P. t. 'lobe' behavior

[tjudy]

Pel. taen. 'lobe' is a new fish for me. I have kept several kribs, but not this species. I have had a group of four (two pairs) for a little over a week. I noticed that they have an interesting feeding style. They move rapidly over the substrate, nose down, scooping mouthfulls of gravel and spitting it out; very much like some geophagine fish I have kept.

I started to feed a sinking spirulina pellet that has a high fish protein content in order to cater to this bottom feeding strategy, and they went nuts. Whenever I feed they all come rushing out all over the tank and very quickly 'sweep' the gravel surface. They pay no heed to falling food like my other kribs do. The want the stuff off the bottom.

Anybody else notice this behavior? MY P. t. 'moliwe' and 'nyete' do not do it. Just the 'lobe'...

 

[Randall]

P. taeniatus "Lobe"

Dear Ted,

Now that you mention it, my pair of Lobe also feed in the fashion that you describe; off the bottom only. My pair of P. taeniatus "Makoure," on the other hand, generally feed off the bottom but will also catch food in the water column.

Interesting, isn't it?

Randall Kohn

 

[Neil]

I have been looking at my pair of Lobe and have not seen quite the same differences from my other taeniatus. But, they are in with 4 or 5 humilus fry that are little pigs. I think that there are attacking the food in the water column out of necessity.

 

[Orchid]

Yes, I noticed this same feeding behavior with my Lobes before they passed. I fed mine several varieties of flake, they also ate the flake as it sunk. I tried feeding them some sinking Color bits, but they spit them out-maybe they were too hard. I had hoped they would eat the snails that infest that tank, but they had nothing to do with them. The Borelis and the Dicrosus relish them in my discus tankl.