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Fish suddenly highly agitated, ideas?

6892 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  hoa101
My pearl gourami (the only fish in the tank besides a few ottos) have been very friendly with me, always coming up to the glass when they see or hear me etc. This has been the base for many months now.

Starting maybe 4 days ago, they have been acting absolutely terrified. Any movement within like 6-8 feet of the tank sends them into a frenzy. Splashing at the surface, darting around, caroming off the plants, etc. The only time I've ever seen them behave in that matter was when I had to catch them for a rescape. They were spooked for about a 12 hours to a day before calming back down.

Their coloration is basically normal - possibly slightly darker than normal as if they had been displaying at one another. No visible signs of disease I can locate besides their behavior. They get very hungry and will come out for food, but only if I remain completely still. However, they tend to dart around rather than assuming their usual calm, sedate pace when eating.

I have never had fish change behavior so drastically overnight... not sure if I should be worried or not.

Any thoughts are appreciated.
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Stress from poor water quality perhaps.

Not much to go on.
Yeah, that is my problem - not enough to go on.

Water quality is fine unless there is contamination from an unknown source. Even if that were so, I did 3 consecutive 50% changes just in case, with no change in behavior.

The tank is heavily planted, long established, etc etc... I'm not noob enough to let ammonia build up or whatever. I really am stumped.

Someone mentioned electrical current on another thread, but that seems unlikely as well.
Fish act weird like that when theyre breeding too. Turn out the room light and sit still and watch them for awhile.
Have kids or pets of the furry persuasion?
Haha, yeah... we were joking that our cats must have gone fishing. The location and tank stand design makes that impossible though, so I can't pin the blame on fury critters.

I'll just have to wait it out I guess, not enough info to go on.
Pearl Gouramis tend to be shy fish. I have a couple in a 68 G tank, and at first, whenever i walked into the room they went into hiding, but since i'd added more fish, they become more confident, perhaps my tiger barbs, gold barbs and checkedred barbs act like dither fish for them... who knows?
Pearl Gouramis tend to be shy fish. I have a couple in a 68 G tank, and at first, whenever i walked into the room they went into hiding, but since i'd added more fish, they become more confident, perhaps my tiger barbs, gold barbs and checkedred barbs act like dither fish for them... who knows?
That's what I heard too, but mine were always right out there seeing what was going on in the living room. Never a shy moment. That is why I'm worried. Don't your barbs nip the bejeebus out of the gourami's "feeler" fins though? My rummy tetras even started nipping, more because I think they found the movement irresistable and thought they were food. By they time they realized it wasn't, the fin already had been nipped. I ended up having to move them. I plan to get cories eventually once I am sure the water quality is okay.

I'm rotating my electrical equipment for a few days each so I can tell if maybe something is leaking current... is it even possible for that to happen though without it being catastrophic? My wall socket has auto-shutoff, because it is connected to the kitchen's electrical supply. You'd think if something was leaking current into the tank it would have already triggered the shutoff, or I'd be getting shocked by sticking my hand in there...I am trying the heater first in case it cracked or something... idk.
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