Zebra Chiclid breeding

Question
I definately can't house anymore Convict babies until I sell some of the ones I already have, so before I put them together, how can I tell male from female. Even in the first group the range in size from thumb nail to 1 1/2 inches. Thanks heaps!    And also have I been reading the other Q& A's right... generally Convicts are not compatable w/other types of fish?     Shelly



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Followup To

Question -
About 1 1/2 yrs ago we were given our first Convicts & now I just love 'em! We started out w/a male & female who Gave me a large batch of babies. That Daddy died & I bought another one & those two made another large batch of babies. Essentially both batches are all half brothers & sisters. Mom has now died. I have both batches of babies in separate tanks. Being that they're all partly related, if I put them together will they inter-breed? I also just found out the hard way, Convicts don't like Beta's!!!

Answer -
Hi Shelly,
  Yes, they will interbreed but that isn't a problem. Inbreeding in fish (because they have so many offspring) is not the same kind of problem as it is in mammals for example.  

  I'm glad you like 'em.  There are other more colorful fish out there, but pound for pound, I haven't found any that are as  plain interesting as convicts and the way that they do things.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


Answer
Hi Shelly,
  The females have orange flecks on their scales on the side of the belly region.  Some females have more orange than others.  In general, the largest babies will be boys and the smaller ones will be girls, but there is a fair bit of overlap.

  Convicts are really devoted parents and so anytime a pair of convicts has kids or is even thinking about having kids, they feel the need to remove any potential problems (i.e., other fish in the tank).  So, yes, in general they are not compatible with most other fish.  

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>