Scared Swordtails

[Michelleuk]

Hi

My swordtails are very jumpy. Every time i walk pass or the light goes off they all go manic and swim madly around the tank. They even go mad when i creep pass. the other fish are fine, they dont really move.

I worried because i think they are going to knock themselves out.

I put plants in the tank, but dont seem to help.

Any advice please let me know.

does anyone experience similar behaviour?

 

[saz326]

Is the tank on a surface that vibrates when you walk or even creep past?

 

[Michelleuk]

no its on concrete floor.

 

[saz326]

Do they calm down if you simply sit infront of the tank ...kinda out of sight. So you can watch them without them watching you. Im wondering whether they always swim like this.

They may be responding to the fact "a person has come to feed me" whenever a person gets close.

 

[Michelleuk]

They tend to swim away to the other side of the tank. So i dont think its food. They seemed so scared.

 

[OldMan47]

A swordtail is a very nervous fish in my experience. It takes them a long time to calm down if they ever do. My X. helleri, wild green swords, are very nervous any time I come near their tank although I have had them and been the only one who ever feeds them since they were just juveniles about 3 months old. They are about a year old now. My new X. nezahualcoyotl, nezzy swords, are quite calm in my tank and will soon be coming to greet me when I feed them. I have only had them for 6 days now but they are very different fish. The typical aquarium swordtail is derived from wild X. helleri although they get some of their color patterns from crosses with platies like X. variatus or X. maculatus.