Biocube 32 galon help!!

anna2662# · Oct 8, 2017

Hi I'm starting a new coral reef/fish tank. I just got 2 clown fish, a banghai Cardinal, and a Royal Gamma. I put them in the tank after acclimating them but they mainly stayed on the ground. then I opened the top of my bio cube that has the LED lights on them and the fish started to swim around. Do the fish not like that much light? how do I lessen it on the Biocube.

Also, my Royal Gramma is staying hidden under rocks and not coming out. it has been 5 hours. do I need to do anything??

dbl · Oct 8, 2017

First, welcome to R2R. If they were just added and properly acclimated, they just need some time to get used to their new home. Can take hours, days, or weeks. Varies by species and circumstances.

Might want to share your acclimation process just in case. And I will assume no QT with these additions? Lastly, was the tank fully cycled prior to putting the fish in?

anna2662# · Oct 8, 2017

yes. the tank was acclimated for a month and in that time live rock and snails were added. I put the fish in the bags in the tank for 20 min and then added a cup of the tank water in the bag for 10 min and then put them in the tank

eatbreakfast · Oct 8, 2017

Being lethargic isn't unusual for newly added fish. Give them some time to get used to their surroundings.

However, 4 fish added at once to a 32g aquarium may cause an ammonia spike in the next day or two, so be prepared for that.

scurvy dawg · Oct 9, 2017

Before I delegated my Biocube 32 to QT status, I had two clowns, a royal gramma and a flame hawkfish. The stock lights in the BC32 are not powerful enough to make the fish uncomfortable. I don't think its the lights and you cannot really change the light intensity on the BC32. Have the fish been fighting at all? My Royal Gramma was picked on a few times by the hawkfish and started hiding all day only coming out to eat. It went from hanging out in the front center of the tank to not being seen at all. It did not ever change from that routine. When I upgraded tanks I traded him in at the LFS. What good is a fish that hides all day?