EBA killing cardinal tetras

[Oli]

Hi guys, since adding my juvenile electric blue Acaras, I have been losing cardinal tetras at an alarming rate (sometimes 4/5 over night.) The EBA’s are only small (2”) and don’t even seem like they could fit them in their mouths, but I’m assuming they are attacking and then eating them. There is never any bodies to be found.

There are only around 10 cardinals left from an original 20 or so (I have topped them up a couple times but they continue to disappear incredibly quickly.)

Can anyone recommend any other kind of small dither/grouping fish that are just as good looking as cardinals that may be more suitable for the tank when they are all gone?

I saw my LFS had some good sized Congo tetras the other day, but at £7 each, this is very expensive to build up a big school, especially if they’re also likely to be eaten!

Thanks

 

[FranciscoB]

Blue acaras will be aggressive and with tendency to eat substantially smaller fish no matter what. Neons and similar are just too small not to be eaten. Depending on the size of your tank, a couple of options (you seem to want tetras, which are a good idea) could be red eye tetra (Moenkhausia sanctafilomenae) or Colombian tetras (Hypessobrycon columbianus). Yet another could be Buenos Aires tetras or similar (Astyanax spp). Any of those would need to be in groups (minimum 6 or so). But information about the size of your tank, and water characteristics available to you are critical for an informed choice. Good luck.

 

[Colin_T]

look for fish with a deeper (higher) body.
If you want blue fish, Melanotaenia praecox get deeper in the body and there are plenty of other rainbowfish that would work.

The following link has all the known rainbowfish from Australia and New Guinea

Melanotaeniidae and Pseudomugilidae

A website dedicated to Rainbowfishes of Australia and New Guinea

rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au

 

[Oli]

I didn’t think it would work out long time but I have kept cardinals with my angels for soooo long in harmony, I thought there could be a chance they might ignore them.

I am surprised that such young EBA’s could reduce such a large number of fish in that time. It’s strange because I never see them be aggressive or chase them, and I’ve never seen them actually eat them. It’s always a case of waking up in the morning and the numbers have drastically dropped, mist be a midnight snack.

I will look into the above species, thanks guys

 

[itiwhetu]

What are the water parameters of your tank, I think something else is going on? I never like the concept of Dither fish. If you spend enough time with the Acaras, they will hand feed from you and then will always be out in the front of the tank.

 

[Guyb93]

Very interesting I have just introduced 20+ emperor tetra at 1 inch with fully mature eba out of 24I still have 21 and it’s been over two weeks , Colombian tetra are a similar sized to Congo and iv had work with Severum and green terror. If your 2 inch eba are eating cardinals that are a similar size I’d say your been super unlucky similar to a time when I had a 7 inch Oscar eat 5 silver dollars who were all 4 inch’s didn’t seem possible but it was just unlucky

 

[GaryE]

How the common blue acara became 'electric' is a trade secret, but it's a really well known, well documented species. I don't keep modified fish, so I don't have hands on experience, but I hear the EBA form is supposed to be less aggressive. The wild forms I kept would have slaughtered cardinals, broken them up and eaten them.

As always, it might not have happened the first day, the first month or the first 6 months, but every fish in the tank would have known it was coming. It's just a matter of when, when you have an opportunistic predator, even a bumbling one like an acara, and prey together.

It's nowhere near as likely with an angel. Just weigh an adult angel and an adult blue acara (in your mind at least) and you can see the difference. One out eats the other.

Sometimes, you get an acara that remain incredibly chill for its life, and becomes a pet. That's the only part where luck factors in. Acaras can be very easy going fish. Or not. But they are always hungry and willing to try new foods.