Swallowtail Angelfish stressed over its reflection or something else

[waterkat]

I just got a Male Swallowtail Angelfish a few days ago and he is in a quarantine tank. He is swimming back and forth with its nose down, I'm thinking he is stressed because it sees its reflection on the bottom of the QT tank. I put a few flat rocks down but it goes straight for the areas it is bare. Any suggestions?

 

[christinna77]

I had the same issue with my baby YT. It kept getting scared of its own reflection like that. Now I always cover the bottom with a thin layer of sand, as I found it doesn't really affect the copper levels much.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I was going to suggest what @christinna77 just said. (Now those rocks are another absorption-issue, if you'll be doing copper.)

 

[waterkat]

Thanks that's what I was thinking on putting a small layer of sand down.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Let us know whether it does the trick.

 

[waterkat]

It is still swimming downward

 

[JumboShrimp]

So odd. Looks healthy otherwise, right? I have never owned one-- do they constantly look toward the sand bed for food?

 

[waterkat]

He's eating good, breathing normal, not sure. I'm backing off feeding him for 2 days in case its Bladder disease

 

[obanarama]

Has it been gulping air at the surface occasionally? I ask because my female Swallowtail would take a surface gulp of air once every few minutes - and it was a gulp, not a "I can't breath" type move. Then after a few gulps the air in the Swallowtail would start to affect its buoyancy causing it to have to swim downward to maintain its spot in the water column, exactly like your fish is doing here. I asked and other Reef2Reefers who said that this is common with Swallowtails.

I'd also see it literally fart and burp the air bubbles out after some time as well, and then it would swim normally. Odd fish behaviour for sure.

Interestingly, my Swallowtail stopped the surface gulping when I recently added a second female Swallowtail.

 

[waterkat]

Yes, it occasionally does go to the top. So this is normal behavior?

 

[waterkat]

After two treatments of General Cure, he is swimming normal and doing great.