Electric Blue Sibling Canabalism

[Jim Morcombe]

I have had three juvenilles lost due to other juvenilles munching them.
In each case, only the head was eaten off.

Is this just a case of the poor blighters being hungry or is it a case
of them sorting out the pecking order? If this is the case, am I losing
my males?

[swarvegorilla]

"Jim Morcombe" > wrote in message
...
>I have had three juvenilles lost due to other juvenilles munching them. In
>each case, only the head was eaten off.
>
> Is this just a case of the poor blighters being hungry or is it a case of
> them sorting out the pecking order? If this is the case, am I losing my
> males?

hmmmm.....
I'd say your losing the runts
how big are these fry?
prob more chicks than anything.......

[Jim Morcombe]

swarvegorilla wrote:
> "Jim Morcombe" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I have had three juvenilles lost due to other juvenilles munching them. In
>>each case, only the head was eaten off.
>>
>>Is this just a case of the poor blighters being hungry or is it a case of
>>them sorting out the pecking order? If this is the case, am I losing my
>>males?
>
>
> hmmmm.....
> I'd say your losing the runts
> how big are these fry?
> prob more chicks than anything.......
>
>
Strangely, they don't seem to be the smallest fish. They are average or
a little above average. This is why I was wondering if it were the
bigger males killing the smaller males. I'm hopeless at estimating size
but I think they are about three cm long. The biggest ones may be 4 cm
and are just getting a touch of blue on their anal fins.

I added a heap of new rocks and stuff to the tank and I think this has
reduced the problem.

The first few all had their heads eaten off. I have saved a couple with
their tails eaten off and dumped them into a tank with smaller fry.

[swarvegorilla]

"Jim Morcombe" > wrote in message
...
> swarvegorilla wrote:
>> "Jim Morcombe" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>I have had three juvenilles lost due to other juvenilles munching them.
>>>In each case, only the head was eaten off.
>>>
>>>Is this just a case of the poor blighters being hungry or is it a case of
>>>them sorting out the pecking order? If this is the case, am I losing my
>>>males?
>>
>>
>> hmmmm.....
>> I'd say your losing the runts
>> how big are these fry?
>> prob more chicks than anything.......
>>
>>
> Strangely, they don't seem to be the smallest fish. They are average or a
> little above average. This is why I was wondering if it were the bigger
> males killing the smaller males. I'm hopeless at estimating size but I
> think they are about three cm long. The biggest ones may be 4 cm and are
> just getting a touch of blue on their anal fins.
>
> I added a heap of new rocks and stuff to the tank and I think this has
> reduced the problem.
>
> The first few all had their heads eaten off. I have saved a couple with
> their tails eaten off and dumped them into a tank with smaller fry.

could be but unusual at that small size.
I'd increase frequency of feeding, lower the temp a bit and either add more
ornaments or remove them all.
That should chill them out a bit!!
Beware of baby electric blues eating other fry too!
Until you see one make a kill treat it all as suspicious, test the water for
ammonia and nitrite.
Chuck some shellgrit or coral or marble or something in incase pH
crash......
hmmm I dunno...... But I imagine it's all in hand mate.
Play the numbers, sometimes the weak just die.
life goes on.
:)