Tig acting weird

[Aw3s0m3]

I've heard a lot that it's bad when tugs start swimming vertically along the glass of the tank but I never found out why. Well yesterday my 12/13" tig started doing that. What's the cause for this and what should I do?
Tank: 6' X 18" X 2' (135g)
Temp: 80-82F
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate ~10ppm
Tankmates: 2 wolves, 1 convict cichlid, 2 bichirs, 1 clown knife, 1 datnoid, 1 mangrove jack, 3 mahseers, 2 cigar barbs and 1 aba aba knife in the sump

 

[Tig Phish]

thats fine, normal behavior. as long as the water parameters r good n tig is eating ur fine. in the mean time heres a photo of a cute kitten i found to help u calm down

 

[Aw3s0m3]

Haha thanks man. How come so many people were saying that it's a bad sign if they start swimming vertically up against the glass? I'm not talking just a few, I mean everytime I read a thread about tigs, someone always throws out there that it's bad when they do it

 

[Tig Phish]

Haha thanks man. How come so many people were saying that it's a bad sign if they start swimming vertically up against the glass? I'm not talking just a few, I mean everytime I read a thread about tigs, someone always throws out there that it's bad when they do it

Yeah i've seen those posts too. The thinkin is that if a tig is swimming vertically they are either stress/ cant get enough oxygen. These r expensive cats, any strange behavior n people start freaking out. But Ive had 4 tigs that have swam vertically, n theyre all fine. T1karmann (another MFKer) has a huge tig that swims upward as well. Listen if the parameters r fine, feeding is fine, what else can u do? Just enjoy ur fish n cont what ur doing, avoid shrimp/shellfish.

 

[Aw3s0m3]

Thanks man

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I can't say I've seen more than a few mentions of this and none had proof.

I don't think swimming on a wall is symptom of something deleterious. It may occur, I imagine, if this is the spot and the direction of the current that a tig likes.

My 6 tigs are still small but 2 of them have been doing it often and are in the same good shape as the others.

The cause for an alarm would be appetite loss, bloat, etc.

Still, speaking very generally, any non-surface fish approaching the surface for long periods of time and regularly is often treated as a red flag. Perhaps, this combined with tig's need for high oxygen is a reasonable ground to start paying closer attention to a tig doing this vertical swimming... Just closer attention to ensure nothing else looks wrong, I think.

 

[Aw3s0m3]

Thanks tbtb. I've seen it do it a lot. Mostly at night though but this time it was during the day and it stayed at the surface all day constantly poking it's nose outta the water. This is what had me concerned but the very next day it started acting normal again just chillin on the bottom

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Poking the nose out of the water can be a different ball game, 10x more concerning than just swimming vertically, I'd say.

One of mine 5"-ers (of which I got 5) have been doing exactly that often when I got it from Manny C a couple months back and still does it but rarely. Still eats well and has been growing well, on par with the rest. So I relaxed mostly but not entirely. Perhaps 95%.

Poking out of the water is probably never good. Could be gill flukes are obstructing the oxygen intake or who knows what, a latent bacterial or viral infection, wrong water, individual particulars of that specimen, etc.

In my case, if it was a pathogen, I'd guess the tig's reaction was mild or insignificant. But IDK what it was. Need a swipe, a microscope, knowledge and / or research time to figure it out. I have neither.

 

[Aw3s0m3]

I think it was from stress cuz I just moved it into a bigger tank and it started doing that a couple days later, but completely acted normal again the very next day. It's somewhere between 12/13" now and has still never refused food ever.

Quick question though. It developed a minor bent nose when in the old tank. Will this ever go away or is it permanent?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

It would appear highly unlikely that the sudden poking out of water and the rehoming are disconnected. They are likely connected but exactly how may be difficult to figure out and, perhaps, unnecessary if all the usual boxes have been checked - good appetite, water parameters, oxygen, tank mates, lighting, etc..

The bent nose is most likely from a major collision or a lot of minor collisions. That's what I have been experiencing with my one capapretum and three rousseauxii, aka dorado catfish. Those are skeletal changes that I don't think will ever get better.