My Halfbeak Ate My Java Moss!

[guppymonkey]

This is just weird. I set up a new tank to breed my halfbeaks. There is a lot of Java Moss in the tank for the eventual fry to hide in. Also my half beaks seem to like the moss, seems to make them calm down somewhat. After I added the pair of halfbeaks I left the light off for a day to let them adjust slowly. When I turned on the light last night I noticed something really weird. There seemed to be java moss sticking out of the anus of the female! She must have eaten the java moss for some reason. She has passed the clump of moss and seems to be okay but its just a really odd occurance. I have never seen a fish do this before.

 

[nmonks]

I'm not sure that Java moss will help with the halfbeaks. Which species are you keeping? Baby Nomorhamphus ("Celebes halfbeaks") seem to swim at the bottom of the tank and may hide in the moss, but baby Dermogenys ("wrestling halfbeaks") stay pretty close to the surface.

Anyway, don't worry about halfbeaks eating greenery. Some specimens will snap at anything that floats by. Marine halfbeaks certainly eat some plant matter, and it may be normal for freshwater ones to do so, too.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[guppymonkey]

I actually just got some help identifying these from you nmonks. I am pretty sure they are N. ebrardtii. It seems to have just passed through her, no digestion at all. It looked exactly the same way it does growing in the tank. My halfbeaks seem to spend a lot of time towards the bottom and middle of the tank and only come to the top when there is food. I am not sure if this is because I don't have any floating plants though.