OB Peacock Cichlid Digging and Rearranging Substrate

[rtopa]

My OB Peacock cichlid likes digging, moving and rearranging the substrate around the tank. Is this typical of cichlids? I usually put out a fairly level base of substrate and within a few days to a week, he clears out the substrate from the front of his cave, almost to bare bottom, and usually moves it to the back of the tank, although some to the side also. I've attached a couple photos of the tank. Does he not like the substrate or is this just something that cichlids do? We tried a sand substrate, but my husband didn't like it at all. Currently it is a combination of sand and gravel.

 

[OB Guy]

That's normal Cichlid behavior, they like to dig in substrate and rearrange things. Don't be surprised he he digs up your plants to. Welcome to Cichlidaholics.

 

[rtopa]

That plant with the purple leaves has been wrecked by Scotty's activity and the lighthouse is usually tipping over. I straightened lighthouse a bit for picture. Plant is now gone and tank is totally rearranged. I had to swap my baby bristlenose pleco into the smaller tank and so he wouldn't get eaten, and the adult bristlenose pleco (Tuvok) into this tank because he'll be better able to deal with the larger fish. Since he has a larger piece of driftwood that he lives on it had to come over too and required complete tank rearrangement.

 

[OB Guy]

Just make sure don't put anything tall and heavy enough to break the glass in your aquarium if the OB digs around it and tips it over.

 

[rtopa]

Pretty much everything in tank now is shorter. Lighthouse is probably the tallest thing in tank.

 

[Higgity]

My guy does that when displaying breeding behavior.