hello all! well seems anytime I buy a new fish no matter how much research I do I have to still ask questions..lol... I purchased a foxface yesterday and it is in my 10 gallon QT. its a baby probably 1.5 inches long. I drip acclimated him for 1.5 hours. QT is 78 temp, salinity 24, amm 0, nitrate 10. bare bottom with 3 pvc pipes and ammonia badge. ok...when they caught him at lfs to put in the bag he went into cammo mode as expected but its the next day and he still hasn't come out of cammo mode. he is swimming very fast up and down and all around. he is going along the bottom of the tank nose pressed against it and it seems he is chasing his reflection almost. I'm wondering if this is normal or if he is gonna killover from too much stress and staying in cammo mode. I know they are skiddish fish but this swimming around nuts like very fast and staying in cammo mode this long I'm not sure if this is normal from being moved or what. any advice would be greatly appreciated!
new onespot foxface baby acting crazy
- Thread starter JennyGutt
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Offer the fish ample hiding spots. Being out in the open constantly stresses some fish types.
It's not uncommon for the coloration to change to the mottled look when stressed, normal coloration should return once the fish relaxes.
If able keep lights off as well.
It does take some time for the this fish to be more social and out and about, but they need a refuge to hide in.
It's not uncommon for the coloration to change to the mottled look when stressed, normal coloration should return once the fish relaxes.
If able keep lights off as well.
It does take some time for the this fish to be more social and out and about, but they need a refuge to hide in.
michellejy
Well-Known Member
Do you know what salinity he came from at the fish store? A 1.5 hour acclimation is really long.
I wrapped the sides and back of my quarantine tank in a black garbage bag. It seemed to help my fish be a bit less stressed.
I wrapped the sides and back of my quarantine tank in a black garbage bag. It seemed to help my fish be a bit less stressed.
Mine did the same thing for a few days. I couldn't even turn the lights on in the room without it freaking out. He eventually settled down. I just moved him from qt 2 days ago and am going through same issues in my display tank now. He freaks out when I scrub the glass or reach in to feed corals.
so did he get to where you could turn lights on and leave front viewing glass uncovered? I have a piece cardboard to block us scaring him even more when we come in the room. how long should I leave the lights off?
michellejy
Well-Known Member
That's a really big salinity jump over an hour and a half. There's nothing you can do about it now, but going forward, try to match your QT to the LFS water. In the future, you can halfway fill up your tank at 1.025 and then add fresh water to lower the salinity if needed. Then just raise it to match your DT slowly through water changes.
michellejy
Well-Known Member
We all start somewhere and do the best we can with the knowledge we have. Caring enough to keep improving methods goes a long way in this hobby. Hopefully, your little guy will be fine.
Oh, as a former foxface owner, see if you can observe him from far enough away that he won't notice you. He may be swimming and acting normally when you aren't there.
Oh, as a former foxface owner, see if you can observe him from far enough away that he won't notice you. He may be swimming and acting normally when you aren't there.
briancarterkc
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This is great advice. If your salinity matches the salinity in the bag, all you have to do is temperature acclimation (floating the bag for about 30m) and fish can go straight into your QT.
This is doubly important for fish that have been shipped to you. Drip acclimation for fish that have been locked up in a bag for 24-36 hours can actually kill them. All that stored up ammonium from their waste starts turning to ammonia as soon as the water is exposed to air.
