fishnewb

i have three in my tank currently. i inherited the tank and the fish in it ... i've been noticing that they are hardly active during the day when i'm awake. they just kind of chill out at the bottom of the tank flapping their fins. but as soon as i turn the tank light off before i go to bed, this is when they're really active. is this normal for this type of fish?

also ... is it normal for their color to be off and on? sometimes they're really pale looking, and sometimes their coloring is vivid.

atmmachine816

http://www.timstropicals.com/Invento...ainbowInfo.asp Is that it?

What are your tank stats, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. How long have you had your tank, how big is it, are there any other fish? Hopefully we can figure out what is wrong with your fish or if it's normal. I personally have not kept rainbows but may be of assistance.

fishnewb

yes, that is them. i apologize for the lack of info but unfotunately i do not have test kits (i just ordered the aquarium pharmaceutical freshwater master test kit online).

i just set up the tank about a week ago, added nutrafin cycle/water conditioner, etc. the only reason i have fish in it so soon is because the fish and tank were given to me and i had nowhere else to keep the fish in the meantime. i know, it sucks.

i will post again when i have all of the correct info!

atmmachine816

No it's quite fine. You seem to be doing what you can and that's good. I'm not an expert on fish disease so somebody with more expertise might be able to help you better. How big is the tank? Do you have a lot of plants for the neons to hide in?

fishnewb

10 gallon, and yes, lots of places to swim around and hide behind.

genie

I had these fish once, and they lose color when they are scared or stressed. But they are more active when they think no one is looking, at lease in my experiences. They may be scared if you have them in a loud room, or if you have been moving things around in the tank.
It could be stress if the tank is high in ammonia or nitrite.
Also, good food helps keep the color.

fishnewb

thanks Genie. i figured the dullness was due to stress. i added some stress coat/water conditioner today.

susitna-flower

tan.b

i have 3 dwarf neon rainbows and their colours are consistant, but their tank is cycled so arent exposed to any stress. the boys flare their fins out occasionally when competing for the girls attention, but they occupy the whole tank and sometimes school together, sometimes go off and do their own thing like al my schooling fish do. they will shimmer more when sunlight catches their scales. wil try to help you more when we know your readings. mine arent as active as the danios, they just swim about quite slowly rather than darting manicly like danios do, but they seem happy enough. they dont go mad at feed time either, but must be eating as they arent skinny! they are so laid back - do everything in their own time!! hope yours are ok. flapping at the bottom can be a sign of high nitrite, but the way they perk up when you turn the lights suggests more behavioural than disease which is promising. do plenty of water changes if you're in any doubt as to their health using a dechlorinator solution and water of similar temperature. good luck
tan

fishnewb

ooh. an update! i did a 20% water change this morning and their color/activity has improved greatly! it's amazing i think i will continue to do this daily until the tank cycles.

tan.b

horay! they are fab little fish!! tan

susitna-flower

fishnewb

thank you for all of your advice!! very helpful. my tank is currently at a temp. of about 25-26C. i have an aqua tech filter 10-20, it just came with the tank. and i put in an air stone on the opposite end of the filter.



thank you!!

susitna-flower