Acarichthys heckelii building pits?

[chriscoli]

I noticed my Acarichthys heckelii building pits yesterday. This is not its usual sand sifting behavior, but a very slow, deliberate scooping huge mouthfuls of sand.....then carrying it off to the side and spitting it out. The cories in the tank are having a fabulous time rooting through the spit-out sand.

The heckelii dug down to the bottom glass and is still trying to dig even further.

Is this normal behavior? Neurotic behavior? Breeding behavior?

Anyone seen this in heckelii before? If I had to guess, it's being done by the likely male, but it's not like you can sex these easily.

 

[Rasta Fish]

:cool0036:hmmmmm...so, you ended up with these guys
good to know ...
Sounds like nesting behavior to me
My Geophagus brasiliensis does this also right before they lay their eggs

 

[jonclark96]

Relatively normal NW behavior in my experience. There aren't many tanks in my house where there isn't a lot of sand moved around. Usually it happens pre-spawn, but not always. Some fish just like to dig.

 

[chriscoli]

Jon, that's really the crux of my question. Given that these are a digging type to begin with....I figured it might just be one of the things they do. It is a brand new behavior though.

Recently, the "third wheel" of my group died leaving me with the biggest and the smallest. Usually they hang out together. Then I had the heater controller falling in the tank incident a week or so ago, it allowed a fluctuation in the temperature while I ordered a new one (I was keeping the tank on the cool side....74 to 75 ish for the winter, but went up to 80 while I fussed around with just having one heater in the tank for a few days). Pit building started when the temp went up but now that I have the new controller back on and the temp is under control, there's still major digging happening intermittently.

Anyhow, I know these are near impossible to spawn, but I want to try my best to make sure the other one's got plenty of hiding places just in case the big one goes on an angry rampage.

 

[Localzoo]

Sweet best of luck...sounds like love is in the air and you figured out some secret environmental trigger.
Awesome! They're tough to breed


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[mchambers]

Christine, since this is happening in one of your tanks, I'm almost certain it is breeding behavior! Good luck with the fry!

 

[chriscoli]

I believe Tony has experienced the loss of a female due to amorous behavior of his heckelii.

 

[jonclark96]

Sounds like it is time to drop in a breeding cave. I'll try to find the article I read about it if we get sent home early from work, but apparently they like to spawn on a horizontal overhead surface. The breeding report I read said they achieved this with a PVC pipe with a 90 elbow and a cap on the upturned end.

 

[chriscoli]

Hmmmmm yeah, please send the link. I was just reading up on them.....apparently it's the female that does the digging of the nest.

 

[Becca]

Think I just saw a pair of these (not listed on the tank - so not sure of price) at Aquatic Creations on 355 in... I don't know... Hyattstown, or Clarksburg, not sure...

So if anyone is interested in obtaining a couple...

Good luck,Christine!

 

[dogofwar]

Definitely breeding behavior!

Do you have a say tube that's ~a foot by 4 or 5" diameter...with a J shape on the end (like large diameter PVC)? Partially submerge it in the substrate so they have to dig it out.

Keep a close eye on them. I've grown out heckelii to adults at least three times...only to have (seemingly placid) males shred females...

I bet the big weather change triggered it!

Good luck and take pictures

Matt

I believe Tony has experienced the loss of a female due to amorous behavior of his heckelii.

 

[AndyNarwhal]

These guys breed in deep tunnels in the wild (there is a really cool National Geographic video showing a pair and their nest somewhere). The tunnels have a vertical component which they breed on.

I have a pair (and 7 others) in a 120 gallon with a section of 4" diameter PVC pipe with an elbow and cap on top that goes from the bottom to the top of the tank for the last 6 months.

The pair take turns guarding the entrance, alternate going in and out, and even spend the night together up inside the cave.

But to this date I still have not seen any fry ever emerge.

Good luck!
Andy

 

[chriscoli]

Thanks, Andy! I saw that video....pretty cool seeing how they do it out in nature!

Do you have any pics of your setup?

 

[jonclark96]

Here is a good article by Wayne Leibel:

http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=59

 

[chriscoli]

Ah, yes, thanks Jon!

 

[chriscoli]

So, I've put a big tube with an elbow at the end in the tank right near the heckelii's territory. Given the number of reported spawnings in flowerpots, I also put two large pots in there (one at each end of the tank) just in case.

so far, a pair of jewels seems excited about the big tube.