fry fish?

Question
hello, I have a 55gal tank, all the levels are good and, i have no problems with any fish. 1 oscar, 1 convict, 1 basic plex, 1 feather fish squeeker. Anyway last night as i was watchin my fish. I saw what have to be fry, i think swimming in my tank. i had two convicts for awhile and i got ride of one because i thought it was not going to make it in my tank. it has been about four weeks since i got rid of it and i have vacumed my tank since then. is it possiable they are fry. my remaining convict is not acting like they are his, infact he is eating them, i know that happens sometimes. or could it be some other form like, parisites or something. sorry for the long letter.  thanks alot for any help you can give.    joe

Answer
Hi Joe,
I Don't believe you have parasites or anything else "odd" in your aquarium..... But what I do believe you most likely of all to have is Convict Fry! Convicts often breed under any aquarium conditions and provide care for their eggs and babies. It is very unsual to watch. The pair get very aggressive towards any other fish threatening their fry.

Oftentimes when the mate of one pair is lost, the remaining "mother" or "father" fish take over the brood. But sometimes there are occasional convicts that do eat their brood for reasons I am not sure of.

Otherwise, I believe you are the lucky owner of Convict babies! ((If the grown convict hasn't snacked on them all!))

I hope this helps!

Best wishes,
Karen~