Holy Burrowing Apistos Batman!

[tolstoy21]

I just started using Carribsea's Jungle River as a substrate in many of my tanks. If you havent seen this substrate, it's a kind of sand made up of a billion teeny-tiny-little-itty-bitty pebbles. Its very light weight and attractive lookin. 

Now, I have a specific 40 breeder where I'm growing out a decent amount of Agassizii and Baenschi. Whenever I go to net out fish, half of them quickly dive down into the substrate, burrowing deep, completely underneath, and hide.

Has anyone else seen this kind of lunatic behavior?

[Guppysnail]

I started using Carib sea jungle river a few months ago. I was a vendor at a swap so had to net almost 200 Aspidora juveniles and close to 100 Apisto cauc. Juveniles. They ALL burrowed. I swore all the tanks we 100% empty. My friend helping double checked. I had moved all plants and hardscape and equipment out of the tanks to net. I seen a few bury themselves. 
Every tank still had fish happily milling about when I got home. 🙄

I love the grain size though. I can still vacuum and not as much gunk sits on top like fine sand. Not so much food drops between like with small gravel. 

[tolstoy21]

On 7/27/2023 at 7:05 PM, Guppysnail said:

I love the grain size though. I can still vacuum and not as much gunk sits on top like fine sand. Not so much food drops between like with small gravel.

Yeah I really like Jungle River and Peace River, but the win goes to Jungle River for the reasons you mentioned. Also, a 40lb bag of Jungle River is only like $10 more than a 20lb bag of Peace River. 

[anewbie]

On 7/27/2023 at 5:12 PM, tolstoy21 said:

I just started using Carribsea's Jungle River as a substrate in many of my tanks. If you havent seen this substrate, it's a kind of sand made up of a billion teeny-tiny-little-itty-bitty pebbles. Its very light weight and attractive lookin. 

Now, I have a specific 40 breeder where I'm growing out a decent amount of Agassizii and Baenschi. Whenever I go to net out fish, half of them quickly dive down into the substrate, burrowing deep, completely underneath, and hide.

Has anyone else seen this kind of lunatic behavior?

I have this substrate - I've not so much noticed burring when i try to catch them but some of my dwarf cihlid will dig into the substrate to make caves which is why i tend to make deep substrate - also for plant roots. At least 2 inches  - they don't just dig in the open (for caves) but under drift wood and rocks. I'm a big fan of allowing fishes to make 'natural' caves and try to avoid artifical caves. 

 

Btw not a species of apistogramma but my kribs did this:

 

This nest is really quite deep they raised many frys in it before i decided enough was enough.

You see the cockatoo near it - though he learned to stay far away over time.