Hypancistrus zebra catfight

[sharko]

Video tape of my alpha male being challenged.

The file is big,about 45MB.but it will be worth the wait

Gives a new meaning to the word "catfight"

Right click and choose save target as..

http://public.qtopia.no/KIKZebrafight.wmv



Could not have done this without your help McEve

[McEve]

That's not true at all Sharko! The movie would just have been 110 MB and rather darker.... You recorded it!

This was filmed while the tank lights were out. You really should see this one, it really is worth the download time. It was a jaw dropping experience for me to watch this kind of behaviour from a Zebra! I never would have thought them capable of this

Sharko ended up having to stop recording and separate the fish before they damaged eachother seriously.

[du ma]

cool video.


the first 2 zebra that i had a year ago fought worse than this, they rolled cartwheels and tail whipped each other like mad. i seperated the fight and then they fought again at night. the looser lost half its tail and after it grew back crooked.

[Dr. P]

Wow!! That would have went on all night!! Twas like a Zebra version of UFC!!!! Definately worth the download.

[Ed_R]

IT doesnt want to play for me, even after downloading it. Tells me I don't have the rigth codec but doesn't know which codec I need.

[McEve]

I used the Indeo codec, published by Intel. Windows Media Player is supposed to download it automatically if you don't have it, but obiously it didn't for you Ed... so this is the place for any codec you could possibly want I guess.

Sorry about that!

[Ed_R]

Not your fault, McEve;)

[Jo]

That is 1 wild fight, I have seen mine fighting over a cave but it only lasted 5-10 secs before 1 gave up and went elsewhere.

Great video hope u can capture some more zebra behaviour.

[Ed_R]

Had to download it through IE6 befor eit woudl work. Masn, mine have never moved that fast in their lives.
And I dunno about you but I'd be plenty worried if I saw the stripes getting knocked off the one;)

[sharko]

Well it was a bit hectic for a while,wonder if i should sell the Alpha male,all he does is lying in his cave, and sometimes comes out to "Scratch that ich".
He is avoiding trouble,but trouble always find him"

Those two have been fighting off and on for 4 weeks now,(so has his stripes) but the day this was caught on film i had to remove him.

"Dad"(ME) had both hands in the tank,telling them to make love,not war!!!

Maybe he will be put up for sale soon...

Can it be that all this fighting is the reason why they don't lay eggs?

Got 3 zebra's in another tank,they laid infertile eggs not so long ago.Found the eggs just outside the cave.

[Ed_R]

Try putting the big male in the other tank?

[sharko]

oh,he's already firmly removed now

[zebra046]

I would keep the Alpha male in the same tank and remove the Beta male, if there is a new Alpha male the tank would again re-establish thier heirarchy, and most of the time the dominat male are the best breeders this apply to most animals from lions to guppies to humans, removal of the beta male would curb down the catfight unless there is a new contender willing to take his place.

[McEve]

Wouldn't that depend on how firm the alpha's position is?

If the group is in the middle of a coup there'd be no spawns until the matter is settled. If you have two equally strong males, then that could take time, or never be settled at all? Considering we force them to be together, while in nature the one sensing he was the weaker wouldn't keep fighting for the position in that particular group, but rather wander off to find one of his own?

Can't do that in a tank

[Skye]

very cool video sharko. fascinating behaviours!! keep filimg... i would love to see more stuff...

edit: ps... what type of substrate are you using in that tank??