Killer Blue Acara

[snowflake311]

So I have a female Blue acara she is about 5" and 1 year old. She has lived with Cory cats no problem. She lived with Rams she picked on them but never hurt them one of my males how ever did kill a ram.

Every tank I put this female in a 1" tetras goes missing. HUmmm after I lost another x-ray tetra in the 36 gal and 2 other x-ray tetras had missing fins I said thats it. I moved her to the 100 gal with the big guys. She fit in fine no fights. I had 5 red eye tetras in that tank they had been doing great. Till the other day one went missing no trace. SO I moved the tetras out. This acara has a taste for smaller fish.

SO just be warmed these fish should never be trusted around smaller fish.

 

[Glenbo1981]

You do realise that Blue Acara's like Green Terrors are mainly predatory in the wild? preying on smaller fish and inverts etc?

Thats why i just got rid of my 5" Male, not because it did anything wrong, i Just wanted to keep some Rummynose with my Rotkeils.

The best way to describe a Blue Acara is 'mini Oscar' I mean they have a similar shape and look about them (look beyond colouration) , they have huge mouths for there size, they have a docile personality but will kill and eat anything they can fit in there mouth.

 

[snowflake311]

Oh I know she is a preditor. It's my fault for keeping her with smaller fish I know. But they are said to be so "peaceful" for a cichlid. I'm looking to find this girl a new home soon. Mainly because I have too many fish that are going to become large and I need room.

 

[Glenbo1981]

Yep they are peaceful, as in temperment towards other fish of similar size, but aggression and natural feeding behavior is 2 different things.

For example, Oscars and Severums tend to make good tank mates, however one is a predator, the other is a omnivore

A Severum can live something small enough to fit in its mouth, a Oscar cannot.

You have to balance out the animals primal instincts.

Another example is the Midas and the Jaguar.

The Jaguar liek most Parachromis species is a piscivore, with the teeth like a dog to prove it, a Midas of the same size is a omnivore, put them in a tank together, the Midas will be the more aggressive of the 2.

Acaras are pretty much small Oscars, in fact Oscars pretty much belong to the Acara group (they are as closely related as a Jurupari or a Hecklii is to a Geophagus), and they should be treated by teh same means.

 

[the biffster]

So I have a female Blue acara she is about 5" and 1 year old. She has lived with Cory cats no problem. She lived with Rams she picked on them but never hurt them one of my males how ever did kill a ram.

Every tank I put this female in a 1" tetras goes missing. HUmmm after I lost another x-ray tetra in the 36 gal and 2 other x-ray tetras had missing fins I said thats it. I moved her to the 100 gal with the big guys. She fit in fine no fights. I had 5 red eye tetras in that tank they had been doing great. Till the other day one went missing no trace. SO I moved the tetras out. This acara has a taste for smaller fish.

SO just be warmed these fish should never be trusted around smaller fish.

the rule is if it will fit in to its mouth it is not safe
they dont see it as a tank mate but as a meal

 

[snowflake311]

The tetras could not fit in this fish mouth. She would have to kill it by graving it then rip it apart. She could not just suck these tetras into her mouth.

I'm not really suprised this happen just want to warn people that these fish can and will do damage.

 

[the biffster]

The tetras could not fit in this fish mouth. She would have to kill it by graving it then rip it apart. She could not just suck these tetras into her mouth.

I'm not really suprised this happen just want to warn people that these fish can and will do damage.

how do you acount for them going missing then
i think you will find it will eat them whole
how is it going to rip them apart i have seen
angel fish eat tetras whole and convict eat
dwarf cichlids whole at 5" it could easly

 

[ChilliPepper]

Ah no

Just goes to show each fish is different, even a so-called placid BA.

I used to keep my GT (a very similar fish, again) in with Columbian Red Fin and Black Phantom Tetras. She never even acknowledged them in her tank, she grew up with them from an inch big. Actually she may have been smaller than an inch, but an inch with tail for certain.
She was with them for over a year, though I would not have trusted her for much longer with them. The Columbians would probably have been OK as fast swimmers and a round body shape, but the Phantoms would have been in danger. I think the X-Rays and Red Eyes are just too small to safely be trusted with any cichlid for long, well apart from the dwarf species maybe.

 

[star4]

Strange how fish differ, I had my wild caught blue acara in with baby kribs (they were born in the tank) although I lost my male acara I still have the female and she has never touched the kribs, same as the 4 pictus cats never touched these baby kribs?

Should say the kribs now are about 2cm big and dont have their dad to guard them any more.

 

[snowflake311]

Yes everyone is differant.

A fish can rip another apart. Have you seen them do that shark like head shake to tear large food. I have watch my fish work a
hard large krill down to a smaller bite size chunk.or they take in a huge bite then spit it out and kind of chew. They have their ways. Maybe it Did eat it hole but that would have been a huge bite.

All I know is one day I had 5 xray tetras then one was gone no trace. Then another was gone no trace and the other 2 were missing fins the blue acara was the only fish Big enough and fast enough that could have done it. Then I move her and another fish is missing with no trace.

Star did you ever keep blue acaras with 1" tetras? Were the krib babies safe because the parents looked out for them maybe? Or maybe you just had a nice ones.

Here is my bad girl.

 

[Glenbo1981]

Lol, its like saying.... 'heres my bad child' because it eats vegetables.

Acara's need meat.

 

[snowflake311]

Haha she is bad for other reasons too. This fish use to beat the junk out of her mate after they spawned. She has always been a crazy fish. Her mate passed on a few months back and I think his short life could be linked to the beatings he got from her. She has been nothing but drama.

 

[Glenbo1981]

Nice fish tho, rapid growers, missing mine already, wish i had another tank to dump him in, and the only other i have is a baby biorb! haha so off he went, i got £10 trade in for him tho, which is good because i only paid £1 for him 6 months ago when he was less than 1"

 

[snowflake311]

thats cool that you got some money off him.

Speaking of selling fish.
I'm starting to consider selling my EBJD and I this Blue acara. I'm not sure I should sell my mr sparkels the EBJD. I love that fish but he is just not fitting in with the Amazon theme I have going. I'm affraid he will be too much for the Uarus to handle once I add them to the tank.

Mr sparkels is getting more and more bossy as he grows. He hurt my true parrots lip when they were lip locking. Mr sparkels always gives my parrot a hard time and she trys to push him away and hold her ground but he is such an annoying punk.

So sell my EBJD or not that is the new question. If I can find him a great home with another fish person and get some money for him I will let him go. hummm we will see.