Ok I hope not to stir things up a bit but I don't think this is a parasite problem. Fish are like humans in a similar way. Think of the last time, you switched on your room lights (or had someone else do it on you) and did not squint your eyelids trying to adjust to the brighter lights. Fish are similar except they don't have eyelids so they try and make themselves more comfortable by darting to a less bright place. Taking the lid off causes things to get dark again similar to a large predator's shadow overhead and I am not surprised the fish are getting scared. If these were my fish, I'd stop with the medication crap and just do my daily feeding routine and weekly waterchange routine. Let them get to know me and feel comforatable with me. Give them some plant cover (maybe an amazon sword) to protect them from the bright lights and over time they will start to become more social with you.
fish go into shock whenever light is turned on
- Thread starter fIsHy13
- Start date
How dark is your room that the lights are so bright in comparison? Perhaps if you establish a daily routine with the lights, turning them on around the same tme each day, and off at night, and don't turn them on just to show someone the tank after you've turned it off at night.
if you have multiple lights, perhaps turn on one first, then the other so the light change is staggered. Another idea migt be to get a timer, so the lights are always done to a routine.
My fish get excited when the lights come on in the mornings, because they know it's food time soon. I get up, turn on the lights, go off and do otehr stuff and let them calm down a bit, then come back and feed them, pretty much the same time every day.
If you establish a routine and record stuff in a log it's usually much easier to see what triggers a change in behaviour.
But like the other posters have suggested. Some details on your tank's water parameters, and so forth will help people help you a lot more than dropping meds in your tank will.
if you have multiple lights, perhaps turn on one first, then the other so the light change is staggered. Another idea migt be to get a timer, so the lights are always done to a routine.
My fish get excited when the lights come on in the mornings, because they know it's food time soon. I get up, turn on the lights, go off and do otehr stuff and let them calm down a bit, then come back and feed them, pretty much the same time every day.
If you establish a routine and record stuff in a log it's usually much easier to see what triggers a change in behaviour.
But like the other posters have suggested. Some details on your tank's water parameters, and so forth will help people help you a lot more than dropping meds in your tank will.
thanx for all your advice about the lights, but what i am concerned about at the moment is the way my fish are behaving when the light is turned OFF. One of them has enlarged gills that look englamed with redness, noe of them has enlarged gills with no redness. One of them has a milky 'velvet' like covering on his body, but i can only see this in certain light. All of thme have rapid breathing, and all of them gasp at the surface f the tank water at some piont during the day, except one. They are all rather lethargic, and hang around in a group which they have never done before. The only time they are skittish is when i even lightly lift the canopy slightly. Taking the whole canopy makes them extremly skittish. One of them bashes into stuff- ti is that skittish. However, they have no problem with me putting my finers on the glass, they actually seem to like doing it and will follow my fingers around. They are also skittish when i put the canopy on. They all eat fine.
i can't tell you my anomia/nitrite/nitrate reading because i have no tester thing ot to test it with. I know what you're thinking, but when i bought the tank it came with everything except that. They make it seem as though its not important to test your water, and at the time i thought that too. But it is my first time with freshwater tropical fish- before i've just had goldfish in a pond. You will probaly say why don't i buy one, but i'm a 13yearold and my monthly allowance goes to other things- clothes, make-up, school stationary, other things for all my other pets (its like a zoo in my house) But perhaps next month i will take a bit out of my allowance and spend it on a good quality tester, cos i'm not about to get a really cheap one that is unreliable
That's all very well, but you still have given no information about the tank.
How big is it?
What sort of filtration do you use?
How often do you do water changes?
How much water do you change each time?
Is it planted?
Do you use CO2?
Do you run an air-stone or agitate the surface in soem way for oxygen?
How many fish are in your tank?
When did this start?
When ddid you last add a new fish/plant?
What is the pH? Ammonia? Nitrate & Nitrite levels?
It sounds a lot to ask, but it's like going to a doctor and saying 'I feel sick' and expecting him to gve you the right prescription.
How big is it?
What sort of filtration do you use?
How often do you do water changes?
How much water do you change each time?
Is it planted?
Do you use CO2?
Do you run an air-stone or agitate the surface in soem way for oxygen?
How many fish are in your tank?
When did this start?
When ddid you last add a new fish/plant?
What is the pH? Ammonia? Nitrate & Nitrite levels?
It sounds a lot to ask, but it's like going to a doctor and saying 'I feel sick' and expecting him to gve you the right prescription.
Sorry, I posted before I read your post about test kits etc. I think you have a LOT of reading to do. It's liekly that your tank has gone through or is going through a 'cycle' and that it's actually quite toxic in the water.
Without knowing anything more I'd suggest doing some 50% water changes every day for a week... BUT make sure you buy some water conditioner first, so you can treat any chlorine or such that may be in your tapwater!! 'Prime' is probbaly the best stuff to look for.
Without knowing anything more I'd suggest doing some 50% water changes every day for a week... BUT make sure you buy some water conditioner first, so you can treat any chlorine or such that may be in your tapwater!! 'Prime' is probbaly the best stuff to look for.
ok, but seeing as my fish practically have heartattacks whhen i take the canopy off, how am i going to do a water change?? :help:
this isn't really related to the topic, but i'll ask about it anyway.
whenever i do a waterchange, the temp of the water drops because i have to trun the filter off of course, but i do not want to turn the heater becuase of the drop in temp it will cause. so i put the heater near the bottom of the tank so it doesn't poke out of the water while i do the water change. however, without the filter circulating the heat, the temp drops and i have heard that iof the temp changes it streeses the fish, which i of course don't want to do. what should i do to aviod this? :hang: :help:
this isn't really related to the topic, but i'll ask about it anyway.
whenever i do a waterchange, the temp of the water drops because i have to trun the filter off of course, but i do not want to turn the heater becuase of the drop in temp it will cause. so i put the heater near the bottom of the tank so it doesn't poke out of the water while i do the water change. however, without the filter circulating the heat, the temp drops and i have heard that iof the temp changes it streeses the fish, which i of course don't want to do. what should i do to aviod this? :hang: :help:
this is alos off topic, but my fish tank is right near the wall of the airing cupboard with the bioler in. My parents have recently had a bathroom makeover, and as their shower is now a shower power, there is a pipe thingy next to the bioler which mnakes the shower spray stronger, by electrical currents i think. My question is, when the shower is turned on, does the pipe cause any stress to them. Strangely enough, this whole skittish thging started when the pipe was installed. Also, could someone explain about tingling in the water? what does it mean? if there is tingling in the water, i have feeling it could be connected to the pipe
