Feeder Fry vs Feeders...

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Cybercyde

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2010
152
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A van, down by the river.
Bit of an expected error. I have some convict fry growing out in the same tank as some Dempseys. They're eventually to be food. So far, all makes sense.

I went ahead and treated the Dempseys to some rosy reds... Fed solo so they wouldn't get beat to death by the convict female. Obviously, half end up getting beat to death and later hand fed to said dempseys.

Out of curiousity, I left one in the corner with some 1/4" fry. They ate it from the inside out. I sat there watching a 1/4" fish pick up and jerk a 3" feeder around to tear off a piece. Pulled out a nice skeleton later on. :ROFL:Top this off with said fry attacking a live feeder right next to their parents. (Obviously, I'm not recommending this - just a byproduct of chance)

I'd understand if they were red bellies... I suppose I shouldn't be suprised at what convict fry will at least try to eat anymore, but their spirit never ceases to amuse me.

Anyone have a similar experience?
 
Convicts are vicious little critters--lol... I have 3 breeder pairs that spawn all the time. I don't separate the fry(they are consumed by the other fish in my aggressive community). It's funny to watch tiny fry attack chunks of tilapia!!!!

---Chris
 
Kaliedoscope;4697272; said:
yeah, I've even seen red devil fry eat eachother in a sad pet-store situation where they were never fed. All the smaller ones ganged up on the bigger one
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Interesting. I usually see them ganging up on the weakest one or just picking off dead ones but never ganging up on the largest.
 
hah my friend used to feed his guppy fry rosie reds that were 20x bigger than them and they would just open the up and eat from the inside
 
Cybercyde;4696598; said:
Bit of an expected error. I have some convict fry growing out in the same tank as some Dempseys. They're eventually to be food. So far, all makes sense.

I went ahead and treated the Dempseys to some rosy reds... Fed solo so they wouldn't get beat to death by the convict female. Obviously, half end up getting beat to death and later hand fed to said dempseys.

Out of curiousity, I left one in the corner with some 1/4" fry. They ate it from the inside out. I sat there watching a 1/4" fish pick up and jerk a 3" feeder around to tear off a piece. Pulled out a nice skeleton later on. :ROFL:Top this off with said fry attacking a live feeder right next to their parents. (Obviously, I'm not recommending this - just a byproduct of chance)

I'd understand if they were red bellies... I suppose I shouldn't be suprised at what convict fry will at least try to eat anymore, but their spirit never ceases to amuse me.

Anyone have a similar experience?
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Fry will pick at anything that fits in their mouths....They can smell well at a small age too......Any left over food on the bottom of the tank, or floating around, will be investigated and tasted.............Baby brine shrimp is the perfect selection for any fry food..........
 
importracer;4707663; said:
Fry will pick at anything that fits in their mouths....
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Indeed. What I found entertaining was the fry attacking an intact stunned minnow - not just the one a dempsey smashed open and spit due to the con female chasing.

I've yet to go the bbs route, though it's obviously proven time and again. Crushed flake/pellet/algea wafers/veggies have always done well for me.

The fry in question get the remnants of beef heart, crickets, and shrimp on top of their staple pellets/flake. (Fry seem to be a surefire way to get parents to eat just about everything)

Messy eaters and insects are a current favorite to help feed fry. Almost anything that makes the missus jump and run away breaks down into tiny fragments the fry love. :ROFL:

Kaliedoscope - I've seen similar, but it usually started with the larger fish in question dying off / being wounded / etc.
 
ballinouttacntrol;4707689; said:
Train them to give pedicures!
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lol. For anyone that's had a crowded convict tank, there's no training required. Although it does look like the little Garra rufa get starved to encourage the behavior.

To think, all those years chuckling in the lake when people got scared by bluegill biting to defend their spawns could have netted more profit than laughter. :grinno:
 
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