Anyone?

[PufferFreak88]

I have two Ntt Datnoid one is at 5" and the other 4.5", I noticed the smaller Ntt Datnoid have a tendency to dig up the gravel create pothole in the aquarium and just laying sideway like its dead but when I throw some frozen krills the fish is going crazy eating it within a minute and then back to the old dead sleeping position. Whats going on here? My Ntt creates so many holes in the tank that make my tank look like a mess all my gravel are uneven. This kind of behavior kind of remind me when a Parrot cichlids. Anyone experience the same issue here with their NTT?

 

[frootloops]

Yup, some of my NTTs do that as well. They dig up the gravel with their fins and some just lay flat on the gravel which makes them look dead or dying. I think they're just trying to hide and blend in.

 

[FunWow!]

Yup...not uncommon. I see it all the time.

 

[Fractal]

I don't have gravel in my tank, but I have driftwood. My IT's have adopted that behavior sort of. They press themselves against the curves of the wood. I think that makes them feel more secure so they can sleep and such. It does make it hard do a head count in the morning though.

 

[emartin]

Sounds like they may be playing possum in a predatory fashion.

Nimbochromis livingstoni a malawi cichlid haplochromine is known to do this in the wild and it has been reported in aquaria. In most cases to get the livingstoni to do this in aquaria (even Tank Raised strains) you raise them with grow out juvenile edible-size cichlid fish.

I can't find the topic right now but on cichlid-forum someone posted a series of pictures of their livingstoni doing this, laying on it's side waiting for a juvenile cichlid to get close enough to it. From what I remember that particular livingstoni didn't get a hold of any prey though.

Here's a video clip of a N. livingstonii hunting in the wild and (as it appears) succeeds
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And another video of a wildcaught N. livingstonii male laying motionless in a shallow sand pit. Notice how the Cyrtocara moorii just swims over and bashes it to check if it's alive...
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I have NO IDEA what Datnioides natural habits are... (I think D. polota may be scale grazers as juveniles. I have a D. polota that every time I try to starve it off frozen food starts to graze scales off of my malawi haplochromines...very annoying)... But it wouldn't be stretch in my opinion that some Datnioides may be "possum" hunters in the wild...

I know my Clown Loaches, my larger ones that are 4-5.5"+ lay on their sides alot. I am not sure what their purpose is of doing it but it may also be to play dead and wait for juvenile fish to check them out. Because as soon as I walk towards the tank or a big fish swims over to look they pop right back up and get the hell out of there...

 

[FishHeadSoup]

Thats friggen Cool!!!

 

[Ade]

I have two Ntt Datnoid one is at 5" and the other 4.5", I noticed the smaller Ntt Datnoid have a tendency to dig up the gravel create pothole in the aquarium and just laying sideway like its dead but when I throw some frozen krills the fish is going crazy eating it within a minute and then back to the old dead sleeping position. Whats going on here? My Ntt creates so many holes in the tank that make my tank look like a mess all my gravel are uneven. This kind of behavior kind of remind me when a Parrot cichlids. Anyone experience the same issue here with their NTT?

when i had sand few years ago, my ntt and it tigers would do that often, ... that why i now have no substrate and the 2 fx5 inlets are as close to the bottom as possible.

if u like the substrate, u could remove 90% of it and just keep a sliver of sand or pebbles on bottom. if u do thid, remember to remove gravel gradually over a couple of weeks.

 

[spwd]

Weird ive never seen this before but my IT does do some strange things like sitting in the corner of the tank head down but vertical lol.

Steve

 

[phobull]

Those videos are cool, this explains why my living stoni use to live around.