# Convicts with africans



## ohwell (Apr 5, 2009)

I geuss to some this is a simple yes no question/answer. Can you put a convict with African cichlids?


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

no


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## lam man48 (Jan 14, 2007)

I did that not on purpose but he was hinding in a cave and never notice and then the Africans came and they just bit him up


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Yep.


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## srook23 (Feb 21, 2009)

I have a black convict with my africans. He has no nipped up fins and does fine with them. My tank is all male though so I don't know if that makes a difference. They don't mess with him and he doesn't mess with them.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

It has been done, I am sure many people do it actually.
However, that does not make them appropriate tankmates.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

What makes them inappropriate tank mates?

I've never had an issue... pH, hardness can all match. I'd rank a convict as mild tempered when not breeding and aggressive when breeding so this dual nature is a challenge to find mbuna that can stand up to them but no destory non-breeding cons, but I've had luck with Acei, labs, metriaclima species, etc.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

Number6 said:


> What makes them inappropriate tank mates?
> 
> I've never had an issue... pH, hardness can all match. I'd rank a convict as mild tempered when not breeding and aggressive when breeding so this dual nature is a challenge to find mbuna that can stand up to them but no destory non-breeding cons, but I've had luck with Acei, labs, metriaclima species, etc.


With that said how does that make them appropriate tank mates?
I would see it more appropriate to stock african cichlids together.
Not just for temperment reasons.

I understand there are similarities, and this is being very general in reference to Africans and Convicts(comparing thousands to just one species), but there are also many differences.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

ohwellfckit said:


> I geuss to some this is a simple yes no question/answer. Can you put a convict with African cichlids?


This is going to depend on the size of the tank and Africans you are keeping.

It can be done, but sufficient space would be required if the Convicts pair and start breeding. There are certainly some species of African Cichlid that I would never house with Convicts. There really isn't a general yes/no answer to this question.


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## Heyguy74 (Aug 11, 2005)

I have kept a trio of convicts with my haps, just to privide the haps with live food. The tank was large(8ft 360G). Water parametrs are very similar. My onlyconcern would be the different diet for mbuna. But if you feed NLS you should be ok.


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## Dave (Feb 9, 2003)

Everyone talks about mbuna diets as if they are all the same. In truth, mbuna do everything from feeding on the flesh of other fish, to plankton, to algae, to omnivorous diets. If you are feeding a good quality flake/pellet then diet should not be an issue.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

smellsfishy1 said:


> With that said how does that make them appropriate tank mates?


 If both can thrive in the same size tank and same water chemistry, and can get along with each other, then they can be roommates.

Personally, the list of mbuna and Haps that I would NOT mix with convicts is a shorter list than the list that I would (or have) mixed.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I tried it way back when I setup my first 55 gallon and my convict wasn't thriving at all.
It didn't work for me, I just thought I would share my experience.
I know others have done it with success but in my case I can't say the same.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

smellsfishy1 said:


> I tried it way back when I setup my first 55 gallon and my convict wasn't thriving at all.


 I would say that your experience is the norm for a single convict in with mbuna.

A single convict is very mild mannered and would find mbuna tank mates to be stressful. If the 55g was only 12 inches wide, I'd say doubly so.

Now, multiple convicts is another story IMHO. E.g. a pair of convicts can absolutely terrorize mbuna in a 55g tank...


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I agree with you *Number6*, I can dig what your saying.
I just assumed from the initial post by *ohwellfckit*, it was A CONVICT with africans, that is what they meant.


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## dustonthecabnit (Mar 30, 2009)

I put a convict in with three mbunas when i first got back into the hobby, he did fine for 3 days. Then i woke up and HE had killed the three AND my pleco.


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## MillerMonteSS (Mar 29, 2009)

I used baby convicts to cycle my 125 before I added my Africans....The Convicts have grown MUCH more quickly than the Africans, I have had a few Africans die, but many have vanished...this afternoon I saw a tail of a 2.5+ inch Yellow Lab hanging out of the mouth of a 4 inch Convict.....So my research that the Africans would be dominant was backwards!!! Should I flush ALL the convicts, or save one?


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

Flushing a living fish is probably the worst way of killing them aside from doing things deliberately designed to make it more long and painful.

Personally I have tried it different times, sometimes successful sometimes not. Therefore I wouldn't rely on them getting along.


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## MillerMonteSS (Mar 29, 2009)

Since my $0.49 Convicts are eating my $9-$25 Africans, I guess they should go...I thought if anything the Africans would get the Convicts.....If this is the way it is going to be what is the best way to dispose of them?


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

Convicts usually can mix with most other cichlids. But you have to set the tank up right. For example, you need an open area in between rock piles, with a single cave/driftwood somewhere for the convict to defend. Like most substrate spawning cichlids of equal size, convicts have a lot more brute strength, but lack the speed and agility to maneuver and fight mbuna near a pile of rocks. That being said, I'm not sure why you would want to keep convicts with Malawi cichlids. You can get mbuna in just about every color that you can imagine.


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

Convicts aren't normally predatory on other fish[/quote]---they don't have large mouths.... if they are eating your Africans, you may have underestimated the size difference. Or you have something other than convicts.


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

I agree with oldcat, no possible way a 4" convict could eat a 2.5" mbuna, whole. :-?


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