Water Change/ Fish Behavior

[RiddleEagle18]

I just did a 10% ish water change. My first with fish in the tank. Initially after the water change I thought I screwed something up. The fish seemed extremely active. I thought maybe they were doing that darting around before dying thing. After observing them for 20-30 mins they have calmed slightly but still extremely active as if in feeding mode.

As anyone witnessed this before. Just a general change in behavior right after a water change. I guess fresh water made them very happy?

[sponger0]

Here is my question for you.....what size tank do you have and do you have a sump?

[Reeferz412]

Sponger0 is right.... what size is the tank and do you have a sump? I have added fresh water to the system (only in small amounts) and my fish kinda dance around it. I add it to the dt since I have no sump. The fish get curious and do get excited but nothing out of the ordinary. Non my part at least. What was your salinity?

[kingevil]

yeah, we need lots more info.

[xCry0x]

If you dumped a 5G bucket of water on their heads then it might make them freak out.

[jerseygurl]

IMO fish are more active after a water change because the nitrates are now lower and they are happy / less stressed.

If they're dead tomorrow you know you screwed something up.

[kingevil]

If they're dead tomorrow you know you screwed something up.

bahahaha.... best ever...

[drparker]

Couple of things that weren't covered.

You should let newly made saltwater mix for a while before adding. I normally wait 24hrs but have done the occasional change after a few hrs.

You should try to closely match the parameters of the tank. Large shifts in temp, salinity or pH can stress your tank.

[sponger0]

Well since no response from the OP yet, Ill address osme things that could have caused the issue.

Yes the water needs to be mixed properly. Was the water at the correct temp??

If you have a sump did you pour it directly into the display or the sump. As this can cause drastic changes in the water within a very short time.

[RiddleEagle18]

125g with a sump.

The water was mixed and sat for over 24 hours.

The water was added to the sump.

Water was close enough in temp that it didnt change the display temp. Salinity was the same.

[sponger0]

125g with a sump.

The water was mixed and sat for over 24 hours.

The water was added to the sump.

Water was close enough in temp that it didnt change the display temp. Salinity was the same.

Hmmmm you got me there...maybe some freak incident

[Humuhumunuku]

Is it a new brand of salt? Is it made from RO? Are the filters expired? Do you have corals, and are they showing any odd reactions?

Only things I could think of that haven't been asked already.

[kingevil]

125g with a sump.

The water was mixed and sat for over 24 hours.

The water was added to the sump.

Water was close enough in temp that it didnt change the display temp. Salinity was the same.

was the pump running for that 24 hour period?

[drparker]

Could they have been hunting pods? You might have stirred up a bunch when you added the water to the sump.

[Squidmotron]

As a fishermen I often have noticed that when the weather gets a bit inclement certain types of fish start hunting and biting with much more activity and eagerness. Not sure about the evolutionary reasons or if it applies to reef fish...but.... I felt like throwing it out there..

[RiddleEagle18]

Could they have been hunting pods? You might have stirred up a bunch when you added the water to the sump.

That may have been it. They were certainly in "hunting" mode. Either way I was just more curious to see if others had experienced similar. It seems the answer is no. Next water change I will double and triple check everything and then note what they do.

[dzfish17]

My fish are always more active after a waterchange... Ive always considered this as normal behavior.

[Reeferz412]

In my tank when I pour the water some detritus gets lifted and all the fish and inverts get happy and go into "hunting mode." just a thought