Rainbowfish acting weird

[LizStreithorst]

I have 2 100 gallon tanks, both with 7 rainbows and a few BN in them. Suddenly, maybe 6 days ago group in one of the tanks were suddenly terrified, hiding behind a sponge in the corner of the tank. I tried feeding them. They did't come out. They didn't want to eat. I couldn't figure it. I even moved drift wood with plants attached while I searched for something like a snake got in, even though I knew that was impossible. I didn't feed them at all yesterday. This morning I fed them some soaked freeze dried blood worms. They did come out and eat, but then they went back to their corner. What could be up with them?

[jeep]

Any noticeable changes in your water supply?

[Second Hand Pat]

Liz, can you test ammonia, nitrites and nitrates as a starting point. Guessing there is plenty of aeration? When was your last WC?
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

Nothing at all has changed with these guys or the water or maintenance. Pat, I no longer even use a test kit. I change a ton of water. The Rainbows in the tank next door are just as normal as can be. I fed them all some white worms this afternoon. The weird ones came out and ate, but went right back to their corner. At least they're making some progress. At first they wouldn't eat at all.

[danotaylor]

Sounds like a contaminant of some sort Liz. Do you have some activate charcoal you could run in the tank for a few days?

[LizStreithorst]

I'm afraid not, Danny. I've gotten too accustomed to not having problems, I guess. I can do a huge WC today, though. Honestly, I can't imagine what the problems is. the lights haven't come on yet this morning and the fish are out and about. My guess is that one day this problem will disappear as fast as it appeared. Even now, when they are hiding, they don't act freaked and terrified like they did that first day.

[LizStreithorst]

It's crazy but I think they're afraid of me! They were all out and about acting normal until I stood up to get a cup of coffee and they all swam back to their corner. I'm just going to wait for them to get over it. They don't appear sick. They're just acting weird.

[fljones3]

Of the wall, but I am assuming Liz that when you change your water you change all the tanks at the same time? My water here, the utility company always says that they have not done anything but once a year for about a week, my discus show change of behavior for the worse.

[LizStreithorst]

I ,don't do WC on every tank at the same time. Discus get it daily, Rainbows twice weekly, shrimp once a week. But since the Discus get a WC every day, I'd have noticed a difference in them, and they're doing fine.

[jwcarlson]

It's crazy but I think they're afraid of me!

It's all that sourdough you've been eating, Liz

[chelltom]

Liz by chance could you have a faulty heater. Sometimes going off or on can do a random shock as temps fluctuate during the day ??

[LizStreithorst]

That could be possible, but the fish have started coming out more and more. I might switch their heater with the one in the Rainbow tank next door and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestion

[chelltom]

I think that would be more likely as I know you take great care with water quality and general fish health. I saw a video on you tube the other day where someone was having similar issues they tried everything from water changes to salt , medications and food . Then finally one day they happened to be in the room and sudenly all of his fish started shuttering for a few seconds then all darted to a corner , come to find out he heated his whole fish room so heaters hardly ever came on but every once in a while if temps dipped this one came on and lit everyone up . It was a 700 gallon tank and he had lost several discus over the past few months and none since he changed the heater.

[pitdogg2]

I was also leaning towards a stray voltage problem as well. I've experienced stray voltage and it is very hard to nail down at times. I had to turn everything off and slowly turn everything back on one at a time starting with filters first since the beneficial bacteria is needed lol. In my case the hard water deposits under my overhead fluorescent light fixture was conducting into the the hard deposits along the aquarium rim into the tank. although I couldn't feel it with my arm in the tank, I could see it by using electrical multimeter probes into the water and watching the difference when the light turned on. Believe it or not, a very small voltage can have a negative affect on fish. I'm talking less than a 9 volt battery.
The harder the water the more this can affect critters I found out.
My saltwater friends actually had titanium ground probes that they attached to ground usually by just plugging into an unused outlet. They drained stray voltage by just using the ground part of the outlet, the two blade parts were non-conducting nylon so only the ground pin was used.