qwertypoii

I bought 2 glass catfish on Friday for my 20 gallon long tank. They are not acting right, they just hide and won't go near each other, they just didn't seem like how they did at the pet store. Well I read online that they need a pH of 6.0-7.0... is this true?? My ph is a consistant 7.6... Is that why they are acting strange? The plan is to return them to the store tonight but I don't want to put them in any more shock... what do I do

thanks!

JoeSmo

Hmm... I have heard that glass cats prefer to ne in a school of at least 5 or 6. They can also be picky about foods. I think you ought to return them to the pet store as they need a 30 gallon tank.

Shawnie

how long you acclimate them? did you test the water in their bag to see what ph they have lived in? it could be a ph shock or even a temp shock ....do you know the readings of your tank perimeters? posting them will help alot... they do like to be in bigger schools of 5-6 as joe said...and they also take some time to warm up to a new tank environment ...

ooibhuskyoo

Yes, I think the most important thing is the acclimation of the fish. And as shawnie said, fish do take a little while to get used to their new environment. Make sure they have plenty of places to hide to ease the transition!

qwertypoii

Well I did just get a 30 gallon tank for free, actually the same day I bought those fish, that's why I purchased them, but they were in my 20 until I finished the swap. I ended up just bringing them back to the store. The manager there told me they would have been fine but I really didn't want them to suffer or anything, I read in more then one place that 7 is really the max ph they can handle, I just didn't feel comfortable chancing it.

Thanks for all of your help and advice though!!! I do appreciate it!

Does anyone have any suggestions though as to any other unique fish I could get (for the 30) that would get along with 4 corys, 1 siamese algae eater, 1 farawello (sp??) and 3 bloodfin tetras?

My perimeters are as follows:
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 20
ph 7.6

My tank has been running for about 4-1/2 months now, with no fluxuations what-so-ever. It is also a planted tank with sand gravel.

Thanks!!

wooza

I have two glass cats. At first for about 2 weeks they just stayed very still in the same place just hovering near one of the nylons I had in the tank. Now they are so much braver, they move around the whole tank and are even eating Flake food which I heard is very unusual for them. I read that they are fussy eaters and tend to only eat daphnia. I am glad they have settled in.