About Fish Behavior?

[ragin_cajun]

What does it mean when?
1. Fish hangs at the water surface at 45 degree angle, just hovers there? They sleeping, scared of other fish, need air, just like to do it?
2. Fish puts his nose on a rock and pushes off, kinda real quick wiping his nose on the rock? Territorial, ich, just an itch?

 

[David R]

Can you get a more accurate ID that "fish"?

If fish 1 is a pencilfish or penguin tetra it is perfectly normal. Fish two sounds like it is scratching something.

 

[virgil2090]

many fish stare at the surface for food.i have had other fish see things on the glass lid:a drip,bugs,or anything not usually on the lid.my chocolate cichlids spend a good amount of time in that position.

 

[Too Many Choices]

Sounds like illness to me. Does the fish have clamped fins at all? Often sick fish will hang at the surface and make a bit of swimming motion. That, coupled with the fact that the fish is showing scratching behaviour (known as flashing I think) sounds like sickness.

 

[ragin_cajun]

These are 2 inch Synspilla, and I've noticed a 1 inch Green Terror doing it, too. They are all new in the tank. All 3 that hang at the top do it intbe same place, too. The 2 Syns and a convict are the only ones that "flash"? Ammonia=0, Nitrite=0, Nitrate=10-20, Temp=79.6, pH=7.8.


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[ragin_cajun]

So i angled the spray bars up toward the surface just enough to keep it swirling around and they've all stopped hanging at the surface now. maybe they wanted air and now the surface agitation is doing it for them? or they do it for fun and now it's no fun with all the agitation? i don't know...

 

[shelbybmc]

My cichla always do the rubbing thing on my driftwood and rocks. I have no idea what they are doing lol. They also appear to sleep at that 45 degree angle your talking about.

 

[Gill Blue]

yup, low oxygen.