Are Fish Even Fun To Watch?

[ara35]

i recently started a 15 gallon tank and have rosy red minnows in the tank in order to cycle it. they are very wired and scared even though i have provided plenty of hiding places. why is this? are all fish going to be like this? they just jet from side to side and never swim around calmly. water parameters are fine, keeping ammonia (which is just about gone) and nitrates under .25. i really hope the fish i am planning on getting (rams or gouramis, cories, loaches) are not like this. please comment.

 

[Davo86]

i recently started a 15 gallon tank and have rosy red minnows in the tank in order to cycle it. they are very wired and scared even though i have provided plenty of hiding places. why is this? are all fish going to be like this? they just jet from side to side and never swim around calmly. water parameters are fine, keeping ammonia (which is just about gone) and nitrates under .25. i really hope the fish i am planning on getting (rams or gouramis, cories, loaches) are not like this. please comment.

Hey, how many rosy reds do you currently have? and what are the dimensions of the tank?

With any shoaling fish you need around 6 for them to feel comfortable in their new home. if you have anything under 3 you'll find they will be very skittish and jumpy. However rosy reds are naturally very fast moving so it could also be simply that what your seeing is their natural behaviouir.

the other fish you have mentioned i.e. gouramis and rams are generally much slower moving and can almost seem graceful as they move through the water, cories are very active (again they must be kept in a group) and depending on the type of loach, they will vary, however most of these are all fast active swimmers.

Also what is the temp of your tank?
Rosy reds are a sub-tropical species that prefer a lower temperature than the other fish you have listed

Edit: just noticed that you were doing a fish-in-cycle, how long has the tank been cycling? and how long have the fish been present in the tank?

 

[ktricky]

unsure of the minnows

as you have fish in the tank while cycling they will be feeling a bit jaded and most likly a bit poorly


once the tank is cycled then you should see a change

 

[SJ2K]

Rest assured, larger 'less vulnerble' fish are usually more chilled out and often have interesting characters