Who's The Digger Then In My Tank....?

[Orbit887]

Well I've had a sand substrate now for a couple of months, and the only time it gets shifted around is when I do water changes cleaning it and also when i give it the occasional stir to stop the build up of gases etc

Over the last week or so I've noticed the sand being moved about and dug into a bit, especially round the branches of the bogwood that are in the sand, and just generally about the whole tank! Someone's managing to build up some large ridges and valleys on the bottom in some places!

On the bottom of the tank, the 3 bottom dwellers and main suspects are 1. a young BN (bout 2.5"); 2. the 6 panda corys or 3. the army of 10 shrimp!

I'm guessing it's the BN, but most of the moving seems to occur during the day, when I'm at work. When I leave it the morning it's a different terrain to what I come home to at night. Other occupants are 2 dwarf gouramis, neon & xray tetras, 5 of each, and quite sure it's none of them!

 

[PRW1988]

hmm believe it or not, I bet it's no the BN as they usually just attach themselves to a rock or something else... Best bet would be the cory cats as they are catfish and do sift through any substrate for left over food bits...

 

[moeldner]

My bristlenose does a lot of aquascaping for me in the tank - she shifts a lot of gravel around after a water change. I would guess it is that. The cories would be contributing too though I think.

 

[QuotheRaven]

The cories will be contributing to the digging as they sift the sand about looking for food the Bristlenose is a little to small to make a large impact in the sand my 4" BN plec can make a sizable hole in the sand if it shoots off the sand suddenly but the cories will be the ones it's good for the sand to be shifted around anyways

 

[Orbit887]

Haha well it's good to know it's not just by bottom dwellers that do re-scaping of the sand! Thanks for all the replies!

Was watching them all last night, and although the corys are moving sand a little, and having a small dig with their noses, the BN kicks up much more. Especially when it's feeding time, she latches onto her food, and chases away any corys, shrimp or the gouramis that get near, whipping her tail about. Suppose it all just adds up over time with her doing it everytime she's fed!

Anyway it never really mattered too much who was doing it, I was just interested as to who was the budding landscape gardener inside the tank! I'll flatten it out tonight when I give them a water change, and see how quickly they get around to changing it all again!

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

corys move what ever you have on the bottom about all the time. ever tried having a hill of sand with corys? they destroy it! but they are adorable little things

 

[Orbit887]

corys move what ever you have on the bottom about all the time. ever tried having a hill of sand with corys? they destroy it! but they are adorable little things

Haha no i've never tried that! But might well give it a go tonight instead of having it flat, give them a small mountain in the sand and watch them destroy it! They are cool little fish, when I show people pics of them they're never too impressed, but when they see them in action in the tank digging about for food they all fall in love with them straight away

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

their barbles annoy me for some reason. when i used to watch mine look for food and they go from side to side like car window wiper thingys, it used to make me want to pull them off lol im wierd and its a reason why i got rid of them. ohh man im wierd

or another thing you can do. get a small plate, or something dish related but not too deep, fill it with sand and water, put live blood worms in, let them settle and bury themselves and slowly put the bowl/plate/whatever in your tank and wait. the corys will love digging for them. and its fun to watch