a tank devoid of fish… watching my fish wake up this morning

[Magnum Man58 173]

my hillstream tank is the 1st to start coming on on the morning… most all are slowly starting and slowly decreasing light set ups… but being the 1st to come on, this one lights up before I’m awake most days, this morning I’m up a little earlier sucking my caffeine, waiting for the fish tanks to wake up… the light begins to come on, and I only see 2 hillstream loaches sleeping attached to the sides of the tank… this tank is highly populated, even with the bigger fish, like the pack of denison barbs, and the big pink kisser fish, and group of adult panda garras, these fish all find a place to hide while sleeping, as well as the group of 7 Juvenal spot tail algae eaters, which I’ve only witnessed as highly active… the dozen or more hillstream loaches, hide quite often, but I was surprised at how well everyone else was hiding in the dark, to only see 2 fish at 1st light… most of the other tanks have quite a few fish that sleep mid water, so are plainly visible as the lights begin to come on… just curious if many of you watch your fish wake up regularly???

5 minutes later the gourami is already snacking, and the denison’s are cruising, and the largest hillstream loach ( a gold ring ) does a lap, and the spot tails start emerging, one at first, then the rest of the pack… I’m kind of surprised that as active as the panda garra are normally, they seem to sleep in for a while…

20 minutes later, when the main tank lights come on, the pandas finally appear, and now the tank is full of fish again…

 

[GaryE18 16]

My fish are quick to rise in the morning. I wonder if there is a difference, since almost all my fish eat insects and many of yours are herbivores? If I drop food into the tanks before the lights go on, it is almost immediately walloped. Insect eaters don't have finesse in their dining skills.

My fishroom has 2 windows, and it seems that makes the fish aware of the time even if the room isn't seeing sun yet. I get up at 5:30, half drown in coffee and look at this forum. I generally go out to the fishroom around 8 when at this time of year there's sun. Sometimes though, I wander out at 7. From now for a few months, that's a time of darkness.

I figure my fish are already hunting before sunrise, as in nature, insects are already moving by then. I feed a lot of live foods and I try hard to vary the time I feed. I don't want to train my fish to beg - I like fish who act prepared to work.

My pulcher are bringing out their fry when the lights come up. I think defending them is impossible otherwise, and those visually oriented 'kribs' are strategic. But pretty well everything else is on the move before the sun rises. I only have half a dozen generally low profile herbivores though.

 

[Magnum Man58 173]

I see shortly after the lights come on, in the south American tetra tank, that the sailfin tetras are out displaying again… I guess I need to get up earlier, as those guys hide most of the time… the large male is the 2nd largest fish in that tank, behind the spotted silver dollar I haven’t moved from that tank yet, as it hasn’t been a problem with any of the smaller tetras…

 

[emeraldking37 88]

The fish in the tanks closer to the windows, will be sooner alive than those that are more away from the window at my place. The tank lights will only be lit later in the afternoon. Daylight enters the relevant rooms sufficiently that turning on the lights is almost of no use for a number of hours. During those hours, the daylight will absorb the tank lights.

 

[Back in the fold14 11]

I like this post ! The best part of waking up is Folgers in your . . . . . oops , wrong jingle .

 

[GaryE18 16]

Folgers. Urrrk. Life is too short for bad coffee!

For those who live in safe countries, it's the palest weakest roast out there though what it lacks in taste it makes up in caffeine.

Ahem. Back to the thread.

 

[Magnum Man58 173]

side track. I consume 500-600 mgs of caffeine daily, but I drink mine cold…