Hyperactive Rasbora

[Analog Saint]

Everything's been going great in the tank. I've had my fish for almost 1 week, did a 25% change today, dosed with 2 mL of Flourish, and everything looks great-

The tank has been: 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, trace nitrates @ 78 degrees and a minimum dose of Flourish for one week.

except one of my harlequins is acting kinda weird... He very rapidly swims up and down the sides of the tank, nonstop, occasionally zipping to the other side of the tank and doing the same. He doesn't surface or gasp or anything, he just frantically goes up and down the sides of the tank and stops about an inch above the surface and an inch above the gravel. He's not rubbing on anything, just swimming in frantic circles- bottom, top. bottom, top...

The other harlequins are peacefully pacing back and fourth, occasionally zipping here or there, but this one looks like he's on PCP or something. Am I being paranoid, or is this normal behavior? It's kinda freaky, because he's been up to it for a couple hours, and I dunno if there's anything wrong. He's the only one acting abnormally. He (and the rest of the tank) looks perfectly healthy, good coloration, no spots, lesions, lumps, fuzz, or anything.

I'll keep an eye on him- hopefully he'll just tire himself out and give it up... Or I may have to send him to the Betty Ford clinic for addiction to uppers...

 

[caseopia]

i have seen fish do this as well, and i'm not sure why they do it but it makes me nervous as well. My dwarf gourami was doing this all afternoon, but I can't find anything that might be causing it!

 

[NowherMan6]

i have a number of rasboras that do the same. i had tiger barbs before them and they did the same. i think it has to do with schooling - they try to school with their reflection in the glass, reacting to it as they would react to another of their own kind.

fish schooling behavior is a funny thing. you could put 10 of those fish in a 180 gallon tank, give them all the room in the world, and they might very well do the same thing - zip up and down, up and down, just reacting to what the rest of the school seems to be doing. i dont think there's anything wrong.

 

[pl*co]

My bunch of juvenile swordtails were doing that the other day too... as it happens, it was after a water change. I think they are just entertaining themselves, but I wondered if they could see something in the glass, since it was clean lol.

 

[Analog Saint]

now that you mentioned it, it does look like they're trying to school with their reflections... It is an acrylic tank and the sides (at least from the view of the outside) provide a nice mirror. I noticed the cories doing it too, so I guess everything's all well and good. I even see one of the kribs occasionally flaring his fins at the side of the tank, so that would explain all three.

thanks for the reassurance!

 

[Swimfins]

Its their reflection in the glass, my male swordfish just has to chase that guy away, but funny thing is he keeps coming back. My cory male will do it also from time to time, but the female doesn't. The glass is most reflective on the sides of the tank, the front getting most light has no reflective quality except to the people outside. I am so glad I took off the tin foil I originally had on the back because it was like looking in a mirror and made the swordtail think there were a bunch of fish living in the looking glass (like Alice in Wonderland). The bobbling is good excercise I figure, and they stop it when they're bored with it.