220gal Central American Biotope (ongoing thread...)

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Stanzzzz7 said:
Hi Chris.
The tank looks stunning as usual.
Would definitely move on the Veija now they have a taste for scales, you won't stop it once they start.
I think your pearsei are stunning.
Overall a fantastic set up.
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Thanks Stan. Any idea why some species seem to be prone to that? I feel like it occurs mostly when young fish are in with much larger ones. Perhaps if I would have grown them out more in a different tank and introduced them once they were larger I could have avoided that "phase" and bad habit...
 
Well, the synspilum are out and the Green Swordtails are in. Initial thoughts are that the majority of swordtails won't make it through the night. Despite my efforts in distracting the pearsei with food upon introduction, they immediately took to chasing them. While I have yet to witness any get eaten, I'm not sure how many of the 8 I have left. Hopefully they loose interest and learn to "let live".
 
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cjdesmit said:
Thanks Stan. Any idea why some species seem to be prone to that? I feel like it occurs mostly when young fish are in with much larger ones. Perhaps if I would have grown them out more in a different tank and introduced them once they were larger I could have avoided that "phase" and bad habit...
Click to expand...
In my experience it happens when one of the other fish dislodge a scale on decor or through squabbles.
This will leave a white patch of skin showing.I think the Veija are attracted to this and curiosity makes them take a nip.
Once they get a taste for the scales the habit gets worse.
 
cockroach said:
Oops, were they full grown?
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They were not. They were still relatively small, at around 2.5". Probably would have helped if they were larger for sure. While I had a feeling the pearsei would have a go at them, I didn't expect them to hunt them down like they did. I figured theyd'd chase them for a bit and loose interest. They were literally hunting them in and around the driftwood relentlessly. I think as of this morning, I have one lone survivor. RIP.
 
Stanzzzz7 said:
In my experience it happens when one of the other fish dislodge a scale on decor or through squabbles.
This will leave a white patch of skin showing.I think the Veija are attracted to this and curiosity makes them take a nip.
Once they get a taste for the scales the habit gets worse.
Click to expand...

Certainly is an annoying and unfortunate habit. I caved and picked up a small M. argentea earlier this year and it did the same exact thing. I ended up trading him back in to the LFS after just a few short days.
 
With only the pearsei and robertsoni left, I do feel like the tank is "missing" something. The swords would have filled that void for me, however they clearly didn't work out. Unsure if I should try again with the swords, letting them grow larger this time before introducing them into the tank or try something else? I wish I was able to find "wild type" mollies in my area as they get larger, potentially allowing them to stay under the radar as a pearsei snack.
 
cjdesmit said:
With only the pearsei and robertsoni left, I do feel like the tank is "missing" something. The swords would have filled that void for me, however they clearly didn't work out. Unsure if I should try again with the swords, letting them grow larger this time before introducing them into the tank or try something else? I wish I was able to find "wild type" mollies in my area as they get larger, potentially allowing them to stay under the radar as a pearsei snack.
Click to expand...
Can you get hold of rhamdia catfish? Biotope correct and might add some variety .
 
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