heres a question we can ponder over
- Thread starter beblondie
- Start date
I believe that may be possible, I've seen many public aquaria exhibits where there are large pimas, RTC's etc... and mixed in are cichlids that are plenty small enough to be eaten, yet there is some sort of equillibrium.
Perhaps the fish instinctively know that if the meal isn't large enough, it won't cover the energy cost of catching it in the first place, let alone have any left over for growth, etc...
Here's a polypterus related example.... I keep mixed sizes, some 12"ers down to some 5"ers, and when I toss in a cube of bloodworms or two, the larger fish are all over the tank looking for a stronger 'smell' trying to locate a large enough chunk to eat, while the smaller bichirs have their noses pointed to the substrate picking off worm by worm.
Perhaps the fish instinctively know that if the meal isn't large enough, it won't cover the energy cost of catching it in the first place, let alone have any left over for growth, etc...
Here's a polypterus related example.... I keep mixed sizes, some 12"ers down to some 5"ers, and when I toss in a cube of bloodworms or two, the larger fish are all over the tank looking for a stronger 'smell' trying to locate a large enough chunk to eat, while the smaller bichirs have their noses pointed to the substrate picking off worm by worm.
Perhaps it would also depend on the type of predator.
An ambush predator that doesn't expend much energy at all to capture prey, can subsist on smaller more frequent meals, while a more active predator such as tiger fish and peacock cichlids can do well on less frequent albeit larger meals.
An ambush predator that doesn't expend much energy at all to capture prey, can subsist on smaller more frequent meals, while a more active predator such as tiger fish and peacock cichlids can do well on less frequent albeit larger meals.
Interesting question. As mentioned, public aquariums house large fish with small ones, but that doesn't mean that they have a few disappear now and then. Johnptc's tank house large predators with smaller Cichlids, so I think tank size also has a role to play in that theory as well.
benzjamin13;2863929; said:
Great point! Also comes into the play is the fact that the large fish know they get easy meals from aquarium staff, and don't need to spend energy to catch their tankmates unless one gets in the perfect spot, then why not? lol
playing devils advocate a bit, are the smaller fish in the public aquariums just too hard to catch do to quickness or hiding near rocks and such?
dbcb314;2864441; said:
Could be either or, the main point is that the larger fish would have to try hard to catch these 'little meals' when they could just wait for shrimp and fish pieces to be dropped in, or eat a bigger easier to catch tankmate.
As Ben pointed out, the dynamic/reasons will change between fish kept in an enclosure, and fish in the wild.