Interesting Parental Behavior

[Cichlids1]

I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this kind of behavior in other dwarfs...
I've got a pair of Bolivian Rams (M. altispinosa) in a 15g with a pair of Pelv. taeniatus "Dehane" The bolivians spawned a few days ago, and I didn't have a hatching tank available, so I let them keep them. Well, they are now guarding about 50 wigglers.
The Dehane spawned tonight, and I happend to have a tank ready for eggs, and I pulled the eggs. While I was reaching around in the tank for the cave with the eggs, I decided to smoothe some of the sand out that the pelvs had so thoughtfully piled in one corner. I do that, grab the cave, walk across the room and put the eggs in a hatching tank. When I come back, I notice the female rams sucking up wigglers. There are now about 3 left in their shallow pit.
I figured I blew it. They ate the wigglers becuase I was creating havoc in the tank. So, I sat down to watch and drown my sorrow with one more cup of coffee before I turn in. Low and behold, about 15 minutes after I sat down, mom ram swims over to the now empty pit and spits out all the wigglers. Carried them around almost like a larval mouthbrooder does.
I've seen dwarfs pick up a few at a time and move them to different areas, suck up strays and spit them back into the group, etc. But I've never seen one gather them up in a protection mode. Was a total suprise since she had been swimming all around the tank for so long with the entire spawn in her mouth. Is this a common behavior that I just haven't noticed before? As much as I stare at my tanks, hard to believe I'd miss something like this...

 

[mordor]

I saw larger cichlids which carried they babies many times around the tank to fool enemies. I guess it would be common behavior for cichlid which spawn into substrate.

 

[Z Man]

Every cichlid that ever bred for me always picked up their wigglers and fry and moved them from place to place in the tank. I once counted 10 moves made by a female Apisto during one day. I'm also sure I missed a few. If I have four pots in a tank with just the female and her spawn, she will use all four at least once a day. I have been told they clean out an area and take the fry there and immediately begin cleaning another area to move them again. The hardest thing for a first time breeder is to watch the female take them in her mouth and then not see her spit them out again. But they almost always do. I guess the wigglers have at least small excretions and she keeps moving her children to keep them clean. In the evening even the male will help in gathering the fry back into their sleeping place.

 

[Cichlids1]

Yeah, I've seen her moving them all over the tank to different little pits made in the sand. This is the first time I've ever seen her take the entire brood in her mouth at once, then spit them back out into the same pit after everything had calmed down. She carried them for a good 15 minutes...was just something I haven't seen them do with any of the prior broods.

 

[Neil]

Cichlids1,
I have seen that a couple of times before with Dwarfs. I even had a aggie who kept them(20) in hear mouth for about 10 minutes while I was doing some stuff (getting some big tertas out) and then she spit them back out in her cave when I put it back in the tank. I thought that she would eat them for sure. Pretty cool- some of the odd things these fish do, huh!