Odd Goings On...

[Benauld]

Does anybody know whether Gold Tetra (Hemigrammus rodwayi), would start eating plants if they are not fed enough? My Amozon Swords and some Cryptos are look a little nibbled around the edges. These are the only inhabitants, and even though I've spent a good few hours scouring the tank for snails, I can't see any.

I'm wondering whether to start upping the quantity of food in my feeding regime? Currently a couple of pinches of flake in the morning, and some frozen mysis/artema[sp?]/bloodworm etc, in the evening to feed five fish. Incidently, how much of those little cubes should I be using to feed that many fish, any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Ben.

 

[rdd1952]

Your plant eaters are more likely snails (and trust me, you have snails if you have live plants) than the tetras. It sounds as if you're feeding them plenty and Ive never seen tetras eat plants.

 

[Rillan]

If it was snails then the plants wouldent be nibbled around the edges, they would be eaten from the middle of the leaf outwards. My neon tetras used to eat my plants. Its nothing to worry about. Its food thats just there.

 

[Benauld]

Thanks for the replies,

I'm not so sure now, I know I'll probably get snails but i wouldn't have expected the amount of damage present in such a short time, I still think it was the tetras !

I have observed some interesting behaviour with them as well. Two of them will rise into the water column from the vegetation, and kind of mirror each other - holding their bodies at a 45 degree angle, one below and to the side of the other, whilst shaking their tails.

A little bit like this, when viewed head-on:

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They then move up and down the tank doing this...

Does anybody know what this behaviour is?