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Hope someone can explain this behaviour to me! I have a pair of Blue Acara that are quite large. I have recently re-housed them in a tank that is exclusively for them.

Got home tonight to find that they have spawned on a rock but they have began to lock their jaws aggressively. They have done each other quite a bit of damage! The females lower lip looks very mashed up, some blood. The male's head jas a cgunk missing where the female's mouth has locked on. Despite this, they continue to engage in thei rather violent activity.
Can anyone explain why they are doing this? They used to do it in the past but never caused so much damage to each other!!

I did a water change and added some Stress Coat to try to help their injuries...

Thanks.

Its cichlid spawning behaviour. You should seperate either the male or female, and let one of them take care of the brood. The way it sounds, they might fight till the death. Stress coat doesnt work as well as melafix. Try to add some salt too.

Most importantly, you should seperate the male or female immediately. If you do not have a spare tank or divider, you should get a cheap divider, which sets up in seconds and costs under $10 usually.

Thanks! I will put a divider in tonight. Have left the lights off at the moment as that seems to keep them calm!

Very strange, I have had this pair for about 2 years. They have spawned on many occasions but never seen them sct so violently to each other. Do you think that fact there are no fish in the tank (apart from a baby Bristlenose), has led them to turn their attention of each other??

Thanks.

It does seem unusually aggressive for Acara, but everything IDM said thus far is pretty much accurate--minus the salt, for it grandly screws up fry development.

Salt messes up fry!? I always used it in my tanks with breeding fish!! What does it do to them?? I'd love to know details Thanks

Edit: Are you sure they're blue acaras? Perhaps you can attach a pic, since blue acaras are notoriously confused with Green Terrors (white and gold saums)

Last edited by inkodinkomalinko at 05-Aug-2005 11:43

Mortality rates go up, suposedly due to osmotic complications in young fish. Though this applies for silurids moreso than for cichlids, I can indeed testify, for both my angel and ram spawns have been decimated upon introduction of salt.

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 05-Aug-2005 11:56

100% sure they are Acaras!

http://www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/photos/gallery.asp?id=blueacara_profile

Check out the link, middle pic is my male Acara!