# 20L breeding tank?



## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

could I breed a type of central american cichlid in this size tank?


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

20 long or 20 liter? in a 20L something like a pair of firemouths or convicts would work well, convicts tend to bond better then Firemouths.

most of the Cryptoheros, Amatitlania, and Archocentrus will work well.

however, a 20 Liter barely fits anything...


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

lol no i mean 20 gallon long. okay convicts and firemouths sounds awesome should I add any dither fish or would the tank be to small for that?


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## cage623 (Feb 2, 2008)

I would say with convicts you really don't need dithers. Plus the tank is a little small for that with a breeding pair of cichlids. Just have plans for what to do with all the fry once things get going.


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

No a pair of firemouth thus would be the best dont realy get big that fast and the fry would actualy be worth money......


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

yeah i was thinking about that i mean cocnvict fry are worth like nothing... but i like thier aggressiveness and digging behavior. Either way some if not most of the fry will be used for my angelfish tank. They gotta have thier protien and convict fry are a renewable source. I also on occasion might feed some to my mbunas but thier not really carniovrous i mainly feed them blood worms for protien. No matter what fish I choose though it will be really fun to watch something about cichlids gaurding fry its just amazing to watch wheather its appistos or dovii.

PS:when I get my fish for the first few months they will be seperate once i know thier gender. Especially for convicts. I am well aware the breeding can stunt a convicts grwoth so im gonna let them grow a bit before I let them breed. That goes for firemouth two. I am also aware that the female will need some caves to escape that pesky male.


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## cage623 (Feb 2, 2008)

IME anything as common as convicts and firemouths are worth little to nothing when it comes to the fry. If you can get anything at all for them it is shocking. So I wouldn't get either with the intention of making money off them.


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## jack lover (Aug 12, 2008)

Firemouths arent realy as common as cons in my area and a bad idea to feed and meaty products like Blood worms to malawi species because i had 12 fish in my 55g die of bloat just a word of warning


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

Its not like i feed them blood worms every day more like once every or every other week. Most of thier diet is various sprinula flake and pellet foods. I think blood worms adds variety which is good for any fish. And im not breeding them to make a profit. If i want to make a profit off fish ill just sell my angelfish fry(once they start to breed) or my mbuna fry.


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## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

If you plan on feeding Convict fry to your other fish plan on some of them surviving the feeding. I have never seen any thing like a Convict they can survive almost anything. Once I found some Convict fry living in the botton of my cansiter filter when I went to clean it.


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

wow  thats amazing! Well my strategy is to watch to make sure they are all eaten but hey some might survive I guese.


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

lil mama said:


> If you plan on feeding Convict fry to your other fish plan on some of them surviving the feeding. I have never seen any thing like a Convict they can survive almost anything. Once I found some Convict fry living in the botton of my cansiter filter when I went to clean it.


my 14" Black Spotted Eel doesnt allow any to survive


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

Hey I found these fish called "honduran red point" do u think these ar worth more. the definatly cost mre and are harder to find. I've read that they look and act like the common convict but are a differnt species altogether. What do you think? This is what they look like...


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

HRP's would be an excellent choice! they are colorful, smaller then the average convict, and definitely cost more, though i could see the cost go down since they have become so popular.


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

great! looks like I found a match. Now for thier enviornment. Im not your average fish keeper I love to have as naturalistic a setup as I possibly can. So for these guys I was thinking just a tons of drftwood to provide caves and what not with some java moss. Gage you said HRP are smaller than the averge convict, does this mean I might be able to add more fish or just keep one pair?


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

HRP males max at 5", and females max at about 3.5", you may get away fish a few dithers, larger dithers, like swordtails, or some of the larger tetras, though swordtails are more biotope correct.

if you can find Shenops mollies they come from exactly the same area as HRP's if im not mistaken.

as far as natural setups, these guys dont have a lot of driftwood or plants, here is how i would set up a biotope for HRP's

- Sand Substrate with a small amount of naturally colored gravel mixed in.

- Either a few large rocks or a few sturdy rock structures (aquarium silicone works well if you cant get them to sit the way you want)

- and a couple of medium round rocks (about 4" around or so) sitting in the front of the tank

thats how i would like to see a CA biotope setup personally. as for background, those foam rockwork looking background are cool, but expensive.

like these ones http://www.gillsnfins.ca/aquaterra.php

any other questions lemme know


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

wow thanks alot Gage! I love a setup that's cheap and easy :wink: . Anyway those mollies you were talking about I found some im just wondering how many should I get and will they eat any fry if given the chance I mean a few less fry is just easier for me. should I add any catfish maybe corys or is that a bad? Thanks again for the great advice


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

Man I would so go with Cutteri 8) :thumb:


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

cutteri never heard of them how are they to keep?


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## CiChLiD LoVeR128 (Mar 22, 2006)

They are very fun and easy to keep! Very easy to spawn and spawn just like Convicts! They are a gret beginner fish and have great colors and personality! Here I'll post a few pics of them! These are not my pics!

http://www.cichlid.org/Photos/SP01/Images/cutteri.jpg

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/americ ... teri_1.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/Cutt ... 494110.jpg
Spawning dress

Within 3 days of recieving them from Jeff Rapps I had a pair and fry! Beautiful fish! IMO beats a Convict anyday! :thumb:


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

hmm im very interested how are they aggression wise are they as rowdy as convict or can I keep other fish with them?


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

They are about the same. Have you looked at Rainbows or Nanoleotus?


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

well I've heard of rainbows don't they get too big to breed in a 20L?


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Her's the link to them in the profiles section...

Rainbow
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=91

Nano's
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=131


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

HRP's are more colorful then the others.

also, i have heard of many people having huge problems, aggression wise, with pairing cutteri in a 20L footprint, they are more aggressive then convicts, at least towards eachother.

however, if you can find nanoluteus, they are a great looking fish, but again, IMO HRP's are nicer.

Rainbows are good sized, but i seem to remember you saying you wanted something with more guts, Rainbows are the biggest panzies of the CA cichlid world. they can also be pretty skittish.

also, another thing about the cutteri, they dont all get that yellow coloration, most *** seen, regardless of size, are merely the gray with black bands.

however, i am biased, convicts IMO being the most underrated cichlid to be kept, also a favorite of mine, HRP's coming in close on the list.


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

rrcoolj said:


> wow thanks alot Gage! I love a setup that's cheap and easy :wink: . Anyway those mollies you were talking about I found some im just wondering how many should I get and will they eat any fry if given the chance I mean a few less fry is just easier for me. should I add any catfish maybe corys or is that a bad? Thanks again for the great advice


your cichlids will eat all the fry 

also, if your looking for natural color, the only natural color i know for sure is flat black, however, the gray and black blotch may be a naturally occurring variant.

i would advise against catfish personally, depending on the cichlid you choose they may damage it.


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

I agree with gage.

Cons are great!!

My cutteri are rarely colored up as they are always in breeding dress and my 125g is barleyenoug room for the female to escape the male who has killed two females before going into the larger tank.

Ken Davis has Rio Mongo "orange fined" cons that he says stay smaller in the 3in range. They are great looking too. He is know as fishfarm on www.aquabid.com or can be reached on the Monsterfishkeepers web site and you can get them a little cheaper.

I'll be getting mine this week and will post pics.


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

eat thier fry? what do you mean? aren't they good parents? If I can I want to sell some fry i mean aren't they HRP good parents?


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

Oh, im talking about the mollies fry, they will be eaten. the parents fry... will likely not be eaten, especially with fish out of the same genus as a convict (Amatitlania, Cryptoheros, Archocentrus)

i am also growing out a different, not scientifically described species, currently named Amatitlania nigrofasciata "Rio Choluteca", also known as the orange convict, males go light purple, whereas females are almost completely orange, neat little fish, however very small.


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

oh okay i was about to say lol. Okay so let me recap, im getting a pair of HRP some mollies(maybe 3 or 4) the habitat will be open with sand and some rocks sound about right?


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

Those were the ones I was referring too.

I get my "Rio's" crossed


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

sounds great! id put a few large rocks with a couple scattered medium sized rocks, but really up to you


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## rrcoolj (Apr 8, 2008)

Ok thanks so much for all your help gage I really appreciate it!


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