T. verrucosus

[matthew]

I have just witnessed some odd behaviour in my big tank of biggest adults.

For about three weeks I've been concerned - they all became more terrestrial, more lethargic and totally disinterested in food. (No other signs of problems, no change in conditions.)

This morning most are suddenly back in the water -all are more active - and the ones in the water are very boisterous indeed (begging for food, some courtship behaviour).
It it is like they are all different animals, over-night.

Were they "sleeping off" the cumulative effects of being spoilt food-wise?

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[jesse]

hmmm

 

[john]

Did you just do a water change? They tend to get out of the water if the water quality isn't to their liking.

 

[matthew]

1) This morning, after turning the tank lights on I instantly noticed one of my large females (not one of your ex-es, John / Morg), on its back, motionless, fingers and toes curled into stiff fists.
About two-seconds after my stomach had come up into my mouth and my jaw had hit the floor with shock, rapidly followed by the urge to howl... she turned her head and looked at me, righted herself and decided she had laid enough eggs on the heater and it was time to swim off!

2) Re water change (cheers for that insight)... a few days before, yes, I did, but nothing new there - same source of water, same regime of changes. As with my fish, I pride myself on how I "keep the water" before I keep the animal. Somehow I linked it to a slight increase in size -they looked like Caudate Fat Camp when they were all beached together. Do they fast after over-indulgence or are they permanent food dustbins?

3) What was odd for me (and maybe this does suggest a reaction to an environmental condition)was the way the behaviour was so... well, synchronised: they all looked plumper (for at least one I guess some of the plumpness was those eggs I am now seeing?) and went very terrestrial; they all declined food, simultaneously; they all decided it was time to go aquatic again after what seemed like an eternity and when they did go back in, most shed...
This might sound like nothing but to me it was all very out-of-the-ordinary. Strange world.