New Tank = skittish pbass

[dabears54]

Here is my stituation -

i recently transferred 5 pbass from a 55 gallon into a 125g. They are all about 6inches long. In my old 55g tank - they would come swimming up to the front of the glass anytime i even walked in my kitchen as if they recognized me and were looking for food

now they have been in the 125g for about 10days. anytime i go near the tank - they all freak out slamming against the overflows, back of the tank and sometimes the glass tops. i am waiting for the day one of them hurts themselves.

i used to be able to feed them a few times a day and they would never reject food- now by the time i walk up to feed them, they freak out and have only been eating a few times a week -

anyone ever have this problem? suggestions?

 

[Morledzep]

do they have places to hide? things to swim around? a botton on the tank so they aren't seeing the great empty space or their reflection?

Peacock bass NEED tank decorations.. especially a substrate.

that being said, until i put my small tems in with my small ocellaris they were very shy and a little skittish inspite of having hiding places and tank decorations, but when they had other fish to hang out with they calmed down and come to the top for food now.

 

[dabears54]

the have 2 inches of pebble substrate - and plenty of plants and a huge centerpiece rock...

reflection i did think of before - i put a black background on the tank since the corner overflows are black - but i dont know if that is freaking them out...

right now it is the 5 of them, a silver dollar and a catfish on the bottom

 

[Morledzep]

in one tank we put up a bubble curtain and it calmed everybody in the tank down a lot.. might be worth a try?

 

[dabears54]

i actually think i have one laying around somewhere - will definitely give that a try - thanks!

 

[Tongue33]

It will take time.. That is 70 gallons more space.... It's all new...

What about the rest of the conditions?

Temperature.

How long has the 125 been set up.

 

[dabears54]

The 125 was cycled about 3 weeks before i put them in - so it has been running for a little over a month now - i keep the temp around 83 - i have bought some more plants to fill in the tank a little more, but since the slam against the glass and just about everything else when i go near, i have not put in the plants - i am sure the 5 minutes it would take to do so would be extremely stressfull to the fish

 

[Tongue33]

I would put them in anyway.

How long do you sit in front of it everyday?

 

[dabears54]

about 6 hours or so...


kidding - it is in my living room at the top of a stairway - so i look from afar from the couch while watching tv - they freak out though with people going up or downstairs - though in their old tank they were on a breakfast bar and had people walking around the tank all day, and they seemed to like the attention - would swim to whichever side of the tank people were standing

 

[johno27]

I disagree that P-bass need substrate

But that's besides the point

I would just give them time to adjust a lot of cichlids will "pout" or be skittish after a move or tank decoration change

I do the same thing when my wife rearranges a room in the house