SAD Valentini?

[microman2k]

well i ordered a baby one from here yesterday and put him in my ten gallon and he seems really sad, he doest swim much and now he is just sleeping in the sand (which he was doin when i went to bed) he's alive but i never had a fish to sleep his much and like i said he doesnt swim much just stares at his reflection, should i buy him a friend and id i should what friend would he like?:help:

 

[kittykitty]

puffers sleep on the sand bed. they are nocturnal by nature, and sometimes will rarely move around during the day.
if he is laying on the bottom ALL of the time, however, I might start to worry. Is he eating? He may just need some time to adjust. Valentinis don't exactly do laps around the tank.. they're kind of slow moving and tend to hover a lot.

 

[microman2k]

he is eating alittle and he is moving around now do u think i should buy him a friend?

 

[kittykitty]

No, they don't need other fish. They are not a schooling type of fish. If anything is wrong with him, it's definitely not because he is lonely. Since you only have a ten gallon, i would not add any other fish in the first place.
The fact that he is eating tells me that he is probably not stressed out, and once he gets used to his environment, will probably start moving about a bit more.

 

[microman2k]

ok thanx alot! i am not 2 worry so much now but are they big eaters? he just nibbs the food and tahts it! that is what worrys me! i am a worry wort, i wouldnt have it starve for anythign!

 

[bdhough]

as long as he eats even a little he'll probably be ok. if you have access to live foods from a store try buying a little and adding it with the frozen you feed and he'll slowly start to like the frozen.

 

[kittykitty]

But don't give him guppies! Or any other freshwater feeder, in that case. I don't think he's big enough to eat ghost shrimp. He might pick at them.

 

[microman2k]

well i dont really have access to live food i am atleast an hour from the nearest lfs, but anywaz, he just seems sad, he spends most of the day just looking at his reflection and is a very slow swimmer, i guess i am just use to the clowns, damsels, and the fast swimmers:happy: