do old fish get lazy?

[ari]

i have a 3 year old male vieja zonatus, he is about 11 inches plus in length and is kept by its own in 5 x 2 x 2 foot tank. its been almost two months now since the fish ceased to be active and lay motionless on the gravel at the centre of the tank. he used to cruise and swim around the tank until now. during feeding time he would accept his food as normal but will return to his motionless posture soon after his meal. one of my friends said it was because he is huge and old he simply got lazy. i dont think this is true or maybe it is .so anyone here had experince the same problem with their viejas? or can u tell me whats wrong with this fish. thanks

 

[mwm]

Over weight/ big fish do get lazy.

 

[Blue Lobster]

I found that with some past fish they were lethargic until they had some entertainment, your lone fish could just be bored.

Buy him some pets, something he can't eat but can watch and chase. If you buy your big fish a fish to chase it will get some exersize. A tank that is really calm can be woken up by adding a dozen Dianos. Some might even make it through the night

 

[ari]

hahaha ...dianos are expensive. anyway dianos are too small for a big fish to bother much. in the past i used to put in the odd and unwated flowerhorns which i got for free from my fav pet shop. some are about 4 to 5 inches in length and they will be dead by morning. maybe i will try this again when any unwanted flowerhorns turned up at the pet store

 

[DannyBoy17]

I had the same problem with my OScar last year. I bought 20 Minnows for him, and he's been crazy active ever since! He always thinks there are still some minnows left hiding in the tank

DB

 

[ari]

hahaha true dannyboy .the problem is i feed him with minnows once every 3 days ....i didnt count their number , but i guess each ready packed bag contains about 15 to 20 minnows(about 30cents per bag) my tank has no other deco apart from the bottom gravel. there is no where for the minnows to hide and they would be eaten up within an hour or so. after each meal ...its back to the grandpa by the fireplace position.

 

[Blue Lobster]

hahaha true dannyboy .the problem is i feed him with minnows once every 3 days ....i didnt count their number , but i guess each ready packed bag contains about 15 to 20 minnows(about 30cents per bag) my tank has no other deco apart from the bottom gravel. there is no where for the minnows to hide and they would be eaten up within an hour or so. after each meal ...its back to the grandpa by the fireplace position.

Get a couple pieces of slate, make a pile with some nooks in the corner and throw some fish in there and see what happens. Bet ya it works.

 

[ari]

yea good idea blue lobster....i would give it a try. but i was thinking about moving it to a smaller tank.....since it would be a matter of time my new argenteas would be put into the tank the zonatus is now occupying. im not being bias to my newer fishes ...just that i thought ....since the zonatus is not active and not occupying the full 5 foot tank , he wouldnt need the extra space. furthermore i need to divide the tank with a divider glass, with a 5 foot tank, each argentea will get a 2.5 x2 x2 foot piece of real estate. i really like to have them without the divider glass....but they would surely tear each other up. anyway i would try your idea first ...if it works ....then its time to invest in a new tank.