How active are Orchid dottyback?

lagatbezan · Nov 9, 2022

I have an Orchid dottyback in qt for a little while now. It’s been through copper power followed by 2 weeks of hypo. I have noticed that he doesn’t really like to swim much and kinda just lays on the bottom of the tank till it’s eating time. It eats fine no problem but seems not to really want to swim. It will swim up to the food, eats a few bites and just stops swimming and kinda falls to the bottom and kinda just crawls on the bottom. It’s my first experience with dottyback and I’m not sure if they are usually just shy and hide most of the time or something I’m going to need to treat for.

Lavey29 · Nov 9, 2022

I have an indigo dottyback who swims around some but likes nice big caves. He is forever moving sand around with his mouth too. Keeps his cave house immaculate

nereefpat · Nov 9, 2022

lagatbezan said:
I have noticed that he doesn’t really like to swim much and kinda just lays on the bottom of the tank till it’s eating time. It eats fine no problem but seems not to really want to swim. It will swim up to the food, eats a few bites and just stops swimming and kinda falls to the bottom and kinda just crawls on the bottom.

That's not normal behavior for an orchid dottyback.

It should hover, instead of laying or crawling.

lagatbezan · Nov 9, 2022

Here are a couple of videos of what I mean.

DCR · Nov 9, 2022

Normally they like to hang around in the rock work. Hard to say if there is anything wrong with the fish in a bare QT like that as it is such an un-natural environment for the fish. It appears to be stressed with no hiding places and large fish around it.

mfinn · Nov 9, 2022

Looks like that angel is doing some intimidation.
Maybe if there was more cover?

Idech · Nov 9, 2022

It looks lost and stressed in that bare tank.

workhz · Nov 9, 2022

You sure that's an orchid and not a purple? Anyway, my orchid moves around a bit and likes rocks. I'll echo what others have said and yours definitely seems out of its element. If you don't want rocks throw some more pvc in there. and smaller tubes maybe.

i cant think · Nov 10, 2022

lagatbezan said:
Here are a couple of videos of what I mean.

I find this fish gets much more comfortable when it has a sandbed as well as more hiding spots. It also appears to be in a tank with more larger and more aggressive fish such as angels and tangs. Which may be stressing him out to want to hide more. I have seen this fish do better in a low activity tank - if added early on then they can be kept in higher activity tanks.