New Fish Afraid of Dark?

[Zabak80]

Hi guys and girls, first time posting.

I have a new aquarium, properly cycled and all water parameters have been checked and double checked and all are ok. I'm more familiar with the goldfish in my other aquariums and freshwater tropical are a little new to me. I added 5 neon tetras and 3 guppies (the only fish) and all are doing very, very well. However, when I turn off my light, they lose their color, appear motionless and look like they have died. I went away for only 2 hours with the light off and that is how they were when I returned. I put the light back on and they all, except for one who is recovering a bit slowly, got their color back and look normal again. When I turn the light off they scatter and run for cover

So what should I do? I haven't turned the light off in fear of killing them. Advise would be very helpful and appreciated.

 

[UGAfan2001]

first off welcome to the tank, im not an expert but i would say that maybe the quick on and offing of the light might be scaring the fish, as far as the color loss, are you sure its not just the lights? maybe the fish are just stressed some? good luck with it though.

Brad

 

[Orion]

Neon's are very skittish anyway. And yes, the lights going on and off does scare them. Many people use a timer for the tank lights to help get the fish used to the same day/night cycle, and this does help.

I have noticed that some of my fish loose their color while the lights are out and they are resting. My Rasboras, Cardnal tetra, and Lemon tetra's are good for this. I don't know exactly why, but I belive it may have something to do with being less noticeable to any preditors while they are resting. A little bit of time with the lights on, and they are colored right back up.

And Welcome to the tank!

 

[Zabak80]

Is there some way in which I can slowly get them adapted? I just woke up and they were all doing great, but I had to leave the light on all night. Checked water parameters again and everything is good.

So the color loss may be normal? My girlfriend, who got home before me, said that they were almost completely grey and just lying on the bottom of the tank and on a rock.

I was afraid that the stress had caused them to lose their color and appear dead.

 

[Kippo]

You can by lights which fade slowly on and of. Maybe that would help if you could find one.

 

[FroggyFox]

I think the color loss is completely normal. Fish rest/sleep when the lights are off, just like we do. Unless you sleepwalk I'm pretty sure you're more motionless at night than during the day...same with them. They dont have the benefit of a clock so they have no idea what time of day it is, they just know if the lights are on or off. If you leave the lights on constantly...the fish will probably be more likely to get stressed out. Sometimes with new fish its a good idea to leave the lights out for a day or two to let them adjust to the tank in a low stress environment. I only turn my tank lights on when I'm home, since I have no live plants and the fish dont really NEED the light...its mostly just for my benefit to be able to see them. They also know that they're being fed when the lights come on I usually turn all the lights on (a few tanks, a few rooms) and leave them on for a couple minutes (to let everyone "wake up") and then feed.

Edit: Stress CAN cause discoloration...but usually when we say that we mean that when the lights are on and they'd normally be colorful and you notice that they're discolored then. Some fish actually get stress stripes on them (I think thats mostly cichlids) Also, if you have the fish in a room with a moderate amount of outside light during the day the fish shouldn't have quite as hard of a time adjusting between the lights being on and off. So if they're in a room and you're keeping the shades closed, feel free to open them up during the day and let some sun in. Just note that sometimes direct sunlight can cause algae.

 

[Zabak80]

Great! Thanks for the advice guys, I'll update you later tonight.

 

[Davy]

I have my lights on a timer so they go on and off the same time every day. My tank lights go out before I turn out the light in the room. This way the fish don't go from completely bright to completely dark in 1 second. Give it a try and see if it helps.

Oh, the color changing is normal like everyone else already said. I see this the most with my angelfish.

 

[Zabak80]

Hey guys and girls,

I have been slowly leaving the light off for maybe an hour or 2 while I am in my house. They seem to be getting used to it. I'm still not going to risk leaving it off all night yet until probably by the end of the week. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[ozziegt]

Nothing is going to happen to them if you leave the lights off all night. The initial "shock" of the light turning off fades after a few seconds. The discoloration isn't going to stop because that is normal...they are just skittish fishies. Once the light is off whether it's for 2 hours or the whole night really doesn't matter...they aren't jumping around scared for the full 2 hours are they?

 

[Zabak80]

That's the thing, when I turned the light off for the first time they were jumping around for almost the whole hour. When I came back they all looked like they died. Guess I just needed to ease them in slowly.

 

[FroggyFox]

"looked like they had died" THEY FELL ASLEEP. Really. If I were you I'd stop turning the lights on and off so often. They're probably stressed because the lights are on and off so much and haven't gotten any rest.

 

[ozziegt]

That's the thing, when I turned the light off for the first time they were jumping around for almost the whole hour. When I came back they all looked like they died. Guess I just needed to ease them in slowly.

If they stopped jumping around after an hour, it didn't matter if you left the lights off for 2 hours or 10...they were used to it by then.