Rein wants to know:
I have 15 in my tank and two of them are digging holes in each of the back corners? My husband was laughing and said they are trying to excape….know this isn’t true, but what is it?
I have 15 in my tank and two of them are digging holes in each of the back corners? My husband was laughing and said they are trying to excape….know this isn’t true, but what is it?
July 10th, 2009 at 9:37 am
That’s what they do. They rearange tanks. Sorry if they mess your tank up a little, but it is normal behavior.
July 11th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
It would be easier to tell if you could tell us the species! But I suspect they are considering committing parenthood.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Good lord how big is your take if you’ve got 15 in there??? Or are you just looking for an overcrowding problem?
P.S. your cichlids are just making a home for themselves (nesting if you will)
July 14th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Cichilds destroy the Set-up of your tank. They basically rip out decors from the tank. They destroy everything in the tank. They are for us “Masters of Demolition”.
CC
July 15th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Your cichlids are searching for a suitable site to breed. A lot of cichlids search for a smooth surface to deposit their eggs. If they can’t find a spot, they will use the bottom glass tank floor. Be prepared to have some baby brine shrimp ready to feed the fry (babies).
Have fun and enjoy watching the cichlids.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
They may be getting ready to breed.But cichlids like to dig,it’s in their nature.I’m surprised they all aren’t doing it.
I had an Oscar that used to pick up mouthfulls of gravel,and spit them out at me.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
I agree with a couple others that this is a sign of preparing to breed. Most fish like a cleaned flat surface to lay eggs on, but that is assuming that you fish are egg layers (you didn’t mention what species). Then again, most cichlids just like to dig and rearrange their tank to there liking. Maybe they didn’t like how you and your husband had it set up so they took it upon themselves to fix it, lol. Good luck with your fish, oh yea, they are not trying to escape.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:33 am
they are making a house is all they didnt like the way it look nothing to worry about… you should see my tank it has rock like 8 inches high in one corner and he is still spliting them out
July 21st, 2009 at 2:40 am
lol I agree with your husband
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:26 am
It’s what cichlids do. Its part of the breeding behavior, but doesn’t nessicarly mean they’re getting ready to spawn, but sort of their genetic makeup.
July 25th, 2009 at 4:55 am
I hope you have a very large tank for 15 cichlids.What kinds are they,the ones digging may be attempting to breed and some breeding cichlids such as convicts will try to clear the tank of all other fish to protect the fry.
Many cichlids will dig and uproot your plants almost daily so it’s not anything to worry about if your tank is big enough and you haven’t mixed types that should not be together.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:15 am
First off, Cichlids require an aquarium with a sandy bottom (not gravel), robust plants, caves and rocks.
I have heard that they dig through the plants, occasionally uprooting them. It can either that or they are breeding since Cichlids don’t really have a set breeding schedule or routine.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I have African Cichlids that do the same thing. My tank, in addition to the person who commented above has gravel stacked high on the sides. My albino one scoops up mouthfuls all day and spits it against the glass. For weeks I had no idea what that noise was when I was trying to sleep lol. I used to fix the plants and such but I gave up, they like it that way so I dont bother anymore.
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:34 am
Are they male or female? If they are females they’re most likley re-decorating. Normal activity!