thrashing GSP

[cobra1713]

ok well i almost wanted to put this in the hospital forum but since he isnt actually sick that i can tell i decided to put it here, but i will still post the same information.

amonia and nitrite 0
nitrate <20
salinity 1.020
PH 8.0

i use prime and instant ocean salt.

29 gallon tank and only other inhabitants are a few lone hermits that have been in the tank for about three months.

cycled the tank probably 5-6 months ago using cycled live rock and an old filter, but it was previously a brakish tank so it was slowly climbed up to full salt water. i feed raw table shrimp and skip one-two nights a week depending on his, bloat if you will.

ok well recently (three to four days) he has been thrasing the top of the tank whenever i get near it in the evening. to the point that if i didnt have a lid he definitly would have jumped out. has anyone noticed this behavior before? and know what might be wrong with him?

[pinkfloydpuffer]

Maybe he's just really hungry and when he sees you he gets excited to have some food?

[cobra1713]

at first thats what i thaught but its random sometimes he just does it at night after he's eaten, but usually when i walk up. almost like he's startled.

[pinkfloydpuffer]

Do you think you could get some video of it? That would probably help.

[Jase]

what kind of lighting do you have? I think i remember a while back someone had a puff that reacted oddly to intense lighting...

[Jay.B.]

It sounds like he's just a little startled by your approach to the tank, a quick thrash and a flick and he's gone to a different area of the tank, maybe behind some rock or in a corner
Bonzo occasionally does the same, especially after lights out.
He sometimes snoozes up against the thermometer or the koralia power-head, both of which are close to the surface making it a more obvious splash

[edmlfc1]

I've noticed in the last few weeks, my gsp freaks out almost every night. The lights are on a timer and when the lights go off he freaks. I don't know why he does it, but he does this every night. Now if the room lights are on and the tank lights go off he's ok. When the main lights go off, moon lights come on so it's not totally dark. After about a minute he calms down. He's only been in the new tank for a little more than a month then I had to put it into hypo. It may be all the changes I did that's got him freaked. I don't know what else it could be. He's the only one that does this.

[inkyjenn]

if i lean in to look at my gsp he spooks and splashes at the top before hiding behind his rock. he usually tries to squeeze behind the intakes for the hob filters on his tank before realizing hes too big and dashing for the bottom

[cobra1713]

ok wow you guys described eveything heis doing exactly lol, the hiding by the thermometer, or in his little hiding spot, and trying to squeeze behind the intake on the filter. so i guess its just a normal thing.

[Jay.B.]

it would appear so

[hippopothomas]

This is pretty much the same behavior my GSP is showing. I've only had him for about a week now. The slight differences are that he doesn't get startled and rushes to the top of the tank. He actually only stays at the top of the tank. From left to right, front to back. Sometimes he squeezes behind the heater and just hangs out at the top of the tank. The only time I have ever seen him anywhere else is when I drop an cube of frozen bloodworms. He takes it to the middle of the tank and tears it up. Other than that he's being a lonely top dwelling fish.

Any suggestions or advice anybody can give me would be great. I want my P.Diddy (My GSP) to be as active as he was at the LFS when I got him

Thanks

[julianchan]

What I have found to work for my little Elevator is to build decorations high....He has a rock formation that I build at least 3/4 the way up the tank, and he loves exploring. The only time he paces the tank is when he thinks I am going to feed him...or wants attention. Other than that, he just goes swimming about in and around little holes and crevices. He does get startled when I put my face to the tank really suddenly...he shoots back six inches then turns around and comes to me while saying in his puffery eyes..."I wasn't scared....."

[biggy101]

My gsp started doing the same freaking thing! Yesterday I came home to one dried up on the floor 3 feet from the tank. What the heck!