Leichardti Building a nest?

[señor_pescados_felices]

I am trying to take a vid but he is so camera shy.It's like he sees I have something in my hand and suddenly becomes distrustful as all hell."what is that thing?what are you gonna do with that?Screw this I'm out."

Anyhow he is getting right down on the bottom and doing the shimmy in a way Ive only seen cichlids do before,creating a sort of shallow pit in the sand.He is also using his mouth to move nearby plants just like a cichlid and even used his mouth to move a mouthful of sand and gravel on one occasion.

The thing is I get the impression it kinda thinks my RB snook is another aro?

I know that last part sounds a bit far fetched,I thought I must be imagining things too at first but the thing is my Lei is not the sharpest tool in the shed.

I had to remove my mag float because he kept attacking it where I used to leave it on the side of the tank, apparently it's long shape and grey color resembled another aro close enough that it was considered a threat.

he also seems to think that anything shiny is another aro,tinfoil barbs especially he hates those.

So I'm thinking he thinks my snook is another aro because its shiny, although you would think the color would throw him off.Either that or he thinks he is a snook.

He follows the snook around like it just wants to be close to it,and sometimes really seems like he's trying to get it to come back to his little pit with him.He sometimes succeeds and then starts gently nipping the snooks fins and shimmying some more.

I am trying to at least get picks but I know you guys need that video to confirm.

I had been refraining from making a thread on it until I had the evidence but I just can't hold it in any longer I had to share the peculiar behavior with someone....

 

[Death Pony]

Can't wait for the pics!!!!!!

 

[SiApA2]

very weird behavior indeed. At what size is your lei and your tank?
Looking forward to pictures

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

this is all I can get so far.

Pulling a real Michigan J. Frog on me

I figured I should have waited until I could get a video but they do it more in the morning so maybe tomorrow
Those of you who have kept lei's before know what kind of skittishness I deal with.

This pic of them together with the lei doing the shimey near his pit but not right over it (the snook is over it, its behind that branch)

this pic I got by charging into the room like a true stormtrooper and snapping the pic before he realized he'd been caught.

Other than that if I enter the room with camera in hand he goes up to the top back corner and if set it down he comes back down,only to dart up again if I even make a move for the camera.

I do not exaggerate when I say I have spent the entire time between starting this thread and typing this post camped out in front of the tank,can of easy cheese in one hand, camera in the other.


PS: the lei is only like 11-12" the tank is 6x3x2.5

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

he did I swear he did.....


This is what he does when he's not so worried I'm plotting his assassination, patrols that area around his "nest" under that branch.I'm sure you guys can see the little area he cleared out.He moved that plant thats in the front with the big leaves,it used to be in his nest.


I'll try tomorrow he almost always does it in the morning, I'm fairly sure I could get at least a quick video then.

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

I did what I could...lei's are just schizo.

These are as close as I'm going to get I really believe so.I ate up my batteries trying to take even just a short vid he doesn't trust me in the same room with something in my hand.

I suppose he's figured if I have something in my hand I'm about to put it in the tank (usually a net or deco or the mag float).

But I have been here long enough you guys should know I'm not just trying to spam up the site with outrageous claims,and I am kind of disappointed that nobody has any sort of semi intelligent comment on the situation as far as what he might be doing and why,things of that nature.Especially when I'm obviously trying very hard to prove my claims of him making a nest of sort,like I should have to to get some feedback.

I saw what I saw and he's been doing it for about the last week.

 

[Bogwoodbruce]

Thats so strange. I know that snooks like hanging around other big cichlids for security as my 13" Snook used ot be with my Oscars all the time, now he has a got a 8" female he now feels more secure and stays away.

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

bump

thanks Bruce, you give me hope.Perhaps someone else has some interesting input......

 

[DeLgAdO]

I am trying to take a vid but he is so camera shy.It's like he sees I have something in my hand and suddenly becomes distrustful as all hell."what is that thing?what are you gonna do with that?Screw this I'm out."

Anyhow he is getting right down on the bottom and doing the shimmy in a way Ive only seen cichlids do before,creating a sort of shallow pit in the sand.He is also using his mouth to move nearby plants just like a cichlid and even used his mouth to move a mouthful of sand and gravel on one occasion.

The thing is I get the impression it kinda thinks my RB snook is another aro?

I know that last part sounds a bit far fetched,I thought I must be imagining things too at first but the thing is my Lei is not the sharpest tool in the shed.

I had to remove my mag float because he kept attacking it where I used to leave it on the side of the tank, apparently it's long shape and grey color resembled another aro close enough that it was considered a threat.

he also seems to think that anything shiny is another aro,tinfoil barbs especially he hates those.

So I'm thinking he thinks my snook is another aro because its shiny, although you would think the color would throw him off.Either that or he thinks he is a snook.

He follows the snook around like it just wants to be close to it,and sometimes really seems like he's trying to get it to come back to his little pit with him.He sometimes succeeds and then starts gently nipping the snooks fins and shimmying some more.

I am trying to at least get picks but I know you guys need that video to confirm.

I had been refraining from making a thread on it until I had the evidence but I just can't hold it in any longer I had to share the peculiar behavior with someone....

i think your over analysing this too much, all it is agressive behavior. It is a leichardti after all.

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

I appreciate the suggestion (I appreciate any feedback at this point) but its not being aggressive,it never once chomps down on my snook as I have seen him do when he is "being aggressive" he just gently nips the fins of my snook,never even leaving a mark.If I put a silver aro or a tinfoil barb in there I could show you guys what his "aggressive" mode is all about.

You guys are focusing too much with the fact that it's following my snook,it's not doing that nearly as often as it is shimmying over it's shallow impression and making it's little nest, nor am I nearly as intrigued by the fact that it sometimes follows my snook as the fact that it is indeed working on a nest of some sort....a little "territory" of its own,to say the least.

For example,the short plant with the big leaves?Used to be behind the branch in that little clearing and I saw him move it with his mouth.

Thats what I'm asking is why do you guys think he's building a nest? (you don't have to call it a nest if you dont want to)

Him being horny was just one of my theories that I was only trying to support to an extent by adding his strange behavior toward my snook, and I already realize its an unlikely theory at that do to his small size,not the fact that he's a Lei and Lei's are aggressive (a misconception, they aren't that bad).