frightend goldfish

[mr billyboy]

hi everyone,
i hope i am posting this in the right section.
when i go close up to my tank or to feed my goldfish or put the light on my goldfish seem to be very jittery and twitchy, they are all still eating very healthily and generally they are in good health with no signs of disease.
if anyone could offer any suggestions as to why this might be i would be grateful.
thanks in advance

[nightshade]

Do they have enough cover to hide in?

[Airehead]

Try to always put the light on at regular times, preferably vbefore it really gets dark so that there is not such a shock. Feed at regular times too, possibly in relation to turning on the light.

[mr billyboy]

Originally Posted by nightshade

Do they have enough cover to hide in?

there's bog wood and plant's and other bit's and bob's and that's were they tend to hide,they do come out to feed but are still very twitchy,if you stand back and stay still they seem to be happy

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

How long have you had the fish in the tank? the goldfish in our pond took a good couple of months to get used to us

[Wild-Woman]

When the heron does one of his early morning assaults on our pond, we don't see the fish for days. They must all be jibbering away in their sunken drain pipe until one gets brave and decides it's safe to go in the water! Which sort of proves that they must have a longer memory than has been suggested. ww

[Gwenhwyfar]

frightend goldfish
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hi everyone,
i hope i am posting this in the right section.
when i go close up to my tank or to feed my goldfish or put the light on my goldfish seem to be very jittery and twitchy, they are all still eating very healthily and generally they are in good health with no signs of disease.
if anyone could offer any suggestions as to why this might be i would be grateful.
thanks in advance

Hi Mr Billy Boy,

Try to put the light on when you get up in the morning and turn off when you go to bed, this is their day and night too!
What lighting do you have? it may actually be too bright, you could try and swap for something like a grolux which gives off a more of a pinky tinge rather than a blinding yellow.

Take time to sit in front of them, they will soon come to know the hand that feeds them!

Also fish are sensitive to vibration, try and shut doors and windows quieter than normal.

Just a few ideas but to be honest you may even have a highly strung one, so his reactions will automatically freek the others out, you may be in a no win situ. Try out the above to see if it improves, but all this really depends on how long you have had them, they do take a while to settle in.

[mr billyboy]

[quote=Gwenhwyfar] Hi Mr Billy Boy,

Try to put the light on when you get up in the morning and turn off when you go to bed, this is their day and night too!
What lighting do you have? it may actually be too bright, you could try and swap for something like a grolux which gives off a more of a pinky tinge rather than a blinding yellow.

Take time to sit in front of them, they will soon come to know the hand that feeds them!

Also fish are sensitive to vibration, try and shut doors and windows quieter than normal.

Just a few ideas but to be honest you may even have a highly strung one, so his reactions will automatically freek the others out, you may be in a no win situ. Try out the above to see if it improves, but all this really depends on how long you have had them, they do take a while to settle in.[/QUOTE)

i have 2 40watt t8's, but only use the one,i'am in the process of getting a grolux at the moment,most of the fish have been in the tank for at least 2 year's now and have only started this in the last 2-3 month's,the only thing that i have changed lately is aqualibrium salt, i have started useing the one that has built in ph buffer, would this make a diffence?thank's for all your replies,

[Gwenhwyfar]

I have consulted my other half who has a 4500 gallon koi pond. He had problems with skitish Koi and his problem was down to the pecking order - the boss Koi was skitish so the rest acted as she did.
To counter this he brought a monsterous thing called a chagoi, which is a big friendly koi which feeds from your hand and gives a calming influence to the rest of the fish - now all is fine.

So perhaps there has been a change in pecking order with your fish, so now the one in charge is just a bit nervous so the others follow suit.

He said if you haven't got one may be a big fancy Gold fish whose is freindly and comes up to the glass wanting to be fed (in the shop) might be the answer. Or may be not!! it's a long shot but it definatly works with koi.

The salt normally has a calming influence, so not sure if this would have made any difference.

You don't have any little people in your house tapping the glass when your not looking do you?
Like I say just a long shot, let us know how you get on.