Scaredy Fish. Is Light Too Bright

[Paul70]

Hi all.
I got my first stock in my new tank 2 days ago and followed all instructions for introducing them gently. lights off for the night etc.
However at the moment all my fish are just darting for the bottom and shelter when the tank light comes on. But when it is off they quite happily swim around and use all the tank. even my red tail black shark which generally hides under a rock all the time comes out a little when the light is off. this concerns me because when i feed the fish in a morning the tiger barbs are ravenous and eat everything in 30secs and the poor old RTBS doesnt get anything. he is left to scavenge on the substrate for scraps.
is it just a case of it taking longer for them to get used to the lights on the tank or do i need to dim the lights somehow?
I have a juwel duolux hood with 2x18w warm and daylight tubes. there is currently no surface vegetation

ps
how long should it generally take for tiger barbs and RTBS to fully come out in their new environment with lights on?

 

[KittyKat]

Get some sinking catfish pellets for the shark, they are not great surface feeders and he would appreciate that.

If I remember your tank size correctly, your lights are in the brighter half of what I consider to be the "normal" range: 1-2 watts per US gallon. If you have a reflector behind the lights, I would personally consider removing it.

Your tank is very exposed, you should look into getting some easy stem plants to put along the back:

Here are some you should look at:
* Bacopa caroliniana
* Bacopa monnieri
* Cardamine lyrata
* Ceratopteris spp, aka water sprite
* Hygrophila corymbosa
* Hygrophila difformis
* Hygrophila polysperma
* Limnophila sessiliflora
* Ludwigia glandulosa
* Rotala rotundifolia

And also any Vallisneria species too.

All of the above are not demanding plants, but I can't promise which ones will work and which won't. I would recommend getting maybe 3-4 different types and just seeing how they do.

p.s. seriously, take those "red swords" out, they're not aquatic!

 

[Paul70]

thanks kat. unfortunately there is no reflector behind the lights so can't remove it at all.

In another post I have mentioned taking out the red swords so that will be done today or tomorrow. I can tell they are not aquatic now as they are all dying off. I am annoyed to say the least with the LFS. my fish are currently in a mixed state of emotion! around 50% of them are out of cover but still hanging around the bottom of the tank and the other half are taking cover under rocks and plants etc but they in general do seem to be more active and adventurous today even with the lights on.

I am considering getting a bar of dimmable LED lights. Or do you think I am better just letting the fish get used to the lights as they are and just getting plants that will provide surface cover?
once again your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[KittyKat]

my fish are currently in a mixed state of emotion! around 50% of them are out of cover but still hanging around the bottom of the tank and the other half are taking cover under rocks and plants etc but they in general do seem to be more active and adventurous today even with the lights on.

I am considering getting a bar of dimmable LED lights. Or do you think I am better just letting the fish get used to the lights as they are and just getting plants that will provide surface cover?

I would personally just get the plants as they will have an effect in more ways than you could imagine and the fish will get used to it with time anyway.. but if you're not so keen on getting more plants a dimmer light is an option.

Also, for the moment, do consider having the light on for only 6-7 hours per day, it would help the fish get used to it.