Ruby red dragonet behavior?

[Yarrr!]

My dragonet acts like a normal fish all day long but when i get up for work in the morning and the tank lights are off, hes swimming around on the surface like there is something wrong. Lights start to come on and right back to scouting the tank for critters to munch on like nothing happened. Hes been doing this since i had him, about 3 months. There is a female ruby red dragonet in the tank as well. She doesnt do this....

 

[Hemmdog]

Interesting! Welcome to reef2reef!

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Welcome to R2R!

I have kept Ruby Reds for a while - one of my favorite fish. I have not noticed that behavior in any of mine, however, I have seen them swim up to the surface in tandem as part of their mating dance. Not sure why the male is doing that at night, unless it can't find a place it feels secure enough to sleep.

Make sure you have your top enclosed - they are notorious jumpers.

Here's a video of their courtship dance:

 

[Malifry97]

WELCOME MY DUDE!!! I can’t help but I can summon the #reefsquad

 

[MERKEY]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Terri Caton]

Welcome to R2R!

I have kept Ruby Reds for a while - one of my favorite fish. I have not noticed that behavior in any of mine, however, I have seen them swim up to the surface in tandem as part of their mating dance. Not sure why the male is doing that at night, unless it can't find a place it feels secure enough to sleep.

Make sure you have your top enclosed - they are notorious jumpers.

Here's a video of their courtship dance:

OMGsh! That is completely awesome! Love the Anthias photobombing the video :)

Nice tank too!

Welcome Yarrr!

 

[El_Guapo13]

Welcome to R2R!!!

Wait...
(*reads original post)

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r! Idk why hes acting like that...

 

[eglabrescens]

My dragonet acts like a normal fish all day long but when i get up for work in the morning and the tank lights are off, hes swimming around on the surface like there is something wrong. Lights start to come on and right back to scouting the tank for critters to munch on like nothing happened. Hes been doing this since i had him, about 3 months. There is a female ruby red dragonet in the tank as well. She doesnt do this....

I brought a male recently, I did observe this strange behavior; he is riding current, floating around in the surface every night when light off.... funny I thought he is gapping for air or something.

 

[AgentKooper]

I know this is an old thread, but I’m observing the same behavior in a juvenile ruby red I bought two days ago. I was watching him with my moonlights on tonight, and he suddenly scooted up the tank wall to the surface and started surfing all over on the current, seemingly feeding on something at the surface. He didn’t seem distressed at all. He eventually returned to the bottom and chilled there for awhile before going to the surface and playing up there again the same way.