# I Wonder Why P's Can Cohab With Other Fish, Then One Day Kill Them



## Joe.G (Dec 20, 2010)

I knew it would happen, My P's are about 3 In or so now and have had otehr fish in there tanks since day one. The P's would allow the other fish to go first and feeding and seemed to be good tank mates. I had no loses for teh last three months ( I Did loose two fish as soon as I added them to teh tank about two months ago and they nipped a bunch of fins. I had added like 8 fish in one shot) But then they calmed down and everyone got a long. Last week I lost two Pictus cat fish I now only have one left.. I lost three tetras in one shot and I lost a Chiclid. Now today I lost another tetra and They chewed up a Chiclid pretty good. I dont think hes gone make it.

Now Iknow this would happen. But I just wonder why everything can seem to be going so well and they would all eat and swim together and now they are picking them off.


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## Dolphinswin (Jun 26, 2010)

Pman always says piranha don't shoal, they only tolerate. I think when the tolerance level has reach there max its over for one.


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## MPG (Mar 14, 2010)

Its because your reds are getting bigger and the smaller fish are starting to look appetizing.


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## Joe.G (Dec 20, 2010)

Some Of teh Cichlids are close in size and so were the catfish. The also forgot that I tried to add two Black Tip cat fish last week and they were dead within minutes.

Like I said I know this was going to happenI just find it odd that they have made it so long and looked like they were geting along great and then bam fish are being taken out. I keep them well fed so I guess maybe that helps some otherwise I think they prob would all be gone.


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## RedneckR0nin (Nov 5, 2008)

To understand the concept of a shoal is and compared to something.

A school of fish is like a Woodstock hippy love fest. The fish are all casual around each other and in most cases don't even have the means to hurt each other.
A shoal however is like a chain gang of sociopaths. They are stuck with each other and they know it, they also know that they are dangerous but so is everyone else in their peer group. It then is a circle of mistrust and sizing one another up for weakness cause if one is weak it slows down the chain gang as a whole and that is not tolerated. Throwing in your cichlids is like tossing a professional fighter in with those crazies. Sure it is aggressive but doesn't have the capability to go where the violent ones can in extreme nature and instantly is identified as not part of the group. Not part of the group equates weakness and we already went over where that leads to.

Every piranha is this and only thing that differs is it's ability to coexist with something for a assumed amount of time and average length of time until conflict appears. Pretty much not a question of if but more so when and who!! Hope that helps you out in explaining it a bit better!


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## Piranha-Freak101 (Dec 8, 2010)

RNR said it better


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## bricklr (Aug 14, 2010)

RedneckR0nin said:


> To understand the concept of a shoal is and compared to something.
> 
> A school of fish is like a Woodstock hippy love fest. The fish are all casual around each other and in most cases don't even have the means to hurt each other.
> A shoal however is like a chain gang of sociopaths. They are stuck with each other and they know it, they also know that they are dangerous but so is everyone else in their peer group. It then is a circle of mistrust and sizing one another up for weakness cause if one is weak it slows down the chain gang as a whole and that is not tolerated. Throwing in your cichlids is like tossing a professional fighter in with those crazies. Sure it is aggressive but doesn't have the capability to go where the violent ones can in extreme nature and instantly is identified as not part of the group. Not part of the group equates weakness and we already went over where that leads to.
> ...











Good analogy .RNR


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