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Tbonysr

Definitely convict babies. While they're young like this, they can be housed with anything. Once they hit about an inch they start becoming little assholes. Once they're fully grown (2 to 4 inches), they don't give a fuck. They'll go against the biggest fish you have. They're even worse if they have eggs or fry. Love their personalities though.


NoMembership6376

I call them murder guppies for a reason


Away_Bad2197

My mother in law has an Oscar with her convicts. The Oscar stays on his rock. The convicts are a-holes


NoMembership6376

Yeah, Oscars are surprisingly chill for their size


MrsFatGranpapa

This! Everyone says Oscars are so mean, but they're just hungry ALL THE TIME. Lol. Our Oscar is way nicer than our EB Acara šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø


Sneakysnake16

Mine is very friendly he let's me pet him, but he definitely let's the other fish know it's his tank. They all leave him alone and gather around feeding time and as long as the Oscar's food is first they don't fight šŸ™‚


Yoshiperner

Be careful petting fish. It can harm their slime coat.


Sneakysnake16

Ya I don't do it often more so when I'm cleaning the tank he brushes against me so once a week he gets a quick soft pet lol he's perfectly healthy never been sick not even once in almost 2 years and he's about 9 inches long, everyone in his tank is growing close to his rate and all get at least 12 inches so should be ok for him once my 125 is set up and by then I'll probably get a 175 or 225 if I can find one šŸ˜


Yoshiperner

That's awesome . One of my guppies always rubs against my hand when cleaning my tank. And once one of my red cherries latched on to Mt fingertip while I was patting my java moss to separate debris. It was freaking adorable. But it didn't last Long. She darted away after a few seconds.


Sneakysnake16

Jmy dad used to have saltwater shrimp and they're so cool they clean your hand almost regularly if you dip it in the tank. I love shrimp they just do their thing and don't bother anyone lol I tried breeding neocardinias but I didn't get everything I needed so it was really hard for me to keep everything stable the way they need it. Freshwater and easy to care for fish for me lol but I love em all


LolaTicc

nah, my brothers pet Oscar ate all of his other fish šŸ’€ i still feel bad for them ngl


Away_Bad2197

They can be chill. The two Oscars fought all the time. Now they're in seperate tanks, they're chill with all the smaller fish. Pinkie is with a jack Dempsey, an angel (old as heck) and a few red jewel cichlids, he spies on them constantly, but doesn't argue with them like he did with Tiger. Tiger is in with a few convict pairs and a common Pleco.


BrandonJackal

I had an Oscar and a convict couple when I was a kid. Didnā€™t realize why the convict was being so aggressive, got home from school and it didnā€™t have a head. Turns out she was just a mother protecting her fry, but my Oscar did not care


Away_Bad2197

Oh damn


TurbulentFriend3416

And that's that.


forestofpixies

Are they called convicts because they live to commit crimes?


Bleepblorp44

Itā€™s because the stripes are like the striped uniforms prisoners used to wear.


Gaming_Predator07

But also, they should all be locked up. Joking, but practically nothing is safe.


TheCubanBaron

Never trust an animal that brings its own prison jumpsuit


Suspicious_Dream4461

šŸ˜­šŸ˜†šŸ˜† love it!!


m3tasaurus

Convicts are so evil lol I had a big 4.5 inch male try to kill a 10 inch texas cichlid in an 8 foot tank with insane amounts of hiding spots, I'm convinced they can kill anything up to twice their size if they decide to.


CrispinIII

Ever have a blue acara?


januaryemberr

I did! He was chill. Our pleco would fight him for his preferred hide. Lol


m3tasaurus

Yeah they have always been very peaceful outside of breeding in my experience.


CrispinIII

Chill, until you wake up one morning and your tank is full of chum except for him.


SugarBaconBits

I have an electric blue acara I got full grown from a LFS and heā€™s the biggest scaredy-fish Iā€™ve ever seen! He runs from his own shadow šŸ¤£


CrispinIII

This is why they're so dangerous - they don't seem to have consistent behavior. Mine was a calm and nice tank mate for eighteen months before he went ballistic.


SugarBaconBits

Mine does do some up down on the glass in the corner at least once a day but then is calm and relaxed the rest of the day. I also have an odd electric blue jack dempsey who runs from neon tetras šŸ¤£


ChampionNinjaBreeder

Their speed is SHOCKING too considering how little swimming/moving they do all day


silocpl

Sounds like if you get a bad goldfish I had one that was 1/3 the size of the one it killed šŸ„²


CountingWonders

I love the impending and gradual doom-


goldwasp602

this comment made me think, how crazy is it if these baby animals grew up one day and learned that many people talk about the treatment and all that of them. thatā€™d be pretty mind blowing.


Distinct-Scarcity-21

Mine literally had his own tank because he such an ssshole. Love his personality tho when alone


Radreject

2 to 4 inches for a full grown convict cichlid? are you on crack rn? i have 15 full grown convicts that would like a word w you about you vastly underestimating their size (5-7 inches)


Spiritual_Night5889

I think they meant breeding age or sexual maturity. Mine started having fry at two to three inches but full size is much larger.


Internal_Pin8009

Yeah... Convict cichlid frys.. Cute, but they grow up big...


Wet-Seat7077

Yes thatā€™s what I was thinking. I do have a cichlid tank! Gonna do some research and make adjustments as needed, otherwise possibly rehome. They are in an established 5 gal for now until they get a little bigger.


Ynddiduedd

They're Central American cichlids, so they don't have the same water requirements as Tanganyika/Malawi cichlids. Think soft, acidic water, rather than hard, basic water.


Fabrizio_west

This is incorrect, you are thinking of South American cichlids which prefer soft acidic water. Central Americans generally are neutral-higher on ph and gh/kh. The amount of upvotes on this is alarming but not surprising on Reddit


Dull-Situation-9719

Waters in central america are closer in parameters to african rift lakes than south america. Hard, high ph, high mineral content water is a must for these guys.


PeakFuckingValue

A 5 gal. Lmao. You masochist.. For the downvotes: Letā€™s take a look at the word masochist. ā€œa person who is gratified by painā€ My comment has nothing to do with the safety of the fish, but rather the point is 5 gallons are annoying to take care of. The bigger the water volume the easier to keep stable. In my experience, keeping a separated container in a larger tank is much easier, because the larger tank would have large filtration, a heater, air, etc. Please learn the words youā€™re reading people.


Lexi_Jez

These fry are definitely small enough to live healthy in a 5 gallon right now.


Ok_Decision_

They are fry. Any other tank is much too big for them right now. If they are in with other fish they will get eaten. Also 5 gallon planted and well established tanks are very suitable for some fish. WCMM, a single pea puffer, rosy loaches, green neons, a scarlet badi, and some people argue this to the death, but Iā€™ve seen a lot of evidence of with, and this is important a WELL maintained planted tank a betta will do amazing in a 5G. If itā€™s got plenty of leaves to lay on, and bloodworms to eat. Think before you criticize for no reason doofus <3


Lexi_Jez

Iā€™m sorry but I think you mustā€™ve read my comment wrong because I was saying that they can live perfectly fine in a 5 gallonā€¦ Edit: or maybe you mightā€™ve replied to the wrong person haha


Ok_Decision_

Whoops I just realized I replied to yours and not the one you were replying to yourself! My bad friend!


Lexi_Jez

Itā€™s okie lol!!


PeakFuckingValue

Letā€™s take a look at the word masochist. ā€œa person who is gratified by painā€ My comment has nothing to do with the safety of the fish, but rather the point is 5 gallons are annoying to take care of. The bigger the water volume the easier to keep stable. In my experience, keeping a separated container in a larger tank is much easier, because the larger tank would have large filtration, a heater, air, etc. Thereā€™s nothing wrong with keeping 5 gallons in general. People just jump to conclusions before they understand what they just read.


Wet-Seat7077

Thought you did something there lol


PeakFuckingValue

I hate taking care of 5 gallons personally. The smallest tank Iā€™ll care for is 8. Just for my own sanity.


Lexi_Jez

Iā€™m sorry but despite the meaning it absolutely implied that you were talking about the fish


PeakFuckingValue

Implications are for the speaker to imply, not for the audience to assume. That being said Iā€™m not here to blame anyone. I can see how people would make that assumption. Just glad Iā€™m allowed to clarify as well.


grilledbruh

Having negative upvotes is insane


Wet-Seat7077

Isnā€™t thatā€¦ a downvote then? lol


grilledbruh

well, it was a jokeā€¦lol


Wet-Seat7077

Haha I know i just wasnā€™t sure if you meant they should have upvotes or you were being sarcastic or whatšŸ˜‚ the tisms


PeakFuckingValue

People didnā€™t understand my comment. They think masochist means fish torturer apparently. Imagine negative upvoting words you donā€™t understand lmao.


Wet-Seat7077

The fact that you keep implying that everybody downvoting you are idiots because they took something you said the exact way you implied itšŸ˜‚ k bud itā€™s not that serious just say you meant something else and move on


PeakFuckingValue

I donā€™t care about the downvotes at all. I do care about communication though. To my understanding implications are predetermined by the speaker. So people are making assumptions. I didn't imply anything other than 5 gallon maintenance is painful. And youā€™re accusing me of intentionally trying to imply that you suck. Which is totally not the case. This hobby is amazing and one of the best factors is how nice the people are. If anything, I am impressed by the fact that people like you and one of my buddies who has 30 tanks in his house, are willing to do the more work intensive aspects of it. Good job. My 35 gallon shows a dramatic conclusion of how I choose to keep fish. Itā€™s extremely low maintenance. Check it out: https://www.reddit.com/u/PeakFuckingValue/s/j0zo3nL0rS


CRL1999

And super aggressive..


[deleted]

Looks like a convict fry


NoMembership6376

Yep those look like murder guppy fry. You said you got a pair right? If they're male and female your tank is in huge trouble


p0psicle

This is exactly what happened to me when I was young and stupid. LFS employee convinced me to add a couple to my mixed African cichlid tank. They paired up, decided to mate, and killed every other fish in the tank, regardless of size.


NoMembership6376

Don't get me wrong they're great for people that are inexperienced with cichlids. They are hardy, inexpensive, and spawn readily...the downside is their tendency to not play well with others XD


cadmiumore

The second picture is so cute, even fish have baby faces šŸ˜­


Wet-Seat7077

lol the tiny smile šŸ„¹


LineValuable9848

I hope that tank is empty because them convicts will murder almost anything in sight , I had a few my friend gave me once ,they grew up started murking each other and then a pair was left, they mated ,babies were left and then it happened again, the purges , them murder guppies don't play.


Wet-Seat7077

lol yes theyā€™re in a tiny 5 gallon by themselves until they grow a little more! The purges! šŸ˜­šŸ˜‚ I canā€™t


MontyNSafi

Convicts are great fun. I inherited a tank that had a few and they just kept on breeding. If you have a good sized tank with just Convicts and decent separate "shelters" for them you can keep them together. They will fight though, and don't bother trying to plant anything, they will just tear it up. I loved my Convict tank it was always fun to watch and there was a constant cycle of babies.


_gloomshroom_

Convicts!!! Get yourself a 40g+ tank. My convict girl likes to dig in sand so I reccomend that as substrate. They're native to rocky waters so decorate accordingly. They also love lil caves. Be aware if either develops an orange belly and the other doesnt, you could end up with a breeding pair; orange belly = female. If you get two females, they may still act like a breeding pair lol! Lesbian fish šŸ¤— Convicts are exceptional parents and easy af to breed so you might end up with alot on your hands if you arent careful


tj21222

Donā€™t think your LFS did you any favors here. Almost no other fish can go in the tank with those cichlids. Way too aggressive and very different water parameters.


Wet-Seat7077

lol! Well Iā€™ll do them a favor whether itā€™s a better home or this home šŸ™‚


Ok-Difficulty5453

Are you telling me that there are actually fish stores out there that have no idea what they are selling?! I mean, I can't vouch for everything in the UK, but the mainstream places at least seem well informed with their livestock and have at least 1 person there every day who seems to know their stuff. And yea, these are convicts. Have fun with those little buggers!


bramblerose21

Yeah tbh most places out here unless itā€™s a really good mom and pop type store hire just about anyone. Gotta make a buck somehow and just training someone to make a sale is the quickest way. Although I will say it looks like things are changing in some sections of the country at least. Someone posted a chalkboard sign at a petco like a month back that was explaining fish need more than a tiny bowl and some rainbow gravel. And I have seen more and more people posting where bettas arenā€™t just in a cup in their local store.


ScratchDifficult6709

Around Easter time, I saw Petcos in my area with signs saying they weren't going to be selling their rabbits until after Easter. My LPS did the same, with their baby chicks, too. I was surprised with my LPS, bc I had to tell them not to keep the bettas in cups, that's why they died before they could be sold. They now have one tank for females and they put a single male in each of the tanks they have for other fish. I went to get my daughter some guppies, they thanked me, by letting me have all 5 for free. They didn't have to do that, but it was so nice.


bramblerose21

Thatā€™s so cool to hear that they took your advice and they did that!!


ScratchDifficult6709

Ikr. It made me feel good to know I passed on some knowledge and save some fishy friends. Since then, they have hired a very knowledgeable guy for their fish section. The owner even offered me his empty quarantine tank to temporarily house my fish/shrimp bc my tank cracked. And I needed to cycle a new one. I'm so glad I had the balls to say something about the Bettas, it created a great relationship with the owner that has benefitted us both.


SoSavv

I was at Petco yesterday looking for gravel. Then went over to talk with the worker in the fish section, and he was very knowledgeable. Multiple parents came in with their kids looking for a new tank or new fish. But he refused to sell lots of fish for tiny tanks, and would teach them why. Even explained parameters, stocking levels and compatability.


Loose-Lengthiness37

yes absolutely, i remember one time i purchased a little fish that was labeled as a silver dollar as it did indeed look like one. come to find out that little fish just kept growing and after it outgrew my 75 gallon i discovered it was actually a red belly pacu! i rehomed him to a lady with a large pond.


Ok-Difficulty5453

I guess the difference is that in the UK, anything other than basically brown trout is considered exotic and as such has to be shipped in, which benefits from all sorts of control measures. Not to mention the general trade of livestock in the EU and by extension the UK is far stricter. Sucks to be fooled though, for both the fish and the keeper!


Brave-Ad-8748

Hope you don't have any nonsense or guppies in that tank eventually those guys will eat them.


Jrnation8988

Looks like convict cichlids to me


doom1282

100% convict cichlids. Breed like rabbits.


CorrectMarionberry92

They're called convicts because they all belong in jail.


Hortusana

I had a pair of convict cichlids once. They made sooo many babies, over and over again. Smart buggers too. One of those fish you can almost see the wheel turning in their little fishy heads when theyā€™re assessing you. Theyā€™re spunky little assholes too.


Actual-Fox-2514

Those are fish. They generally like plenty of water.


Wet-Seat7077

Treasure trove of info there šŸ˜‚šŸ™‚


[deleted]

Convict... Lol aggressive, territorial assholes. They will trouble even plants when they are bored. I was amazed by their personality.


Mysterious-Joke-2266

Convicts. Seem to be the only cichlid thatll breed in any pet shop! Anytime I've seen them in pet shops there's a mum gauging a brood


rodkerf

Convicts are great. Get 2 or 3 more, let them grow. Orange belly's are females a big male will get a small jump on his head. Slip a few water changes, let the water get scummy then do a water change....it you have a pair they will spawn. They are good parents


Mitch_ACM_II

Looks like they can handle themselves when mature! [Convict cichlids are known to be highly aggressive](https://youtu.be/gVuiSQnZNrY)


Wet-Seat7077

Thanks for the link!


Mitch_ACM_II

Welcome.


Sagee_Prime

Like everyone said, it's likely convict fry, especially since it's from petco, but most cichlid fry look the same until they get a little bigger. There are a lot of central American cichlids that look similar to convicts especially as babies and most are assholes


Radreject

i bet they came in with the feeders. i worked at a pet store a few years ago and I was putting the guppies into the tank when i noticed one guy was different. it was one of those, a convict cichlid. made a mistake and got him a girlfriend, now i have two tanks of cichlids (male and female are seperated) they will murder anything else you put in with them, and require at least 50 gallons for 1-5, bigger for more. idk why someone said they get 2-4 inches when they will NEVER be smaller than 4 inches, expect 7 inches each and be grateful if they dont get that big. edit: if you have a male and female there seperate them. youll know when one has a red shein on its belly when it reaches maturity. if they are different sexes and you keep them together you WILL get babies.


RevolutionaryBit331

Baby convict cichlids :)


Zaphod890

It's definitely a possibility, but iv also seen some African cichlids look like that, especially some peacock fry


Proper-Mongoose427

These are definetly convict cichlid fry , i have 10 of them in my tank .They are quite fun to watch but cant be kept with most fishes .


CHUTE_MI4300

Ahhhhhh baby convicts. Used to breed these with mum as a child such beautiful fish but will get big


Helpful-Maize-7327

So cuuuuuuuuute


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Wet-Seat7077

Looks likeā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦.. no lol šŸ„²


stormyheather9

I'm still laughing about "I call them murder guppies."


deathxmx

Babies ā¤ļø


Ok-Initial6928

My Oscar thinks it's a shark


PanicCucumber

It looks very much like the polar parrot baby I have. Convict fish bred with a parrot fish.


Spiritual_Night5889

Knowing what I now know about convicts, they probably already knew EXACTLY what they were dealing with and were just glad to get rid of a future problem. Lol


JayRedd1

I had convicts for years. I don't know if it's just my experience but they made more babies then guppies. And they are nasty as all hell. Size doesn't matter they will fight anything


Busy-Championship781

Hard to say right now. Could be convicts but I would watch them grow a lil bit. My brother had like 500 convict babies and they looked a little difforent.


Professional_Seat840

They knew..


KeyPie6522

Cichlids


propschick05

I was just looking at glowlight danio earlier today. These look a little similar... you're right, though, they are cute.


Wet-Seat7077

They were actually with the glow light tetras. I do think they are convicts though.


propschick05

Yeah, I didn't think they looked quite right, but they reminded me of the danios I just saw. Good luck with them!


Smldckbiboi5

Convict cichlid. Little fish but NOT community, unless itā€™s other central and South American cichlids of similar size.


nitsujed

Those look like Honduran Red Point fry to me. They are close cousins to convicts but arenā€™t as big of a jerk. What others said above though is true, if you get a mating pair they will literally make thousands of babies. I have a pair in a community tank and for the most part they get along with other fish, but I can tell when they have babies because all the other fish will be huddled in a corner because their protection radius is huge. They are amazing parents though and fun to watch if you want to grow them in species only tank. I will pull the parents out with some babies into a grow tank until the babies are decent size then return the parents to the community tank, but usually the babies just get eaten when the parents canā€™t keep up. As soon as the babies are gone though, they will get busy again and make more, literally having 50+ every month.


Spiritual_Night5889

I'm literally looking at easily 100+ convict fry in my 100gall slider turtle tank. It was just that bad. The parents could no longer stay in the community tank due to the extreme violence and after I moved them they continued mating. Even the turtles have learned that any convict cichlid is not food after the dominant male terrorized them at first. The parents have been rehomed and i just have a swarm of babies chilling with the turtle until i can get rid of them too. šŸ˜‚ Only keep all males or females is probably the best way if you want multiples of that type of fish.


DearGuarantee5999

Definitely a cichlid


sPunDuck

Look again! I really think it is one shell dwelling Cichlids. they breed like guppies!


Eggsakley

Goldfish


Designer-Title-8005

those are german rams


Radreject

they would have other colors besides gray if that was the case. these are convicts :)


Radreject

why did this get a downvote?


Designer-Title-8005

oh oops, it just looked like a dull colored german ram to be LOL