Very weird fish behavior

[bat21]

Ok, so I am out of ideas with this one. About 5 days ago, I purchased a firefish and a female radial filefish from diver's den. All the research I did made it seem like these filefish, radial and matted, the small ones, were peaceful and easy, ate everything offered, etc.

I put both fish into my QT, and immediately the file fish started swimming around all over, from side to side. At first I thought this was a great sign. The firefish as expected, found a hiding spot and stayed there for the first day. As I kept observing the file fish, what she was doing seemed very strange. She kept ending up on either side of the tank, swimming up and down the corner, almost as if she is trying to swim through the glass. Like trying to find where this invisible force field ends so she can swim past it. I figured she would get used to the boundaries of the tank and it would stop. But we are going on 5 days now, and she has done literally nothing but this every second of every day. Does not even consider eating. Swims right through any food I try to put near her. So now I am worried it's not going to make it.

I have tried feeding flakes, pellets, frozen mysis, frozen brine, and live black worms. Did not even look at any of them.

Tested the water, its perfect. The firefish is doing great, eating, out and about happy as can be.

I tried covering the sides of the tank with different colored things. Will work for like a minute, and then she goes right back to trying to swim through the glass. I thought maybe she was blind, but if I put my hand in front of her she will spook and swim to the other side of the tank and do the same thing over there.

I know she must have been eating at divers den, and she was obviously in a glass tank there with no problem. I feel like maybe she got brain damage during the shipping process or something.

What the heck should I do?

 

[scooter31707]

Sounds like to me it could be stress from their new home or she can be stressed from the other fish you have in there. I have also heard that could be a sign of an oncoming parasite or illness which they are uncomfortable, don't know if that's true or not.

 

[Dmorty217]

Check your parameters. Keep lights off until the behavior subsides. Stress related behavior

 

[bat21]

Check your parameters. Keep lights off until the behavior subsides. Stress related behavior

Water is perfect. The lights are off for the majority of the day. But I'll try leaving them off for a few full days.

 

[Dmorty217]

Maybe cover the tank on all sides when your not around it and see if that helps. It will eventually subside

 

[bat21]

Ok, so an update on this frustrating filefish. Her stress behavior subsided. She is no longer swimming up and down the sides of the tank trying to get through the glass. But now she just drifts around with her mouth on the bottom of the tank. She hadn't eaten in the two weeks I had her and I was sure she was going to die. She would never even look at any food I put in there. But about 4 or 5 days ago, I happened to catch her eating some pellets off the bottom of the tank that were left over from feeding attempts.

But here's the thing. She didn't swim to them and eat them. It almost seemed like she only noticed them when her mouth happened to graze them, and then she would gobble it up. I had thought on many occasions that she might be blind, bc it would explain a lot of her behavior, especially banging into the glass and seemingly trying to swim through it. Is that possible? I have tried to wave my hand when she's near the side and she sort of spooks, but just barely. Could her eyesight be almost gone?

In QT, the pellets will remain on the ground for her to stumble upon. But that obviously won't be the case in my DT, so I don't see how she would survive in there. I just don't know what to do at this point.