Peanut_Power;1832020; said:
I know Aba Abas are pretty anal knifes, but is there ANY fish that can be kept successfully with them? I'm sure there has to be some fish out there that can be kept with them that won't get eaten or beat up.
I was thinking possibly the armored catfish and plecos. Any thoughts on the matter? Thanks!
I believe there's a misconception about Abas with respect to their demeanor. They're not "anal." I don't believe that they attack tankmates out of aggression. Keep in mind that this is a very primitive fish that lives in extremely murky waters in African rivers. Abas are blind as a bat. They hunt for prey by picking up electrical impulses from other organisms.
The problem with Abas is that, especially as adults, they tend to bite first and ask questions later. I believe that what people characterize as aggression is really just the Aba detecting an electrical impulse, which to the Aba signals food, at which point it takes a bite. I believe that it's a mistake to characterize this behavior as aggression in the same way, for example, that cichlids would show aggression toward tankmates to defend a territory.
So, where a cichlid would violently attack a tankmate out of aggression, the Aba merely swims around blindly, searching for electrical impulses. If it's hungry, and detects an impulse, it's liable to take a bite.
There is no suitable tankmate for an adult Aba Aba. Almost all attempts will end in tragedy. You MAY have success with a pleco, but that's about it. I believe that it's cruel to keep any other fish with an Aba, because you're sentencing that fish to eventual murder at the hands of an indiscriminate killer.
