Why are pet store fish so active?

[FishHobby99]

Looking at Cory Cats among others today. They swam & darted back & forth, fast. Mine are inactive most of the time. Hang out on tank floor. Do the bright lights energize the store fish?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Small over crowded tanks with bright light, no cover and nowhere to hide. Probably more active because they are pretty stressed out compared to a nice tank with space and cover to feel safe.

 

[FishHobby99]

Makes sense to me. I asked the employee, son of elderly man who started up shop 44 years ago, why they were so active & he shrugged & said: No idea.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

What @xxBarneyxx says, plus they've probably had a net in there, plus they'll have had lots of people wandering past and staring in, not to mention the families with children, who treat the place like a free petting zoo.

 

[itiwhetu]

Because they are frantically trying to hide so they don't get eaten by a bigger fish. This is why plants are so important in tanks, they give the fish protection and make them feel safe. In the good fish shops I go into they always have plants in the tanks with the fish

 

[FishHobby99]

What @xxBarneyxx says, plus they've probably had a net in there, plus they'll have had lots of people wandering past and staring in, not to mention the families with children, who treat the place like a free petting zoo.

Lots of nets I am certain. Poor fish. They enhance the colors too on some fish. The white clouds were a bright yellow there & far duller here.

 

[itiwhetu]

Lots of nets I am certain. Poor fish. They enhance the colors too on some fish. The white clouds were a bright yellow there & far duller here.

How do they do that, enhance the colors.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

How do they do that, enhance the colors.

'Tis the bright lighting.
We don't use the same lighting in our own tanks, because it stresses the fish.

 

[itiwhetu]

'Tis the bright lighting.
We don't use the same lighting in our own tanks, because it stresses the fish.

I thought that was the case, but it sounded like they were putting something in the water, to make them glow.

 

[Myraan]

My LFS uses relatively dim lights, even enough that fish look more washed out colourwise than they are.

The cories usually sleeping most of time like ones at home. Of course when a net goes in they suddenly hardest fish in shop to catch

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

The cories usually sleeping most of time like ones at home. Of course when a net goes in they suddenly hardest fish in shop to catch

I'll raise you...kuhli loach.

 

[FishHobby99]

Lots of nets I am certain. Poor fish. They enhance the colors too on some fish. The white clouds were a bright yellow there & far duller here.

I’m guessing colored lights. I have a blue setting on my LED tank light & the goldfish are stunning under it. I suspect subtly colored lighting, but possibly not. Maybe very bright white lights will do it for certain fish.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I’m guessing colored lights. I have a blue setting on my LED tank light & the goldfish are stunning under it. I suspect subtly colored lighting, but possibly not. Maybe very bright white lights will do it for certain fish.

Remember that white light contains all of the colours of the spectrum, so having it on bright, would increase the amount of blue...and green...and red.
Also remember that by using just white light, they don't have to adjust spectrums for different fish. Some fish get their colours by simple pigmentation, whilst others get it from iridescence.