Post by aquaglory on Aug 30, 2010 0:42:22 GMT -5
I just added some cardinal tetras to my newly cycled 36 gallon tank (3 yesterday, of which one didn't make it, and two more today-- for a total of four). I would have gotten a total of 5, but I got the last two from the store, today.
Today, before I added the 2 more cardinals, I noticed that the male was aggressively "attacking" the female. The female would run away, then sometimes go back to try to school with the male. Sometime, I noticed the female hiding in the opposite corner of the tank. The male also seems to be eating a bit whereas the female less so. I tried giving them a tiny bit of crushed Spirulina flakes and at a different time 2 or 3 FD tubifex worms, but I get the impression they don't even know that its there. Anybody know if the male was being aggressive or if this is mating behavior? I wouldn't expect mating behavior, normally, given the fact that cardinals are usually difficult to breed and also given the fact that they were just placed in a new tank.
Later today when I added the 2 more cardinals, I noticed that the female from yesterday was being aggressive towards the new female, almost as if to shoo her from the school. In the store, I noticed that the male in their tank was displaying to the female there.
General note: according to PetSmart, these are tank bred cardinals. Also all of these cardinals are from the same batch and were previously together at the store. They had been there for about 2 weeks before I got them.
Water parameters:
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10 (before I added more Amquel plus and did a mini 1.5 gallon water change), hardness 300 (or a bit more based on the paper test strip at PetSmart), pH 6.8. All the tests other than the hardness were using the API liquid tests. The PetSmart water is very similar to mine, but with Nitrate around 15 and pH at 7.
My tank has a good amount of driftwood and has some myriophyllum, Ludwigia repens, banana plant, Java fern, an Anubias, 2 kinds of cryptocoryne, and some struggling baby tears (HC).
I hope someone can help me out with this behavior. Also any suggestions on how to get the cardinals to eat would be greatly appreciated. I noticed them "tasting" some of the micro white worms (I think Carl called them detritus worms), but I haven't seen them actually eating them.
Thanks in advance!
Today, before I added the 2 more cardinals, I noticed that the male was aggressively "attacking" the female. The female would run away, then sometimes go back to try to school with the male. Sometime, I noticed the female hiding in the opposite corner of the tank. The male also seems to be eating a bit whereas the female less so. I tried giving them a tiny bit of crushed Spirulina flakes and at a different time 2 or 3 FD tubifex worms, but I get the impression they don't even know that its there. Anybody know if the male was being aggressive or if this is mating behavior? I wouldn't expect mating behavior, normally, given the fact that cardinals are usually difficult to breed and also given the fact that they were just placed in a new tank.
Later today when I added the 2 more cardinals, I noticed that the female from yesterday was being aggressive towards the new female, almost as if to shoo her from the school. In the store, I noticed that the male in their tank was displaying to the female there.
General note: according to PetSmart, these are tank bred cardinals. Also all of these cardinals are from the same batch and were previously together at the store. They had been there for about 2 weeks before I got them.
Water parameters:
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10 (before I added more Amquel plus and did a mini 1.5 gallon water change), hardness 300 (or a bit more based on the paper test strip at PetSmart), pH 6.8. All the tests other than the hardness were using the API liquid tests. The PetSmart water is very similar to mine, but with Nitrate around 15 and pH at 7.
My tank has a good amount of driftwood and has some myriophyllum, Ludwigia repens, banana plant, Java fern, an Anubias, 2 kinds of cryptocoryne, and some struggling baby tears (HC).
I hope someone can help me out with this behavior. Also any suggestions on how to get the cardinals to eat would be greatly appreciated. I noticed them "tasting" some of the micro white worms (I think Carl called them detritus worms), but I haven't seen them actually eating them.
Thanks in advance!