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Old 05-05-2005, 04:15 AM   #5
Koji™
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Fries
A disconcerting thing happened next. The fry developed strong cannibalistic tendencies. They devoured one another whenever possible, and even when it was not they would bite and injure each other. Many of bitten juveniles developed fungal (Saprolegina) or protozoan infestations and died.



Alarmed that I might lose the fry I had worked so hard to obtain, I decided on two strategies. First, I placed one of the largest and most robust fry in a small tank by itself, so that I could be sure of having at least one that none of the others could get at. Next, I placed the remainder of the fry into a large tank, heavily planted with Glossostigma and Fontinalis. I reasoned that perhaps their aggression was intensified by crowding, and hoped that the extra room and places to hide would help. I found that while the cannibalism continued, it was not as bad, and this behavior peaked at an age of about 30-45 days, when the fry were about 1.1-2.6 inches (2.8-6.5 cm) long.



Growth continued as follows. At 70 days of age the fry were 3.8-4.2 inches (9.5-10.5 cm), and had begun to eat bloodworms and small fishes in addition to the tubifex they had been getting. At 180 days they were 5.2-6.0 inches (13-15 cm) long and were eating larger fishes such as goldfish. At 300 days they were 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long and were eating goldfish, crawfish, shrimp, grasshoppers, crickets, earthworms, mealworms, air-dried and freeze-dried krill, and prepare food sticks.

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