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	fish "spitting" food
mrwelvrig Small Fry Posts: 11 Kudos: 7 Votes: 0 Registered: 18-May-2004	Just wondering if anyone knows why a fish sometimes takes a flake, then spits it out in a million pieces. I like to think that one of the other fish told a joke right when the "spitter" was trying to swallow and that's the fish equivalent the the ol' milk out the nose trick. Any theories, even crazy ones like mine would be appreciated.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
Callatya Moderator The girl's got crabs! Posts: 9662 Kudos: 5261 Registered: 16-Sep-2001	they'll do it for several reasons, most commonly if the food is awkward to swallow at the angle they grabbed it, or if the food is too hard, and they are attempting to soften it. Very common behaviour with bettas. WELCOME TO FP!! For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
Dolf Enthusiast Posts: 203 Kudos: 180 Votes: 46 Registered: 09-May-2004	A common behaviour for cichlids also for the reasons mentioned by Callatya. My severums will take in and spit out repeatedly most everything except frozen worms or schrimp.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
justicerulesok Enthusiast Posts: 195 Kudos: 161 Votes: 2 Registered: 27-Jun-2004	my guppies & neons do it all the time, the guppies swallow a whole bloodworm - spit it out, & do the same thing about 10 times with the same worm before they eat it. The neons do it on the flake food. My crab grabs what ever food he can in his claws and waves it around as if to say nana na nana look what i've got.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	It's very common with fish, my Angels swallow the pellets whole & spit them in small pieces, before eating them. :88) http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
Silverlight Enthusiast Posts: 212 Kudos: 396 Votes: 43 Registered: 04-Jul-2004	My rams do this as well, generally with flakes. I've been using sinking wafers lately and they nibble off smaller bits that they don't usually spit out. My tetras do the same, usually with bigger pieces that they pulled whole off the surface. I assume they're trying to break the food into smaller bits so they can swallow it properly.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
mrwelvrig Small Fry Posts: 11 Kudos: 7 Votes: 0 Registered: 18-May-2004	Cool. Thanks for all the answers. I kind of thought that was the case, I guess I need to stop living in my imaginary world where everything is based on a joke.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54


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