Murderous Convict?

[605caddi]

So I have, or I guess I should say *had*, a breeding pair of Cons in a 29 gal by themselves. They've been together for about 1.75 years give or take and have never shown any sort of aggression. They bred approx. 3 weeks ago and I left the fry in the tank, as I really didn't have any use for them. They had been taking care of the fry just fine like normal up until yesterday.

I came home from the gym and when to feed them, only to find my male burying something. What you might ask? Well it was my female All I could see was a little bit of her tail, the rest was buried under sand. I dug her out and she was really beat up so I can only guess that he got pissed and killed her, then tried to bury the evidence? But come on, WTF? Since when do fish kill one another and then bury the body?

Anyone ever had something like this happen before?

PS. Sorry no pictures, camera battery was dead at the time and I wanted to get the dead fish out asap.

 

[TrikkyMakk]

I have never heard of fish burying fish. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen though. Was he actually spitting gravel on her?

 

[Aquanero]

I've never heard of that, but it's funny as hell! Chiclids love to move the substrate around and maybe her body just fell where he wanted his pile to be. Still very funny, if he completly burried her you might never have known what happened to her.

 

[MadRussian79]

I've heard of a few SA cichlids bury food.

 

[605caddi]

I have never heard of fish burying fish. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen though. Was he actually spitting gravel on her?

Yes, I physically watched him spit sand on her body.

I've never heard of that, but it's funny as hell! Chiclids love to move the substrate around and maybe her body just fell where he wanted his pile to be. Still very funny, if he completly burried her you might never have known what happened to her.

This is what I'm thinking may have happened... At least I hope, otherwise I think my male con is a sociopathic murderer.

 

[EvilKid]

how are the fry doing sometimes the female will loose interest in them and the male will see her as another predator, he will usually corner her on one side of the tank or beat up on her every time he sees her.

thats odd about the burying never heard of it

 

[Jason_S]

honestly it's not all that uncommon for the killing part...but this is the first i've heard of the murderer burying the victim. it's not funny...but at the same time it kinda is. lol

i am sorry to hear about the female but the male is a sly one.

 

[kjfan1]

weird

 

[605caddi]

how are the fry doing sometimes the female will loose interest in them and the male will see her as another predator, he will usually corner her on one side of the tank or beat up on her every time he sees her.

thats odd about the burying never heard of it

Fry were doing fine as of this morning when I fed everyone.

honestly it's not all that uncommon for the killing part...but this is the first i've heard of the murderer burying the victim. it's not funny...but at the same time it kinda is. lol

i am sorry to hear about the female but the male is a sly one.

I know that the killing part isn't terribly uncommon, but the burying thing I thought was really odd.

 

[Johnny Zhivago]

that's crazy.