The Mexican Tetra

[CaveBuddy95]

Have you ever noticed those little fishes that tag along with you when you enter the cavern, then the cave?
Well this little creature are apparently and most logicaly destroying all the blind fish population and most invertebrates.

How?

Apparently by following our powerful lights, as we are taking them for a "cave safary"!!

What could we do about it?

Staying safe ourselves and protecting the cave environment would be to enter in "No lights" & "Touch and Go" until far enough (how long is the piece of string?) into the cave so mister Tetra would not dare follow!

Any thoughts? Better ideas?
Please share and read the great article about The Mexican Tetra Astyanax mexicanus in www.caves.org where it is suggested that we find safe techniques to avoid more predation...
Poor little blind fish! He did see that coming!

Thanks a lot

Saludos,

[CaveBuddy95]

Don't you see what I am talking about?
I'm sure some of you who have been diving in Mex have seen those little critters.


"No light entry" or ...??

[FW]

Talk to the guides. I dove with a guide at DeRosa's years ago named Pablo, and he had us do no lights entries into Sac Aktun to keep the tetras out.

[LCF]

Has anyone looked at how far into the cave the fish will follow divers without lights? There is definitely a limit to how far I want to take a team into a cave with our lights covered (and I wouldn't head into a cave with my light off, because I'd have no way of knowing it would strike when requested).

[CaveBuddy95]

Hi guys,
Good point Lynne, you do not want to go in with the lights off! (-1 for me!)
well it is a possibility to start the dive with the light covered, I guess with a good dive plan.. But surely how far?
Does anybody knows more about the tetras?

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Rig a coozie with a boltsnap and leave it on the line? They're mostly lightproof...

[sskasser]

How much light is too much? Will they follow my dive computer, or will they only go where they can actually see? We saw them when we were there last month, but I didn't think to "test" them.

[deepairmike]

Tiny spearguns!!! Let's go hunting

[Sludge]

Minor hijack, but you know the big crayfish you see outside the cave at Jackson Blue? I saw one at the Elbow, which is at p2,400'.

[Ed Jackson]

They look just like one of the tetras sold in tropical fish stores. I have a bunch in my tank but cannot remember their name.

I have seen them follow us all the way to back to the blue Abyss in Pet Cememtry which is a 45 minute swim. I think they will go back as far as the divers.

I remember swimming into Carachol at Labnaha. We saw hundreds of tiny remipeds on the way in. On the way out they were almost completly gone due to the tetras.