Can a fish out and out just not like a light?

[jaylach]

Per another thread my original built in LED lighting started to fail and I replaced with a totally different light system. The failure manifested with a few burned out LEDs and it started to flicker very fast. Of course I shut it down and went with ambient light from a window next to the tank until the new light arrived and a bit longer due to figuring out how I was going to mount.

The actual question concerns my rope fish. While there have been periods when I didn't have a tank I've had a rope in every tank since the mid 1980s and my current rope just didn't act the same as others. Ya, they tend to be nocturnal hunters but, in the past, they were still active and all over the tank during the day. Shoot, I've had them eat out of my hand. My current rope has acted very different than those of the past spending most of the time in hiding and very seldom coming out during the day when the lights are on. However, with the new lights, he is now out and about a LOT in the last couple of days.

Ropes have poor eye sight but are still sensitive to light. Is it possible that he just didn't like the original lights? Perhaps the lights flickered from the start but just too fast for me to notice but enough to bother his eyes? Another thing that makes me think that the new lights could be a factor in relation to his current behavior is that, in the past, when out and about, he was almost always moving very fast and then gone. Now, for a couple of days with the new light, he is out a lot and just casually roaming around. In the last two days I have seen more of him than in the last two months. He is just now seeming to act more like what I have experienced in the past even to the point that he was just draped over a floating plant like he was resting in a hammock. Sigh, the floating plants are not supposed to float but are due to my stupid digging cichlids.

So, is it possible that he just didn't like the original light?

BTW, I always seem to refer to a rope as he but I really have no clue as to the gender of this beastie. Somehow they all just seem to look like a 'he' to me.

 

[Ichthys]

Ropefish very much need to be kept in a group, as you presumably know if you’ve had them before. I would not expect normal behaviour from a lone specimen.
Having said that, it’s not unknown for fish to behave differently when the light spectrum or brightness is changed.

 

[GaryE]

I don't know much about their light sensitivity or eye structure - maybe no one does. A lot of fish see spectrums beyond what we do, and it's possible the old lighting was very different to him than to us. Maybe the new device is closer to natural?

We can't even guess what he's looking at or looking for, and how our artificial lighting is processed.

 

[emeraldking]

So, is it possible that he just didn't like the original light?

That could be very possible indeed... There are fish that are sensitive to certain lights. I can't speak for those rope fish, btw.

 

[jaylach]

Actually ropes are fine alone or in small groups although some believe them to be more active in a group.

The Complete Care Guide For Rope Fish

With its eel-like appearance, the rope fish attracts those who want a change from ‘normal’ fish. They’re peaceful carnivores that get on well with other large, peaceful fish. This makes them great for both species-only

www.fishkeepingworld.com

You can keep these fish either on their own or in a group. Some people think that they’re more active in small groups, but a group takes up more space, so make sure you can comfortably fit a group in your tank before purchasing.

I am more and more believing that it is the difference in lighting. Mayhaps he likes the addition of green. Once again, today, he is out and about and bee bopping all over the place. The lighting may also be why he was so hard to keep out of the pump chamber before. The lighting didn't reach the chambers and he may have been escaping from the old light.

 

[Ichthys]

They are a species that benefits from physical contact with others of their own species, so we must assume they’re stressed on their own. Living instead of dying does not prove they’re being kept correctly.

 

[jaylach]

They are a species that benefits from physical contact with others of their own species, so we must assume they’re stressed on their own. Living instead of dying does not prove they’re being kept correctly.

One should never assume. I'm sure that you probably know what the word breaks down to...

When I got my first rope it was from a shop that was owned by a PHD marine biologist that was also an aquatic veterinarian. This lady actually did surgery on fish if the cost of the fish made it sensible as to the cost of the surgery. Loved this lady as she would save a simple gold fish with a tumor through surgery if it was owned by a kid with no charge.

Anyway this lady taught me just about everything about ropes that I know. Ropes do not need to be in groups even though they MAY be a bit more active in a group. Actually a rope's activity is more about the environment than whether single or a group. The thing about ropes is that they need either caves or a lot of live plants. Most people with this species lack in this regard but I have both. There are two basic indicators as to if a rope is healthy and happy.
1) Are the dorsal ridges flat and hidden or erect? Many never see this fish in full glory with erect dorsal ridges. This is normally due to a lack in the tank conditions. These beasties with erect dorsal are a true miniature sea serpent and glorious.
2) Is the critter out and about normally or mostly in hiding? Yes, by nature they are nocturnal but very quickly adapt to daylight if fed with lights on. There is absolutely no adverse effects to this fish in bringing it out into a lighted situation.

To conclude this my rope is now out and about both day and night. Also the dorsal ridges are almost always erect. This all indicate that the fish is healthy and happy. I attribute the dramatic change in behavior to the new lights I installed.

 

[Colin_T]

It could be the colour of the light or how you turn the tank lights on.

TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day. Use a timer if possible.

If the light unit is programmable, have it on a low setting for the first 30-60 minutes and increase the brightness over time. Do the opposite in the evening and gradually reduce the light for the last 30-60 minutes before lights out.

If you don't have live plants in the tank, you only need the light on for a few hours in the evening. You might turn them on at 4 or 5pm and off at 9pm.

If you do have live plants in the tank, you can have the lights on for 8-16 hours a day but the fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. Most people with live plants in their aquarium will have the lights on for 8-12 hours a day.

Floating plants would be beneficial for bottom dwelling and nocturnal fishes like Birchirs and catfish.

 

[Ichthys]

One should never assume. I'm sure that you probably know what the word breaks down to...

You mean like assuming a vet that didn’t do the research that proves the benefits knows more than the ichthyologists that did?

 

[jaylach]

You mean like assuming a vet that didn’t do the research that proves the benefits knows more than the ichthyologists that did?

I truly hope that my comment about assumption gave no offense. It was meant tongue in cheek. hence the smilie at the end. On the other hand the lady I referenced was not a vet even though she would treat fish. She was a PHD marine biologist.

You may well be right but I have had a single rope in every tank I've ever had except for my very first 10 gallon. I have never seen any adverse behavior until the current tank and the behavior went back to normal with a new light...

It could be the colour of the light or how you turn the tank lights on.

TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day. Use a timer if possible.

If the light unit is programmable, have it on a low setting for the first 30-60 minutes and increase the brightness over time. Do the opposite in the evening and gradually reduce the light for the last 30-60 minutes before lights out.

If you don't have live plants in the tank, you only need the light on for a few hours in the evening. You might turn them on at 4 or 5pm and off at 9pm.

If you do have live plants in the tank, you can have the lights on for 8-16 hours a day but the fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. Most people with live plants in their aquarium will have the lights on for 8-12 hours a day.

Floating plants would be beneficial for bottom dwelling and nocturnal fishes like Birchirs and catfish.

The old light was either on or off with no timer having red, white and blue lights. The new light adds green to the colors and has a basic timer that takes 15 minutes to fully turn on/off gradually intensifying or dimming the lights during the 15 minutes. I'm heavily planted and run the lights 10 hours per day. Actually, with the 15 minutes for on/off, that is 9.5 hours per day at full intensity. While not a lot of light my living room with the tank is never actually black dark as I always the lights for the stove hood on as sort of night lights. The kitchen is only separated from the living room by a counter so the living room is never totally dark.

Actually I don't know the temperature of the old light but the new is 6500K.

 

[Ichthys]

I truly hope that my comment about assumption gave no offense. It was meant tongue in cheek. hence the smilie at the end. On the other hand the lady I referenced was not a vet even though she would treat fish. She was a PHD marine biologist.

You may well be right but I have had a single rope in every tank I've ever had except for my very first 10 gallon. I have never seen any adverse behavior until the current tank and the behavior went back to normal with a new light...

The smilie didn’t have the desired effect, but I’m not offended, especially now that I know you didn’t mean it that way.

I don’t know what “adverse behaviour” you would be expecting, but that doesn’t prove the fish isn’t affected by being on its own. And if you had kept them in groups you would definitely have seen some different behaviour, namely a lot of slithering over each other like snakes as they go about their activities, at times. A lot of physical contact. To me that’s a sign of a fish that wants to be with others, rather than one that isn’t bothered either way.

 

[jaylach]

The smilie didn’t have the desired effect, but I’m not offended, especially now that I know you didn’t mean it that way.

I don’t know what “adverse behaviour” you would be expecting, but that doesn’t prove the fish isn’t affected by being on its own. And if you had kept them in groups you would definitely have seen some different behaviour, namely a lot of slithering over each other like snakes as they go about their activities, at times. A lot of physical contact. To me that’s a sign of a fish that wants to be with others, rather than one that isn’t bothered either way.

To be honest I had to do a search to even find out what an ichthyologists was.

What I meant by adverse behavior is that under the old light the beastie was almost always in hiding and the dorsal ridges were almost always flat. With the new light he is now out and about all the time and the dorsal ridges are erect. I always say 'he' but actually have no idea as to gender. Ropes just always seem like a 'he' to me...

 

[Ichthys]

From SeriouslyFish…

“The male fish has 12-14 dorsal fin rays while the female has only 9-12. When in breeding condition the anal fin of the male swells and thickens.”

 

[jaylach]

From SeriouslyFish…

“The male fish has 12-14 dorsal fin rays while the female has only 9-12. When in breeding condition the anal fin of the male swells and thickens.”

Thanks.

I always call the dorsal ridges instead of fins. I know that it isn't correct but sure is a lot more descriptive.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

This is interesting, Jay, because I'm seeing the same thing in my 55g. I just replaced the old no-name light fixture on my tank with the Aquasky from my old rice paddy tank. The old one had a definite pink cast to it, and the fish were very shy, constantly hiding out. I thought this was due to most of them being wild caught. Under the new light which is more of a normal day-light color, my barbs and danios are out and about all the time, though their colors aren't quite as vivid. It's interesting to see such a drastic behavior change just by changing the light.

On a side note, the aquasky is only 36", compared to the old light's 48", but it's just as bright, maybe even a little brighter. I ordered one of those hidden strip lights you suggested to illuminate the bank overhang in back, which should really make the tank pop.