# Breeding Convicts



## Roth6788 (Apr 8, 2015)

So I just purchased a second 75 gallon for breeding convicts with an end game in mind to feed my two tiger oscars. I'm picking up a breeding pair of convicts here in three days and I want to prep as much as possible so i don't have any surprises. I've google'd as much as possible in regards to them breeding however I'm not sure how much baby brine shrimp I need stocked per breeding batch. I found some Instant Baby Brine Shrimp that looks very promising based on reviews but i'm not sure how much I should stock.

Also once the fry are hatched and it seems the parents start eating their fry i'm thinking about getting a piece of plexiglass I can slide into a portion of the tank to seperate them so they have a chance to grow into decent size feeders. Any thoughts on this or idea?

Thank You for any help/ideas


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## testtube (Jan 23, 2014)

Convicts are the easier cichlid to breed. You don't have to worry about special food,(they will eat finely ground up flake food) or the parents eating their fry. In fact keep you hands out of the tank unless you don't mind them nipping you. And I wouldn't be surprised if a few of these feeder fish survive with the oscars. As long as there are a few hidding places. These are the hardiest, most tenacious fish I have ever kept. Their salt water equivalent would be sargent majors, or damsels. 
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## Roth6788 (Apr 8, 2015)

I've read a couple times that if you don't remove the fry from their parent you will only get a couple to juvenile. Is that for most or does it just change based on the temperament in the parents?


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## Warhawk77 (Jan 8, 2014)

I have looked into breeding convicts partly for the same reason you listed. The other reason is I really like the fish and think they would be a fun fish to keep.

But I have read that the spins can hurt Oscars or any other fish that eat them. I would assume this would only be full grown fish but I can't confirm that. Anyone else ever heard of this?


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

I've bred convicts and never used any special food. The parents seem to grind up and spit out food for the young.


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