Lights off for a Week, Help!!

[Clint_Glasgow]

Cut a long story short I went on hols 4 a week n my dad agreed to feed the fish etc and I presumed (oh how i was wrong) that as he kept tropical fish years ago he would turn the light on in the tanks for a couple of hours.

Came home to most fish looking totally disscoloured (some dead) Will they get their colours back?

Anything i can do to help?

 

[WILDER]

Sound stressed do an immediate water change and gravel vac, post test results in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.

 

[Sunny.C]

What fish are they??? add a little salt in depending of the fish.. turn the temp up a little, maybe some stress coat to relax them a little, there is a product on the market called metafix, helps repair the skin of the fish.Your fish will be very stress due to no light for a long time so don't give them to much light every day as they might get stress, give them like 7-8hours a day then work your way back up.The fish will colour up again once you get them out of the stress and they start ending normally,also there is a product called pro g(flakes) which you can feed them which will help with skin & colour.

 

[canarsie11]

That happen to me fish went 3 days without light.

I thought regular sun light in the room would be enough

I just did nice sized water change, and turn on light.

Also gave them feeding of good food (frozen)

They began to regain there color within minutes.....

Everyone looked back to normal within 2 hrs

 

[Clint_Glasgow]

thanks 4 the replies peeps as stated after a few hours with the light on, a lil bit of salt and a good feed their colours went back to normal and now all seem fine and dandy bless the wee buggers lol Cheers again

 

[Redbled]

I'm not believing the color was lost due to light, bet it was stress. Any truth to that?

 

[The Mohave Kid]

A reference I have suggest these ideas ...

pH ??

General water quality ?

Nutrition ?? ( food quality )

Medications or fertilizers ??

.. and believe it or not TOO much light ... but nothing about too little light.

Good Day .... B)

 

[canarsie11]

I'm not believing the color was lost due to light, bet it was stress. Any truth to that?

Stress from no light

 

[The Mohave Kid]

or stress from turning on the lights all at once ... fish in closed packages I've read can be harmed this way...

Good Day ....

 

[Redbled]

Not stress from lack of light, just saying I believe the loss of color was due to stress and not because of the lights being out. When I turn on my tanks in the morning, the first have normal color.

 

[canarsie11]

Not stress from lack of light, just saying I believe the loss of color was due to stress and not because of the lights being out. When I turn on my tanks in the morning, the first have normal color.

He did not have lights off overnight. He said a week.

So the stress was cause by EXTENDED PERIOD without lights

 

[Ferris]

The lights being off should not affect the fish in anyway. I regularly have to go away for a week with work and the lights on my tank are left off for this period. The only thing a lack of light would do is kill any live plants you have. This is definately a disease or water problem. Daily water changes for a week would be your best bet.

 

[Redbled]

So the stress was cause by EXTENDED PERIOD without lights

Many times I've seen where it is recommended to turn off the lights to reduce fish stress, especially when medicating, etc, so I'm far from buying this.

 

[canarsie11]

Fish need a sense of day and night.

Imagine having no lights for a week, or any light whatsoever. What would that do to you.....

 

[paulthegreat]

Timers, Timers, Timers!!!! Put the lights on a timer. Give them as much as possible a normal day/night cycle as you can. I only leave the lights on extra when one of my fish is birthing so I can try to save the fry. The fish can live a day or two without feeding but messing with the D/N cycle will only stress them.