Why do platty fish do this?

[maranatha]

OK Time for the dumb question department. I have had 5 adult platty fish, and all of them do this crazy thing. They put their "nose" on the back pane of the aquarium near the bubble filter contraption, then they go up and down, up and down, on and on and on and on! Like they are trying to draw vertical lines on the glass. What the heck is all that about? Thanks guys. Feeling dumb in New Orleans.

 

[tstenback]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. My platies and swords have always done this all over the tank but normally in the flow of the filter or if there is an airstone or air curtain in the tank they will do this near the bubble stream. Don't know if there is any significance to it but my fish have been doing it for years and are still healthy.

 

[myenigmaself]

My platies, mollies, and puffers (occasionaly my kuhli's do it when they're not hiding) all do this and seem to be quite healthy. I can't explain it, but I don't think it's anything to worry about.

 

[sinistral]

Chalk up another vote for "don't know why, but they all seem fine". My platies started swimming up and down in the stream of bubbles from my airstone shortly after I put it in there. They are all thriving. I take this behavior as a sign that I am a great fishkeeper. I think everybody else who has fish who exhibit this type of behavior must also therefore be great.

For a while one of my black sail cories was doing the same thing over on the non-airstone side right after I got him. I was afraid he was going to knock himself out because he was doing it with such manaical intensity. I turned the light off to go to bed, and he stopped and hasn't resumed.

 

[Dwarfs]

When my fish do that it is usually to get stuff (algae) off the glass. They do it when they are hungry. (I don't over feed them)

 

[Dwarfs]

It's perfectly normal 4 most fish, i don't know about platie cuz i don have them but 90% of my fish do it. ( i have a lot of fish)