So quick story about the purchase. I went and without looking around asked the sales guy if he had any rainbow sharks. He said he only had one left so I decided to buy it. Honestly I wasn't very keen on this, and looking back it was a silly knee jerk reaction, but I took the fish. I asked if they tend to keep them in stock, and she said yes and that they put new fish out on Thursdays.
Now I didn't have any issues with the fish, beyond the fact I like (and should) only buy fish that are in the tank with other fishes. The idea being that if one fish is sick but not showing symptoms there is a high chance another one is that does show symptoms.
So as always I started looking around. That's when I spotted a tank full of brand new rainbow fish. Now two things struck me from the get go.
A. These fish were about 1/2 a inch longer
B. They had much better color
B. They had much better color
Now I don't want to say there was anything wrong with the first fish, at least from a health standpoint but with so many reasons to prefer the other fish I asked if he would mind me switching it (he already had it bagged and with newspaper on it). He said that would be fine, but I felt bad, because I had wasted his time, but more importantly stressed the fish. He quite nice about it though while I apologized many times.
So I got home and put the fish in the aquarium. While he was still in the bag he was freaking out swimming back and forth in the bag, but seemed *very* happy (very dark color I have yet to see again).
So I took him out and he quickly faded in color (but same color he was when I bought him) and hid behind a plant. Up until today I have yet to see him leave the safety of the plant. Honestly despite reading that these guys will do this hiding thing for long periods of time he was starting to scare me (I doubt he was getting any food). My worries were kind of put to rest because I did see him eating algae off the side of the tank though.
I started staring at him a few days ago, and while he didn't come out from behind the plant he was poking his head out. He clearly was still scared, but also at the same time curious.
Today though when I turned on the light I saw him run from the other side of the tank back to his plant's hiding spot, so at least at night he was getting out.
Later today when I came home I saw him swimming about the tank! When he saw me though... You guessed it... Right back to the plant...
I then went downstairs, and when I came back he was out again! But when he saw me he... Got nervous and *slowly* made his way back to the plant.
I then went downstairs and then back up, and he was out again. This time though he isn't running away!
All the while my cory fish, and one of my swordtails (pregnant female) would hang out with him in the plant. I think they convinced him it was safe to come out. So what did he do it return? It seems he taught the swordtails that the algae on the tank walls was tasty. He even seems to have taught the cory fish that they are not limited to the substrate, and plants for algae. After seeing the cory fish only swim parallel it is kind of funny watching them swim up and down the glass. Now all the fish in the world won't solve my algae problem, but its nice to see them eating it anyways. He went from a very nervous fish to the least nervous fish in half a week. He right now is even playing with my angelfish (which BTW in a very peaceful tank are the least aggressive in the tank).
And the rainbow has the most strange swimming pattern. The best way I can describe it is saying that he looks sick, but he isn't (it mostly looks like a sick swim because he is eating algae all the time swimming up and down and sideways).
Honestly this fish surprised me the most. All my fish have turned out better then I had hoped in their behavior. And with a tank full of so many "semi-aggressive" fish the most aggressive fish I have seen is the male swordtail chasing the females sometimes. Well that and the frogs which are now both in the downstairs tank.
No comments:
Post a Comment