# Convicts 1- Me 0



## cman7 (Dec 17, 2014)

So I was doing some routine maintenance on my 55 and decided to move some rocks around to gravel vac and when I moved the rocks where my pair of convicts stay they must have hit my hand a dozen times. Didn't hurt but anytime I reached my hand in they would take a bite. lol crazy. good thing their only about 2 inches


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

:lol:


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

Did you look at the underside of the rocks for eggs? That sounds like they were defending a spawn.


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## cman7 (Dec 17, 2014)

I have bricks set as a base the slate then another brick then slate to make a few caves. They swim around one of the bottom bricks which I checkled and saw nothing but all day they pick up a piece of gravel from the edge of the brick. The brick now has a trench around it almost to the glass. And I just pushed it all back last night. They are terrorizing all the other fish in my tank who are bigger a JD oscar and salvini. The oscar, salvini, and firemouth are about to be rehomed. So my final stock will in the 55 will be pair of convicts-2", a JD 2.5-2.75", and a bristlenose pleco 4".


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

cman7 said:


> The brick now has a trench around it almost to the glass. And I just pushed it all back last night.


They may have put there newly hatched eggs in there. The eggs hatch into a larval stage often called wigglers. Takes anywhere from 3-7 days for these wigglers to become free swimming fry.
They are usually stored in a pit.
There is no doubt the convicts are protecting something. Not unusual for convicts to attack hands, hoses ....even females charging at a net, to protect eggs, wigglers or fry. Out side of spawning, pairs are unlikely to be this protective.
If they have been covered by gravel, some of the wigglers may still be there. If there not, they are likely to spawn again soon, anyways.


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## cman7 (Dec 17, 2014)

Well if that's what they were doing then I may have accidentally buried them...whoops. I'm sure if they spawn once they will spawn again.


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## cman7 (Dec 17, 2014)

I woke up this morning and had a new batch of wigglers on one of the rocks. And their doing a good job of protecting them too. Even my Oscar I'd scared of them


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

The wrigglers is what they were protecting earlier this week. Congrats


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