Fish Are Very Scared

[xxshatteredsoul]

Any time I go to feed my fish, turn on/off the light or get close to the tank the fish just freak out and go nuts swimming really fast all over the tank and hiding. The gourami gets really freaked out I am scared something is wrong??

Here are the only fish I have in the tank:
1 Neon Gourami
4 Serpae Tetras
1 Albino Cory Catfish
1 Plecostomus

Any ideas what is going on why they are so freaked out and always hiding? Especially the pleco he hides stuck under this cave thing if I ever see him out its only for a second before he darts back under it.

I posted this in tropical fish general forum but I was told to post here to get better responces.

 

[kj23502]

Have you checked the water parameters? PH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? How long have you had them?

I'm not good w/stocking tropical tanks as far as #'s of fish go(unless it's african cichlids) but I know cories live in shoals. I believe tetras do to (I see you do have 4). My pleco never came out during the day. He always hid until nightfall. I had him for years until I sold him to the lfs.

I really know anything about gouramis.

 

[xxshatteredsoul]

No I do not have anything to check any of the water parameters. I just tried to go take a picture of the fish but my gourmai was freaking out so bad swiming really fast into thing and is just stayed hiding behind the water heater I just stopped because I dont want the fish to go into shock or something from swimming so crazy. I really dont know what is going on the fish all were fine for the past months and all of a sudden they are going crazy??

 

[WILDER]

Its hard to say without water stats.
take a sample of your water to the lfs and tell them to write the readings down for you.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing against objects.
Darting around the tank can mean bad water quality, toxins in the tank, stray voltage, overdose of med, parasites.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

as above, water stats are needed to get the full picture.

fish often behave like this when kept in inappropriate conditions, can you tell us the size of the tank, what equipment you have running (make and model), what decor you have (pic if poss), what maintenance and cleaning you do

 

[electric yellow]

I have 3 plecs and hardly see them during the day. I wait for them to come out at night just to make sure they are all there

As for corys...my albino doesnt 'freak out'. he is extremly active and lvoes swimming up and down in a L shape pattern.


Do you have plants for them to hide in or any decor? Do you run towards the tank? Occassionally my fish dart when they forget im around and i move. But thats just a fright thing. Have you had them long? Gouramis are pretty darty but my three settled down in no time.

Maybe time for a gravel vac and water change??

You can get good testing kits from ebay. I got a good liquid API Masters Test Kit that tests for all nitrite, nitrate, high range ph and normal ph and ammonia.

 

[xxshatteredsoul]

I will have to get some testing stuff from a fish store but I will post pictures of the tank in a minute let me go take some quick.

 

[xxshatteredsoul]

here is a picture of a tank, the tank/window and how big the window is. I was just thinking maybe this has something to do with it even though the blindes are closed the light from it?? Any thoughts?