Dixie
11-17-2007, 02:37 AM
Ok to recap...I'm cycling a 55g. tank with fish in it, 9 Malawi Cichlids, 2 Leporinus, and 2 Plecos. All 13 fish are about 2 in. long each.
I started getting a tiny bit of black alge on the front glass of the tank. I thought it might be coming from leaving the light on all the time (24/7) so last night after I turned off the livingroom light (where the tank is) to go to bed, I turned off the tank light too. To my surprise one of the plastic plants started glowing in the dark. Cool I thought. Next thing I know, one of the albino Cichlids shot straight up in the tank like a rocket (odd behavior for them). Being pretty dark in the room the only reason I could see it was because of it being white. I tried turning the tank light back on so I could see better to find out what was going on but it wouldn't come back on so I turned a small table lamp on in the room. The fish were going crazy. The one albino was going staight up and down in one spot next to the front glass in the tank . He would swim straight up to the top, turn tail and head back down to the bottom. Once at the bottom, he'd turn tail again and head back to the top. He was doing this so repeatedly that I was wondering if he had become obsessive compulsive. I looked around to see what the others were doing and the other two albinos were going in a circle real fast at the bottom of the tank. They were nose to tail like one was chasing the other going in one fast circle around and around and around. One of the Electric yellows was swimming at the back of the tank about midway down from the top just swimming back and forth left to right across the tank repeatedly. Another one of the yellows was at the back doing the same thing but he was a little farther back and he was going across not staight like the other but in a up and down pattern like a dolphin. I swear it was almost the wildest thing I've ever seen. Two of the Blue johanni Cichlids locked mouths for a second and I thought they were fighting (I'd never seen them do that before) until they let go and now by the way they were acting next, I think it was a kiss. The one kept brushing up against the other and then it started putting it's behind in the others ones face. If the fish would move away it would swim right around again until it's tail was in the other ones face. Reminded me of a female dog in heat.
My questions about this are...were they acting so strange because I turned off the light and they weren't use to it being off so they were stressed or were they so happy that I finally turned it off that they didn't know how to act? Could that glowing plant have freaked them out? It didn't glow very long. Were the blue johanni doing a mateing ritual? Aren't they young for that? Like I said they are only about 2 & 1/4" long. Hope someone has some answers for me. This has got me really stumped. Today in the daylight they were acting ok and I had another 55g. aquarium light that I hooked up for them. I'll turn it off tonight and see what happens this time.
Dixie
I started getting a tiny bit of black alge on the front glass of the tank. I thought it might be coming from leaving the light on all the time (24/7) so last night after I turned off the livingroom light (where the tank is) to go to bed, I turned off the tank light too. To my surprise one of the plastic plants started glowing in the dark. Cool I thought. Next thing I know, one of the albino Cichlids shot straight up in the tank like a rocket (odd behavior for them). Being pretty dark in the room the only reason I could see it was because of it being white. I tried turning the tank light back on so I could see better to find out what was going on but it wouldn't come back on so I turned a small table lamp on in the room. The fish were going crazy. The one albino was going staight up and down in one spot next to the front glass in the tank . He would swim straight up to the top, turn tail and head back down to the bottom. Once at the bottom, he'd turn tail again and head back to the top. He was doing this so repeatedly that I was wondering if he had become obsessive compulsive. I looked around to see what the others were doing and the other two albinos were going in a circle real fast at the bottom of the tank. They were nose to tail like one was chasing the other going in one fast circle around and around and around. One of the Electric yellows was swimming at the back of the tank about midway down from the top just swimming back and forth left to right across the tank repeatedly. Another one of the yellows was at the back doing the same thing but he was a little farther back and he was going across not staight like the other but in a up and down pattern like a dolphin. I swear it was almost the wildest thing I've ever seen. Two of the Blue johanni Cichlids locked mouths for a second and I thought they were fighting (I'd never seen them do that before) until they let go and now by the way they were acting next, I think it was a kiss. The one kept brushing up against the other and then it started putting it's behind in the others ones face. If the fish would move away it would swim right around again until it's tail was in the other ones face. Reminded me of a female dog in heat.
My questions about this are...were they acting so strange because I turned off the light and they weren't use to it being off so they were stressed or were they so happy that I finally turned it off that they didn't know how to act? Could that glowing plant have freaked them out? It didn't glow very long. Were the blue johanni doing a mateing ritual? Aren't they young for that? Like I said they are only about 2 & 1/4" long. Hope someone has some answers for me. This has got me really stumped. Today in the daylight they were acting ok and I had another 55g. aquarium light that I hooked up for them. I'll turn it off tonight and see what happens this time.
Dixie