelevant. They will not be seen as potential spawning partners. I suppose the female zebra obliquedens could be moved to your other tank as a precaution.
IMO and IME, female convicts have much less chance of causing friction in small tanks. The distinction is that a male convict would have decent chance of competing for dominance of the tank and thereby coming into more conflict with rival tank mates, especially in small tanks. I suppose the downside of female cons, being lower in the pecking order, it may have greater chance of getting picked on.
If there is no way of getting rid of fish, see how it plays out and move either picked on fish or the aggressor to your other tank(s). 
I would think at leastr the auratus would eventually become an aggression problem, though no way of predicting for sure.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sounds like you have 3 tanks but 2 are full of babies. Not sure what tanks you have available, but I would:

Tank one, all females plus extra male zebra. Do not save fry.
1 male zebra
1 female zebra
1 female ice blue

Tank two all remaining males.
1 male zebra
1 male ice blue
1 male auratus

BC in SK which tank would you put the one female jewel and the 4 convicts?

rustyhorse, how did you get jewel fry without a male? What is your long-term plan for this tank? This arrangement might give survival a chance short term, but I would want something else long term.

Maybe the jewel pair or the convicts in one 36" tank and a species tank of Chindongo (formerly known as Pseudotropheus) saulosi with 3m:9f in the other?


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## rustyhorse (Jan 18, 2017)

The two jewel fry I bought from the same lady I bought the female from. Im thinking im going to have to do some major rearranging of tanks and fishies tomorrow. FYI I have the 67 gal and a 50 gal tank that I was hoping to use for these fish. The convict babies are going to go and Im thinking a couple convicts are too. I put the aggressive ice blue and the auratus for sale on a local buy and sell page. Hopefully I can make the others work between the two tanks.


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## rustyhorse (Jan 18, 2017)

Is that white spot a battle wound or ick or what?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Missing scales near the gill? Battle wound from another fish or bumping a rock.


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