The Perfect Parents

Convict Cichlids are very easy to care for, but that does not mean that they can be neglected. Actually, let me rephrase that; They are easy, as long as you do not have a male and female. They breed like crazy. I have heard before that you could just add water to the breeding pair and they will spawn. That is actually not too far from the truth, except they do need quite a bit of space to be comfortable. A twenty gallon would suit one breeding pair swimmingly. I would not keep other fish with them though. They are very, very aggressive even toward larger fish. Convicts will chase down, attack, and kill smaller fish. This also makes them very protective parents. Unlike guppies, who eat their young, Convict Cichlids vigorously defend the fry. The parents will kill other community fish that try to invade their territory.  They also help teach the little ones how to swim. They are officially the ultimate parents in the fish world.

                                                                            

Zebra Danios

Zebra Danios are a great fish to add to a community tank. They are small but beautiful none the less. One thing that you have to keep in mind with these fish is that they are jumpers. Yes, jumping fish. They are the dare devils of the tank. If you have these fish or are intrested in getting these fish, always make sure you have a hood to protect from suicide. Zebra Danios are also the egglaying version of guppies. The always breed, except when the female lays the eggs, the other tank mates and the danios themselves eat them. One idea to save the eggs is to use a breeding net or fill the tank using marbles instead of gravel so that when the eggs drop, the parents cannot find them.

Guppies

Guppies have become one of the most popular freshwater fish. They are very hardy, beautiful, and easy to breed. Though, what many people don't realize is how easily they breed on their own. If you walk into a large chain pet store and buy a pair of Fancy Guppies, chances are that in a month you could have 50. If you buy Guppies at a pet store where they do not take care in separating sexes of the guppies, then I can almost guarantee that it is pregnant. About two weeks in to a female guppy's pregnancy she will develop a gravid spot. The gravid spot is a dark blotch toward its rear. If your guppy has this, then yes, she is pregnant. The incubation period takes around 4 weeks, but it can take up to 40 days. When the mother is ready to deliver, her stomach will box up which means that her birth canal has dropped. She will also stop eating. You may notice that she will eat but then spit it back out. She also might be searching around in the gravel for a place to deliver. At this point, you would want to add her to a breeder net to save the babies. The mother guppy has a hormone that will stop her from eating her offspring for 48 hours, but to be safe you should add her to a different tank to recover. At this point she will be very hungry, so feed her. Feed the fry livebearer flake and newborn brine shrimp. When they get big enough you may choose to sell them to a local pet store or invest in a large tank to raise them.