webster1234
Supporting Member
Ok, I have a beautiful Achilles tang that I got from Kat (thanks Kat!!) and a pair of flame hawks in quarantine. Everybody knows that flame hawks don't have swim bladders so they have to spend a lot of energy treading water when they are feeding. It appears this Achilles has noticed that the flame hawks can't swim like he can so when it comes time to eat, he swims to near the surface, flares his fins, and lays on his side so the flame hawk can rest on him. When I first saw him do this, I thought it was some sort of aggressive or defensive posture, like a warning to stay away from the food. But the Achilles won't eat the Mysis so it wasn't that.
Then I noticed the flame hawk come and land on the Achilles's side and sit there and eat. I thought to myself, no way am I seeing what I think I'm seeing. Must just be a coincidence. Then the next feeding, he did it again. And then again. Every time I feed them. When I approach the tank with food, the Achilles swims to the surface and just lays there, waiting for the flame hawk to come sit on him. The Achilles doesn't go after the food at all. He just lays there, very still.
I didn't think about trying to get a picture at first. I just sat there in amazement. But then I thought, nobody's going to believe me if I don't. But I couldn't snap the camera and feed them at the same time. So today I got someone to try and get a picture for me while I fed them. The picture didn't come out great, but now no one can call BS either. Maybe next I will try and get a video, or at least a better picture.
I think fish are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. It's just interesting to see them working together like this to help each other out. It's like the Achilles actually recognizes the hawk's deficiency and tries to help her.
Then I noticed the flame hawk come and land on the Achilles's side and sit there and eat. I thought to myself, no way am I seeing what I think I'm seeing. Must just be a coincidence. Then the next feeding, he did it again. And then again. Every time I feed them. When I approach the tank with food, the Achilles swims to the surface and just lays there, waiting for the flame hawk to come sit on him. The Achilles doesn't go after the food at all. He just lays there, very still.
I didn't think about trying to get a picture at first. I just sat there in amazement. But then I thought, nobody's going to believe me if I don't. But I couldn't snap the camera and feed them at the same time. So today I got someone to try and get a picture for me while I fed them. The picture didn't come out great, but now no one can call BS either. Maybe next I will try and get a video, or at least a better picture.
I think fish are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. It's just interesting to see them working together like this to help each other out. It's like the Achilles actually recognizes the hawk's deficiency and tries to help her.
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