White tail bristletooth stress in quarantine?

ErikVR · Sep 11, 2023

Hi all,

I have a white tail bristletooth in my QT and I want to start copper treatment today.
Before I do, I want to make sure it's alright.

Whenever I'm on the room, it's very shy and hides right away.
When I'm not there he's either actively scraping algae off the glass or pacing back and forth through the tank.
He is feeding aggressively (when I'm not in the room).

Does this video look like normal behaviour or is it stressed out?
Video

Also, does he/she look very pale? Or is this expected after only a day or 4 on quarantine?

Jay Hemdal · Sep 11, 2023

Most fish tend to feel uncomfortable in a relatively bare quarantine tank. In this case, the white brick behind the tank is making things worse. You should consider blacking out the sides and back of the tank (I've used construction paper or black plastic sheeting. Another huge issue is ambient lighting. Reef tanks have bright lights. That makes them brighter than the room. Fish inside those tanks cannot as easily see people moving around outside the tank. In this case, the room is going to be as bright as the tank (or close to it) and the fish can more easily see you move around and be frightened.

Jay

ErikVR · Sep 11, 2023

Jay Hemdal said:
Most fish tend to feel uncomfortable in a relatively bare quarantine tank. In this case, the white brick behind the tank is making things worse. You should consider blacking out the sides and back of the tank (I've used construction paper or black plastic sheeting. Another huge issue is ambient lighting. Reef tanks have bright lights. That makes them brighter than the room. Fish inside those tanks cannot as easily see people moving around outside the tank. In this case, the room is going to be as bright as the tank (or close to it) and the fish can more easily see you move around and be frightened.

Jay

Thanks for your ever so useful advice! It's humbling that I don't think of these simple things.
My train of thought didn't go further than: 'Hey, unused bathroom. Ideal quarantine room!' :grinning-face-with-sweat:

I'll start by blacking out the back and sides of the tanks.