Help with fish Behavior Please.

[gregg21]

I have a three inch humu humu trigger that I've had for about a week. I've observed him swim to the middle of my tank, turn around and swim as fast as he can into the side of the tank. One morning there was blood on both sides of my tank. It is a six foot long 180 gallon tank. I asked at the lfs and he said that their eyesight is very good and he sees open space there and is trying to swim. No one is picking on him in the tank. Then he started swimming fast towards the sides, but would stop right before hitting himself, now my girlfriend calls me and says there is more blood on the side walls of the tank and blood on his nose. What can I do about this, he is such a cool fish, I'd hate to lose him.
Please help me.
Thanks,
Greg

 

[angus]

That sounds awful gregc21, must be hard to watch.
I've heard that triggers can be fairly, shall we say, antagonistic. Biting at fingers in the tank, moving decor all over, smashing heaters and filters to bits. Maybe this is simply him setting up his territory? Then again maybe not.
One things for sure, you need to stop him before he gets really hurt. What are your water parameters? How old is the tank? Could be he's bothered by something irritating his skin. Something recently added to your tank?
If he doesn't stop soon, I'd serioulsy think about asking your LFS to hold him until you figure out what's up.
Good luck.

 

[clown jr]

i agree that triggers have some extreme behaviors but this sounds bad, almost as if he were blind, which does happen. what elese is in the tank and how long have you had him? anything go in after he did? tell us more about your tank but it might be good for the lfs to hold him and see whats wrong.

 

[sterling]

The trigger I use to have would swim rapidly from one end to another. I suggest you pile some rock at both ends, so that he "sees" that there is an end to the tank, at least it might slow him down

 

[iechy]

I agree with sterling on this one. You could also try and let the algae build up and see if that helps with him seeing it. Of course that would take a while. What you try before even moving the rock to see if that is the problem is taping a paper bag or smething to the outside of the glass so that you know that it would see there is an end there. If he still runs into it the rock pile or algae won't help and you have some other problem. HTH