Disappearing cardinals!!

[jeffs99dime]

well, i came home from work yesterday afternoon to find all 5 of my cardinal tetra have disappeared from my aquarium! pretty strange. you can see my stocklist in my sig. i suspect that it may have been the keyhole cichlids or quite possibly the glowlights or black neons-competing with the cardinals because the cardinals are more" brilliant" then themselves. every suface of the aquarium was thoroughly searched, to include the filters-nothing! very strange. what do you all think?

and yes, i realize that is a very small "school of cardinals" i was working on building up the school- till this happened, that is.

[Lady Hobbs]

Very strange. I see nothing you have that was be a deterrent to cardinals. I'd be most surprised if a tetra would bother them so that leaves me with thinking the keyholes but that is very questionable as well since they are so docile. I'd be interested in learning who the culprit was myself.

[jeffs99dime]

yeah, i'd say the keyholes too, but i'm not positive. i kind of wish that i had found one of the cardinals in their mouth. at least i would know who is the culprit!

[f1oored]

I think it was the neon tetras. Those little guys are killers, sneaky killers at that. As soon as you leave the room they start their rampage of death and carnage. I'm a little surprised that any of your other fish are still alive.

[Lady Hobbs]

Small Peaceful Tetras: Neon Tetra, Black Neon Tetra, Black Phantom Tetra, Bleeding Heart Tetra, Cardinal Tetra, Diamond Tetra, Emperor Tetra, Flame Tetra, Glass Tetra, Glowlite Tetra, Gold Tetra, Head & Tail Lite Tetra, Lemon Tetra, Pristella Tetra, Red Eye Tetra, Red Phantom Tetra, Ruby Tetra , Rummynose Tetra (Note: Black Tetras and Bloodfin Tetras may be too active for this tank.)

A-Haaaa The above are all compatible. When checking on the Keyhole, however, no Neons or Cardinals are mentioned as tank mates.

Here is my very favorite compatiblity site. [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[f1oored]

That is a really great site hobbs. When william gets the links page up and running make sure you add that one.

[kimmers318]

I have never had issues with my neons being aggressive, they have always been beautiful additions to my tanks. I do have to wonder also about the keyhole as I have always heard of it being pretty docile....but docile as far as cichlids go...cichlids like to eat, and eat other fish, so that may be the issue. If this is the case you may find others disappearing soon also!

[f1oored]

OH COME ON!!!! My post was an obvious joke. Neon tetra = Rampage of death and carnage???? Serious kimmers... it's time to go to bed.

[kimmers318]

Serious kimmers... it's time to go to bed.

NO, I don't think so f1oored....I have heard of many people say their neons are very nippy with alot of fish and since I long ago learned not to think ever that something someone says. which to me sounds totally off the wall is something they don't actually believe, I never assume someone is joking unless they give some indication of it. Since I can't hear voices, or see facial expressions, I would never assume that you didn't believe neons could be vicious, without some indication of that from you, and tell you how ridiculous you are being. I chose to give a little of my own experience with the fish.

[phishmin]

What ever happened, it was not because of the keyholes.

[kimmers318]

Did you ever figure it out???

[jeffs99dime]

no i didn't

[kimmers318]

Bummer....

[tiptoegirl]

I know you wrote about this years ago but I just had the same experience and you are the only person who seems to have witnessed it.
I put five new cardinals in to my tank with my two keyhole cichlids and they ate four of them in front of me within an hour. I tried to fish them out but the keyholes were chasing them too and I was disrupting the tank too much.
I have other fish and they have never been aggressive towards those?

[Tooch]

I know you wrote about this years ago but I just had the same experience and you are the only person who seems to have witnessed it.
I put five new cardinals in to my tank with my two keyhole cichlids and they ate four of them in front of me within an hour. I tried to fish them out but the keyholes were chasing them too and I was disrupting the tank too much.
I have other fish and they have never been aggressive towards those?



Mystery solved! Case closed! At least it wasn't the ravenous neons... Never did trust those guys... :ezpi_wink1:

[Dave66]

Folks, any fish that can eat a much smaller fish will; its natural, as such a banquet is so rare in nature. The Keyholes at a bit over four inches, the cardinals at an inch and a half, and torpedo shaped; perfect bite-sized for the Keyholes. Had they been larger tetras, like Lemons, it wouldn't have happened. Keyholes are in no way aggressive towards tankmates unless they are breeding, and in a large enough tank, even that isn't a problem.

Dave

[tiptoegirl]

It has shaken me a bit as the shop have them living in the same tank and are baffled. They said they might be breeding? who knows they do seem quite pally:41:
Anyway thanks for the advice on larger tetras. May be when I am brave enough to try again I will get some of those.

[tiptoegirl]

do you think they ate my shrimps too? Can you tell I am new to this game

[Demi ^_^]

Hmmm, I have not much experience, but it seems so :/ If they ate the Cardinals, are getting pally :41: and now the shrimp have disappeard, I would believe they are the hungry suspect!