i was wondering about it. i always read how livebearers eat their young, egg layers eat the eggs, etc. and doesn't that seem odd? i thought the whole point was to pass on your genes to future generations. isn't that a biological and evolutionary need for all creatures? so why do fish do it? or am i being way off here?
Why do fish eat their young?
- Thread starter aquarius
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joshua
Fish Crazy
hmm... most of those fish spawn regularly or in large numbers to accomodate that 'cannibalistic behavior' but note that not all fish eat their eggs or young.. guess it seems to look like free food to them. cichlids on the other hand mostly have gd parental care unless bred many times after whihc they sometimes lose it
One of the reasons that so many eggs are laid or so many fry born is the fact that nature takes into consideration that 99% will not reach adulthood. In the wild where food isn't as prevailant as in an aquarium they're regarded as nutrition by any passing creature, including their own parents. In a controlled environment such as an aquarium, this isn't really relevant coz most aquarists guard their fry from any predators but this doesn't stop inbred characteristics from showing. Adult fish will still see offspring as a tasty morsel whether it's their own or from other fish. Of course there are exceptions to this rule - most cichlids take very good care of their young and woe behold anyone that tries to hurt them, but this doesn't stop the parents from trying to eat fry of others. It's survival of the fittest.
Colisa lalia
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The answers above are good. On top of that fish that don't protect their young usually spawn in huge numbers. Therefore when they eat eggs they are almost certainly eating a rivals eggs, INCREASING the chance that their genes will pass on because they have fewer competitors with their fry.
Another point is that many egglayers will eat the eggs or young if they arent healthy or only a few will survive. The reason being that in the wild a mated pair may only get one chance to spawn succesfully in their lifetime so they cant waste precious time and energy with unhealthy eggs or just a few fry. It is a better option to eat them so they can spawn again quicker.
Ken
Ken
thanx for the replies. i guess the explanations makes sense. if they didn't get eaten, there would be too many fry and a lot of hungry fish. and i had no idea about cichlids, that's very interesting that they take care of their young, never saw such behavior in fish
Hi Aquarius,
To me this is the best expierience you can have as a fishkeeper, breeding cichlids that look after their young. Its amazing watching the tiny fry being guided around the tank by the mother on their first day out. The Apisto female I have was extremly protective of her babies, keeping them safe from two hungry angels for two days until I made room to move them. She uses special signals to warn of danger like a flick of the tail, they all hit the gravel!
I was watching her on their second night of free swimming when I got a real fright, after I switched of the light she swam down to them and pop! swallowed three right into her mouth. I was horrified because she had be so careful with them, but then as I watched, she swam over to a little burrow under a piece of wood and spat them out! She then went back and picked up all the rest in twos and threes and brought them to the burrow. From the light in the room, we could see her lying among them in the little nest, it was amazing! Every night every one in the house would watch her putting the babies to bed, keeping a close eye on any move we made.
I would highly recommend trying to breed some fish like kribensis or apistos, even angels are usually great parents, but be warned you may need to move out the tv to fit in all the little tanks you'll want!
Ken
To me this is the best expierience you can have as a fishkeeper, breeding cichlids that look after their young. Its amazing watching the tiny fry being guided around the tank by the mother on their first day out. The Apisto female I have was extremly protective of her babies, keeping them safe from two hungry angels for two days until I made room to move them. She uses special signals to warn of danger like a flick of the tail, they all hit the gravel!
I was watching her on their second night of free swimming when I got a real fright, after I switched of the light she swam down to them and pop! swallowed three right into her mouth. I was horrified because she had be so careful with them, but then as I watched, she swam over to a little burrow under a piece of wood and spat them out! She then went back and picked up all the rest in twos and threes and brought them to the burrow. From the light in the room, we could see her lying among them in the little nest, it was amazing! Every night every one in the house would watch her putting the babies to bed, keeping a close eye on any move we made.
I would highly recommend trying to breed some fish like kribensis or apistos, even angels are usually great parents, but be warned you may need to move out the tv to fit in all the little tanks you'll want!
Ken
wow, that's amazing. it makes me really want to get cichlids. what do you think is the smallest tank I can keep a pair like kribensis in? and i'm not worried about moving the tv out, just yesterday, when asked why i keeep watching the aquarium, i said it was better than tv 
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