F8 frantic behavior in my tank.

[By_a_coo]

Hi people,

I don't know what else to do to make my F8s to feel more comfortable. They don't seem to enjoying the tank, pacing in the left back corner or pacing in the front glass.

This is the tank:



I think I did a good job breaking up the lines of sight with the woods almost in the middle of the tank looking like a tree, and I piled some rocks and planted some plants (I'm waiting them to grow up).

This is the right side of the tank:

They have a lot of caves to swim through and a tall piece of wood with some vals near it.

This is the left side of the tank:

I made a big tree with some woods and piled some rocks in the background and planted some hygros in the back and some wisteria close to the left glass.

They don't swim through the decor, don't explore the hidden places and they don't hunt for food. It looks like they are always waiting for me to give them some food. Two or three times in a week, I offer them some snails... some kinda of 6 snails for each puffer (is that too much?), and I give to them some pieces of shrimp and some clams. I used to feed them everyday, skipping one day. Now, I will feed them one day and skip two days and check if it makes them to hunt for more food.

I don't know if the tank is very bright, since I have plants I used to have 85W of light to the 200L/53G tank, now I will try just two bulbs (30W) turned on, and see if they feel less stressed. I hope my plants can stand that amount of light.

I think I'll raise the salinity from 2g/L to 5g/L next weekend if it will make them feel more comfortable.

I read somewhere that pacing is a sign of boredom and when they pace they are trying to say " Let me out! I would like to be somewhere else!". So, the water parameters are:
Temp: 28°C/82,4°F
pH: 7.5
KH: 9°dH
GH: 12°dH
NH4: zero
NO2: zero
NO3: >5ppm and <15ppm
WC: 25% weekly

So, if you have any idea/hint/advice to tell me, feel free to do it because it doesn’t look like they are comfortable in my tank since they are not exploring the décor neither hunting, almost all the time resting beneath the tree or pacing up and down the glass.

Thanks for read the whole text.

[Jivenjune]

Beautiful tank. My GSPs are also overactive. I've added a ton of decoration, but they still seem to pace. I think it's their reflection in the glass that attracts them. Last time, I dropped a clam into the tank and one of my GSPs saw it fall in the reflection of the glass. He smushed his little face against the glass for at least 15 seconds before he realized he couldn't get the food.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Wow, gorgeous tank! What SG do you have that at? Just curious, because of the plants...

I agree that it could be the reflection. Is the rest of the room dimly lit? When the inside of the tank is lit and the outside is not, the reflections show up more clearly.

[pufferpuggirl]

Can I ask how long you've had those F8's in that tank?

I think to a certain extent that some puffers are just going to do the pacing thing. I've got 3 F8's in a fairly large tank, nicely planted ... and for the first few weeks, well nearly a month actually, they did the pacing thing and stayed in one place in the tank. Now they are starting to move about and I will see them in different spots in the tank, and I don't notice them doing the pacing that much, although still sometimes at night they will do it. I would not take it personally, your tank is really very well done and I can tell from the things you say that you care very much about your puffers, so I think you just have to accept that, even with all you've done to make it nice, they are still going to pace for whatever reason. I think maybe it gets to be a habit.

[Iliveinazoo]

Stunning tank!

Do they pace the glass if you aren't in the room? Try looking from around a corner before you enter the room.

Mine paced the glass a lot until I dumped a few snails in at night when they were sleeping, they search all of the time now, unless they see me of course and then they start begging!

[qtrhorse89]

That is one amazing looking tank! I can't see anything wrong with the decor.

So as stated above already if they are relatively new they may just be settling in. My guy took a while to settle in and he still glass paces when he sees me.

[Jivenjune]

Oh, just to throw it out there. My GSPs stop pacing when they are quarantined in large containers that have tons of decorations (no reflection). They explore a lot more instead of pacing whenever they can't see their reflection.

[By_a_coo]

About the reflexion in the glass: that's why I turned off some bulbs but the room is darker than the tank. What I can't understand is why they can see me bringing the food if there are reflexions in the glass?

I can't say how much the SG is, because my hydrometer doesn't measure the 2g/L of salt at 28°C/82,4°F. Salinity of 5 g/L at 28°/82,4°F is almost 1.002. I don't use SG unit anymore since I understood what happens with salt after studying Neale Monk's software. I'm much more concerned about salinity by itself. One thing to say is that those plants stood well at ~1.004.

They have been in that tank since april or may and in that new decor for a week now, but I bought them one year ago.

Well, if it is all about reflexion, I have nothing else to do, haven't I?

They pace a lot when I enter in my room, if they realize I'm not gonna feed them, one of them go pace in the left back corner and the other one go rest beneath the tree.

[pufferpuggirl]

Something more ..... It's now 11pm here in the UK and I've turned off all the lights in the room, all that's on is the tv and the computer. The reason I mention this is because the tank my F8's are in is right here by the computer, so I can see them. When I posted my earlier message my F8's were busy in other parts of the tank, but now they are in this one corner here on the end, and they are pacing up and down. One is going in upside down circles even. So I really can't say it's due to reflection because there's no way they are seeing a reflection in the low light that's on right now. I do think it's strange that earlier when all the lights were on, they were busy doing things, and now that it's dark two of three are here together going up and down.
I don't have an explanation for why they are doing this .... unless it's just something they enjoy doing, or feel compelled to do. You'd think they would be bedded down for the night. And while I'm thinking about it, I don't believe mine pacing has anything to do with food because all my puffers know when feeding time is, and once that time is past, they don't seem so bothered about food, because I keep them on a fairly strict schedule.
Just thought I'd add all of this before I shut down for the night.

[By_a_coo]

What makes me feel bad about pacing is that it seems I'm not treating them right. I'm still trying to find out why they act like that.

schismy - I noticed you have got a lot of puffers, do all of them pace the glass?

[Jivenjune]

I turn my lights off at 10. My GSPs almost always sleep 15 minutes after that. They have a curfew

[pufferpuggirl]

What makes me feel bad about pacing is that it seems I'm not treating them right. I'm still trying to find out why they act like that.

schismy - I noticed you have got a lot of puffers, do all of them pace the glass?

Actually the smaller ones, if they are going to do it, are the ones that do it, but really not many of mine do. As I've mentioned, the F8's do at times, sometimes my GSP's do, but not often, my Red-Lines are a bit neurotic -- they don't pace the glass, but they swim the same route over and over again (from the one side of the tank, over the heater, around the filter and back again, over and over). The only bigger puffers that sort of do it, would be my Ceylon puffers. They sometimes go to one end of the tank and pace, but they haven't been in that tank very long and I think they are still getting used to it.

By_a_coo you have a lovely tank and I don't think you are to blame for your puffers behaviour, so please try not to take it personally. As I said in my first message, I think that some puffers just do it and there's no really good reason for it. You've provided your puffs with a very nice tank, and it sounds like you care for them quite alot -- so don't worry, they may settle down. You didn't answer my question though, how long have they been in there? If it's not been very long, then maybe they are still settling in.

Best wishes!

[Dadof4]

Something that helped my GSP to stop pacing was putting up a dark background. I ended up gluing dark blue cloth, like a skirt around the back and two sides of the tank. Maybe you could try that on the back of the tank and see what happens...

[By_a_coo]

You didn't answer my question though, how long have they been in there? If it's not been very long, then maybe they are still settling in.

Yes, I did answer your question. I guess you missed it:

They have been in that tank since april or may and in that new decor for a week now, but I bought them one year ago.

Something that helped my GSP to stop pacing was putting up a dark background. I ended up gluing dark blue cloth, like a skirt around the back and two sides of the tank. Maybe you could try that on the back of the tank and see what happens...

Hey Dado, I was thinking of it last night. When I get home I'll put black cardboards on the two sides of the tank! Thanks for your advice too.

[sample789]

i think that its just the puffers personality my gsp wont pace unless he sees me then he will shoot to the side of the tank and swim up and down constantly keeping an eye on me but if i dont move he will start exploring again. my SAPs are the exact opposite they will swim up and down the sides until i come up to the glass then they swim over to me trying to say hi. my science teacher has a valentini and ive only seen that one not swimming up and down the side once and thats because she didnt have the light on. so your not to blame just get used to it maybe when they get old they will stop