Platies Feeding Behavior

[Arashi]

I just bought two platies (a yellow and an orange) and and a pleco yesterday, to go in my 25 gallon with my three zebra danios and one of our bettas. I've noticed something extremely adorable about the way they've been eating. They will not eat the flake food (not that I've seen anyways) that I've provided. I put a veggie wafer in the tank for the pleco, and he just sort of left it. So, the platies came out from behind the plants and the orange one started eating it, while the yellow one stayed very close by. Then they switched, and the yellow one ate while the orange one stayed close. It was so cute, as if they were keeping an eye out for each other as they ate.

Has anyone else noticed their platies doing this, and is this normal platy behavior? I've kept platies before, and they never did this.

 

[jams.alaskan]

When my platties and other sim fish eat at an algea wafer they ALL mob it, I've never noticed the "look out post". Perhaps since they are new to the tank they are not so sure that there isn't a pike hiding behind the plants. Given time I bet they give up on the caution and both feed at the same time.

ALASKA

Must be cute to watch...

 

[Arashi]

Yeah, thats sort of what I was thinking. They probably just need time to adjust to their new surroundings. But it is really cute nonetheless.

Now they are 'standing guard' over the wafer! It's so darn funny! If the danios come close they chase 'em away!