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RE: Apisto protecting bloodworms
I've not seen that one, but I have seen signs of surrogacy. I have on
occasion had fry in one of those hang-on-the-tank containers that fish
stores use to hold recently caught fish. I have had female apistos come
up close to the cup near a group of fry, turn on her best yellow
breeding dress, and guard the fry with great energy. This dispite the
fact that the fry were of a different apisto species than the female,
and the female could see the fry, but not smell or touch them. I find
this particularly intriguing as I have very bad luck with egg/fry eating
among my Apistos, and normally pull the eggs for artifical rearing.
>----------
>From: Francis Brian O'Carroll" (Frank)[SMTP:ocarroll@acm.org]
>Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 1996 2:51 AM
>To: apisto@aquaria.net
>Subject: Apisto protecting bloodworms
>
>When I drop in a cube of frozen bloodworms, which eventually melts and
>settles on the bottom, one particular yet-to-be-identified apisto then
>hovers over the red larvae and guards them like they were her [or his]
>eggs or fry. Altho it must eat some of them at some stage (it certainly
>doesn't eat while I watch, but there is no other food in the tank and
>this particular fish is growing rapidly), it does not look like it is
>protecting them for food value. The other fish recognize the larvae as
>food and eventually get some away from the jealous "mother".
>
>Is this type of behavior not unknown? I have heard of Rams herding
>daphnia around. Is it a likely indicator that the fish is female?
>