Fish creating sand mounds

[Dooboedoo12]

So weird my Malawi cichlids create these. It's the second one. Not sure how when or why. Anyone that can explain it?

 

[Mifsud]

This is a good question for the cichlid experts over on the cichlid discussion forum.

 

[wavedancer]

I'm not really sure its any help to you but take a look at this article and the photos ,
All made by 1 single pufferfish
A marine mystery solved (and a bit about birds) « Why Evolution Is True

 

[pip walters]

Is that driftwood in the tank? Perhaps they are tring to bury it because they don't want it in their tank.

 

[wavedancer]

My post didn't show up

 

[Wiggles24]

All i can say is that my Kribs dig holes under things to make their own caves for spawning

 

[captaincritical]

I'm pretty sure digging in sand is a common cichlid behaviour. They're synonymous with digging up and unrooting plants by doing this.

 

[GreenLily]

Yep. Mine don't make mounds really.. They make a bunch of craters under every rock.:sly:

 

[Dooboedoo12]

It seems like that last post is exactly what they are doing. That's not the only mound. The plants are always dug up and there's spots under the rocks. I hope a rock doesn't fall on one. I had it happen a month ago to my other fish. Those bastards are like Wiley coyote

 

[GreenLily]

They are horrible about it, aren't they?! about a couple months ago, mine dislodged a rock.. TWICE. The same rock! Luckily, nobody was under it when it fell over, but it was pretty irritating because for some silly reason, I thought if I covered it back up that they'd get the idea that it's not a good idea to do that under that rock. But they didn't, naturally! I think that most of these guys also like their plants floating- even those that aren't supposed to float. I have read that if you raised them up from juvies around plants, they may leave them rooted. But I am pretty sure that the majority of the time, they will just uproot them anyway. I don't even bother with plants that need to be rooted (live plants). You could try floating live plants, they actually DO like floating plants.
Here are a few pics of what kind of "damage" my little guys do.

I "dust" these rocks every other day, and they keep pouring on the sand.

I'm starting to just give in and let them have it their way.

 

[Dooboedoo12]

Hahahahahaha all sounds like what they do!!!!! I found the plants floating the other day and they are just babies. I have a whole bunch of floating plants in there for them already so I was hoping they would leave the others be. I think I have to tie them down with some string to a rock or something. It's starting to get old

 

[PAwrangler08]

My parrot cichlids do the same thing, normally out of a fake cave with open bottom, and around my teracotta pot.

 

[Brookster123]

My apisto's made mounds right before spawning.. They also dug out a cave for the eggs! Very cool freshwater fish such as bass will dig out beds for spawning, they meticulously maintain them by tail fanning debris off and out, during spawning season their tails are all best up and ragged! That's why I love cichlids, just like little basses..