Interesting Behavior: Goldfish "cooperating" to dig up specific plant?

[Mikey V]

Well, just witnessing some interesting behavior between my 2 lionheads and panda demekin.
I have a 60 gallon planted tub, mostly with java fern and two large anubias plants. Lately, i have noticed one particular anubias plant being uprooted almost daily, and for the first time since i planted them in the tub(the lionheads have left the plants alone) months ago. I did introduce the small demekin on monday, and although he is half the size of the lionheads the three have been getting along great and the demekin has been adjusting fantastically.
I had a feeling the small demekin couldn't be doing it alone, and tonight i left the aquarium lights on a little late...and I'm watching all three fish dig up the anubias, pebble by pebble, together! :omg:
I know for a fact the fish get along fine, and for the most part are more fat and happy then devious. Are the fish playing a game together? I just find it very odd that all three are focusing on the same plant, at the same time, at a very isolated hour, multiple nights a week. ...or are they planning something???

Note: The digging went on for about 2 minutes, and now they have stopped and gone back to their individual foraging along the bottom of the tank. If they start again, I'll do my best to get a video!

[SeaWitch]

I have seen GF do amazing things before. They are alot smarter than ppl give them credit for, that's for sure. I would love to see a vid of this!

[OldMarine]

I have learned from experience that you mix any variety of carp (goldfish/koi), with plants you're going to have a mess. It must be natural for goldfish or koi to nibble through the substarte and uproot plants. They just naturally like to pick and poke at everything.

I have a 365 gallon pond with 7 Shubunkins, and 1 Sarrassa that are 7" to 9" long with six potted water lillies on the bottom. They just love to pick at the pea gravel pebbles in the pots and spread them all over the bottom of my pond. I talked to them, but they won't listen. So I ended up putting a layer of nickel size rocks in all of the water lilly pots. Problem solved.

About thirty years ago I had three 5" comets in a heavely planted 30 gallon aqaurium, and they uprooted every plant totally destroying my well established substrate. I had to put them in another 30 gallon aquarium with no substrate at all.

[George Ludrosky]

It seems that goldfish are just naturals at digging up plants. I always weight down my plants so that when the fish pick at the gravel the plant stays where I want them to stay.

But Mikey, I think your fish are out to get you!

[Mikey V]

Well, thankfully I was able to put an end to this before their plot came to fruition.
Using some plastic cups (BPA free of course) I filled them partially full with substrate, so each plant sits about 3 inches into the cup, blocking off the roots but leaving the leaves spreading out over the tops. The fat little bastards can't maneuver themselves nearly well enough to get down into the cup to the roots.
Mike=1
Fish=0

:yess:

[SeaWitch]

Well, thankfully I was able to put an end to this before their plot came to fruition.
Using some plastic cups (BPA free of course) I filled them partially full with substrate, so each plant sits about 3 inches into the cup, blocking off the roots but leaving the leaves spreading out over the tops. The fat little bastards can't maneuver themselves nearly well enough to get down into the cup to the roots.
Mike=1
Fish=0

:yess:

LOL, Mike!!! Way to outsmart those boogers!!!

[marlin08]

Dumb question I'm sure but what is BPA??

[Mikey V]

I honestly have no idea, but here's what wikipedia says. I just know its one of the latest "thing-that-might-kill-you-so-let's-all-freak-out" fads, and water bottles and plastic stuff always have a "BPA free" sticker on them.
Like playing with mercury, global warming, etc...

Here's what wikipedia says:

Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is a difunctional building block of several important plastics and plastic additives. With an annual production of 2–3 million tonnes, it is an important monomer in the production of polycarbonate.

Suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, and some retailers have removed products made of it from their shelves