Attack!

[robyngunston]

Last night I got home and my tetra and blindcave fish seemed to be attacking by poor little Dino (Sterbas Cory) they seemed to be hovering around him and then appeared to be nipping his fins and tail.....he tried to hide behind the filter and they seemed to be waiting underneath it for him to come out? Being a Newbie and not having a second tank my only option was to float a plastic tupperware on top of the tank and put him in there. He had contracted some sort of fungal disease earlier in the week however he seemed to be doing a lot better until last night of course? Does anyone have any idea why they would just attack him? I know that the Tetra are quite big and both them and the blindcave fish have been together in the tank on their own for a while (previous owner) and I added the Cory's when I took over the tank, do you think they could be territorial?

 

[The Devine One]

I'm no expert but I had a similar experience with my pepper corys being attacked by a small rosie barb and I had to go and get a seperate tank for them, my cats also looked like they had a fungus around the base of the fins but after I moved them it cleared up on its own and now they are a lot happier and have just spawned

In my case the attacks didn't seem to be over a territorial dispute I wonder if I may have been overstocked.

What size tank do you have and how long has it been since you added the corys?

Sadly I think that getting them into another tank is the only solution or returning them to the shop, but as I say I'm no expert!

Good luck with them

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Cory_Cat

I'm surprised to hear about this, but have to admit I don't know much about tetras. I've had blind cave tetras for years but have never seen them act this way. Usually they bumble around the tank hoping to bump into some food. The only time they have been a problem was with a betta I had. They never attacked him, but he was deathly afraid of them. When he saw them coming his way he would swim as fast as he could in the other direction.

Why don't you ask about them in the Cyprinids, Characins and Atherinids section. Be sure to mention that the little cory has been sick. Please let me know what they think of this.

 

[Alex_]

tetras ussalluy pick off the sick

fish in the tank, no idea why

but this has happend to me and i just

isolated the cory for 2 weeks and then added

him back, he has had no problrm cense.

-Alex

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Alex_

Thanks for answering Cory_Cat's question. I was wondering if that might have been the case, but didn't want to suggest it when I didn't know for sure.

It's good to know that Cory_Cat did the right thing by isolating the little guy.

 

[robyngunston]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice

Over the weekend I bought a breeding tank that floats on the waters surface and I have isolated my little Cory in there. I am currently treating the whole tank for bacterial infections and he does seems to be doing a lot better. I tried to put him back yesterday evening as he seemed to be swimming up and down the breeding tank very quickly like he wanted to get out, however when I let him swim out he seemed to sit at the bottom sitting very still? Every now and then he would swim a bit and look for food but he didn't seem to have as much energy as when he was in the breeding tank? I then decided it would probably be better if I kept him separate until his infection clears up fully then I can put him back and see how he gets on. He does seem to be scared of the other fish though...even the panda cory's?

Inchworm.... What is normal behaviour for blindcave fish? I have not come across many people who have them? I am aware they have no eyes....one of them is quite round and appears to constantly open and close his/her (not sure how to tell whether the three I have are male or female either) mouth quite widely? Not to mention they seem to like eating everything they can find...e.g. plants? I was worried about one of them over the weekend as well....so took him/her up to the pet shop so that someone could take a look....as I thought he/she seemed fatter than usual but they said I was not to worry as they looked fine....they said he/she had probably eaten too much? I am assuming that I would know if they were pregnant?

The devine one......my tank is 2ft x 1 ft x 38cm...about 70 litres.....I have a tree ornament and some rocks and four tall thin plants....do you think my tank is big enough?