Ok so about 30 mins ago I saw the weirdest and unexpected thing happen in my tank. Short background to this is that I have a new scape in my 180 and as a result of trying to get a carpet going (minimal success so far) the tank has been fish free for just over a month. However, although I never added any fish food I had a lot of planaria and so added 3 diamonds to the tank on Sunday and within a few days (plus no feeding from me) planaria problem solved.
Now, I've kept diamons in some form since 09. To me, they look like bits of gliter or burt cinder waving in the wind when they swim at speed, something they often do. But in that time I've never given the diamons a planted tank to themselves. I've removed them and bred them seperatly on occassion but again they've always been part of the community. Never species only.
But anyway, today when my lights came on I witnessed something I've never read about and have only seen in discus. one of the three diamonds had fry attached to her in exactly the same way discus have fry feeding on their slime coat.
At first I thought it was a severe infestation! Having never seen this before and thinking the diamond was being eaten alive it gave me goosebumps. So I quickly reached for the net and opened the lid. As I opened the lid the female moved off (remember I havent fedthem in some time) and it was only at that point I realised it was fry because they swam to the neaerest plant.
I should stress that this isn't (to my knowledge) documented behaviour. I have always believed that tetras show no parental care and would eat the fry and their own eggs on sight. So I'm really baffled and quite freaked out by this abnormal behaviour?
I have a couple of theories as to what was going on but I'm left wondering what weird things others have seen in their aquariums?
Now, I've kept diamons in some form since 09. To me, they look like bits of gliter or burt cinder waving in the wind when they swim at speed, something they often do. But in that time I've never given the diamons a planted tank to themselves. I've removed them and bred them seperatly on occassion but again they've always been part of the community. Never species only.
But anyway, today when my lights came on I witnessed something I've never read about and have only seen in discus. one of the three diamonds had fry attached to her in exactly the same way discus have fry feeding on their slime coat.
At first I thought it was a severe infestation! Having never seen this before and thinking the diamond was being eaten alive it gave me goosebumps. So I quickly reached for the net and opened the lid. As I opened the lid the female moved off (remember I havent fedthem in some time) and it was only at that point I realised it was fry because they swam to the neaerest plant.
I should stress that this isn't (to my knowledge) documented behaviour. I have always believed that tetras show no parental care and would eat the fry and their own eggs on sight. So I'm really baffled and quite freaked out by this abnormal behaviour?
I have a couple of theories as to what was going on but I'm left wondering what weird things others have seen in their aquariums?