Senegal eating plants

[Disturbed.)]

I'm starting to worry my senegals are getting outcompeted by tankmates and underfed. Just caught one eating Jungle Val just after I transplanted it into the tank. Took a few bites got one on video. Is this normal behavior just checking out something new or should I speed up getting them into another tank I haven't built yet? They are fully grown and temporarily with a Delhezi and Ornate both about 12". 3 adult Electric Blue Acara and 2 adult Severum and some hoplo catfish that will be moving with them.

 

[Disturbed.)]

My better half figured out how to resave the video as a gif to load it. These guys look fat and healthy and I watch them take Northfin Carnivore pellets but they struggle with them.

 

[tlindsey]

My better half figured out how to resave the video as a gif to load it. These guys look fat and healthy and I watch them take Northfin Carnivore pellets but they struggle with them.

View attachment 1515076

I'm looking at eggs on the substrate so possibly eating their eggs off the plants.

 

[tlindsey]

I'm looking at eggs on the substrate so possibly eating their eggs off the plants.

It's possible it may just be the video. My Senegal would tear bits of Java Moss and they were well fed

 

[Disturbed.)]

Yeah that's just from how bad the video got after compressing it to gif.
OK well that's good to hear. I never worried when they swiped algae wafers from other fish but first time I'd seen them take bites of actual plants

 

[jjohnwm]

Yeah, I saw all those squirming dots on there, but I just assumed I was having a stroke...

Did you actually observe any plant matter being ingested? The video looks to me like the bichir is trying to pick small food items off the plants, rather than eating the plants themselves.

The fish certainly does not look emaciated.

 

[Disturbed.)]

Yeah it was eating the brown mess that gets left behind when Val looses its outer blades