confused by convicts

brian1973

Superstar Fish
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#1
So as some of you know I have 2 breeding pairs, well today I come home and fed one pair that recently had a batch of fry. I couldnt find the female, well she is hiding behind the filter and every time she comes out the male attacks her. The fry are still in the tank so it doesnt look like he has turned on them but he definately has turned on his mate. Has anyone else seen this before?
My other pair does this to a lesser degree but she looks like she is missing some scales.
 

SinisterKisses

Superstar Fish
Jan 30, 2007
1,086
0
0
#2
That's the problem with aggressive CA's - they can turn on each other for no apparent reason pretty much at any time. He may get over it and start playing nice again, and he may not.
 

brian1973

Superstar Fish
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#3
Im not positive but I dont see as many fry as I did yesterday, they could just be seperated where they were tightly schooled yesterday, hopefully he hasnt began eating them, but then again if he has it really doesnt matter because I have tons of convict fry already.
 

brian1973

Superstar Fish
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#4
Well got home from work today and they appear to have made up, BUT there are ZERO fry visible in the tank, kind of shocking with how well they cared for the other batches, maybe there are some hiding somewhere but I dont think so. I am wondering if there may be another batch of eggs since the male is staying very close to the cave they lay in, well guess only time will tell.
 

unwritten law

Superstar Fish
Sep 2, 2008
1,471
0
0
36
DC
#5
My keyholes layed eggs, and then they all disappeared and the male turned on the female. They have been playing mean for the past few days but I hope they kiss and make up soon.
 

Big Vine

Elite Fish
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
0
47
Florida
#6
I know it's been a few weeks, but I still wanted to chime in.
It is not uncommon for a newly-formed pair to fudge things up at first---may take several times to get things right. This is especially true with younger, more inexperienced fish---oftentimes one or both of the parents freaks out at a perceived threat and tries to eat the babies...that's often where you'll see the other step in and beat up on its mate during fry-raising time. In other cases one parent will simply get a little over-zealous in the raising of the fry, in which case the outcome is highly dependent on the mate's personality. A more laid-back fish will likely be tolerant of this situation and allow the mate to control things. A more feisty or uneasy one will likely end up being more combative, which can lead to the types of issues you described (a fish 'divorce,' if you will :rolleyes: ).

Okay, I'll stop rambling now, lol. ;)
BV