# Which dig the most?



## Romble (Apr 11, 2007)

Hi All,

I am wondering which Africans tend to dig the most? I am setting up a 46G bowfront tank and love watching that behavior. I will have sand as my substrate. List any and all suitable for the tank size does not matter which lake although i like Malawi most.

thanks


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## Dizzcat (Aug 26, 2008)

All my males do, but it is my Acei who dig the most. Male and female! I will look over and one will be doing a huge full body dig, sending sand all over :lol: Even my newest little guy who is an inch and still in my fry tank is digging! I will wake up and there are piles all over the tank where its been busy! opcorn:

See what I mean? 









These are Acei http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1460


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

i c all my fish digging....my biggest digger is my female red zebra weird i know...its kool tho becuase before she holds shell dig out a huge hole and just sit in it


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## Dizzcat (Aug 26, 2008)

I have noticed my female Red Zebra only really digs when she is getting ready to spawn. When I see her digging I notice her tummy getting a little fatter too. This is how I know a spawn is in the making


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

ares must be from the same momma


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

although i have also seen my acei dig, by far my tramitichromis sp. intermedius dig the most for me...


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

When I had my red zebras, one would go back into his cave where you couldn't even see him, and then all of the sudden a jet stream of sand would come flying out of the cave... it was really neat to watch.


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## Dizzcat (Aug 26, 2008)

I had a single Metriaclima greshakei (Ice Blue) in the tank for about 2 months. He's the dominant guy, except he can't push my male Yellow Lab around. Anyways, he's about 5" and when I found out the lfs had some females I went and bought 2. As soon as he discovered there was girls in the tank he started doing this:
http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... igging.flv

He excavated the entire left forth of the tank! Knocked down my fakes plants and dug all the way to the bottom :roll: I brought the females home on a Thursday and they spawned the very next day! The other males loved what he had done and kept trying to sneak in his spot :lol: . When done, he turned a beautiful silver/blue and started vibrating and enticing the ladies opcorn:

So, now I have a pretty female in a 10 gallon next to my desk with a small mouthful of fry  I think they were both "virgins" because the spawn was kind of awkward and she didn't release many eggs, maybe 12 or so. :lol:


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

> I think they were both "virgins" because the spawn was kind of awkward and she didn't release many eggs, maybe 12 or so.


Ahhh yes, the obligatory awkward first spawn. I'm glad to see it's not just humans that go through it. :lol:


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## Dizzcat (Aug 26, 2008)

Hahahaha :lol: I wondered if they were even fertile for a few days because while she was picking them up he swam off to chase others away! I was like "Dude, get back over there and do your part!" :lol:


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## Scooby01 (Apr 1, 2009)

My Tilapia Buttikofferi is most definitely the big digger. He inhales a mouthfull of gravel and starts digging holes and building mountains. Everytime I syphon the poo and comb the gravel he seems irritated as if I've just ruined his sandcastle. :roll:


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## Dizzcat (Aug 26, 2008)

I saw a fake plant moving today, so went over to investigate. My Ice Blue had the stem in his mouth and was doing his best to move it to the other side of the tank! :lol: All he ended up doing was knocking it over.

As you can see Romble, no matter how you arrange the tank, they will undo all your hard work and fix it their way! Now I just stir up my sand and flatten it during a water change and by the next day I have cool hills and valleys all over!


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## Scooby01 (Apr 1, 2009)

Hmm Only 1 of my fish out of the 16 dig... Strange...


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## Aura (Oct 29, 2005)

My greshakei was a big digger with some help from the auratus. That big pile of sand was front and center, so I'd smooth it back down and a couple of days later, it was back!


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

Nothing pushes sand quite like a male featherfin.


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