Fire bellies fighting!

A

audrey

Guest
I have four fire bellies in a 10gal aquarium. They have been living together for a year or so now and just in the last few months they have become agressive eaters. I feed them about once a week, and leave some worms in their tank so that they can munch in between time. When I feed them they are biting each other and only going for the worms that the other ones are eating. The smallest one got bit on the head and shook all around and then bit in the middle of his body. There don't seem to be any wounds but I am worried about this behavior. I have separated them, but I want to know if this is normal and fine or if I should be doing something different?
 
My pleurodeles do this sometimes. Feeding them a little less, but more often seems to help keep the aggression down a bit. I imagine food just isn't such an issue if you're not REALLY hungry.
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I got a wonderful tip from someone on this board a few years ago, too: if you turn the light and filter off before you feed, for some reason they're nicer to each other. I have no clue why it works, but it does.

I have to ask: what kind of "firebelly" do you have? If they're paddletails (stores sometimes label ANYTHING with a red belly as a "firebelly"), they should be kept separately, as Paddetails are very territorial and aggressive with each other. There's a bunch more info on that in the Paddletail section: http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/27447.html?1160178612
 
My firebellies are cynops orientalis. I should have been more specific. I also do turn off the filter and lights when I am feeding; and I also have a paddletail, but she is kept all by herself! She is fiesty! I just haven't ever seen this aggressive of behavior from the cynops. I will try feeding them more ofter. Thanks
 
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