New light freaking out the fish

[Highlander]

Hello all,

My kids won some goldfish from a fair and now 6 months later they are doing great and getting big. We have upgraded to a larger tank, 20 Gal Long. It looks great and they seem to love it.

Before I was able to get a new hood/light combo I used a plywood cutout and the old incandescent light. No problems, they loved the new space.

I bought a new hood from Petsmart, Perfect-a-light which comes with a 40w florescent bulb.

When I turned the light on the fish freaked out. All 3 darted around extremely fast and then hid under a large rock decoration. They refused to come out, even for food. The room light was on so it was not a case of going from complete darkness to bright light.

I turned it off and waited until the next day when there was more natural daylight in the room. I turned on the light and they freaked out again.

Later that day I set the old Incandescent light on top of the new hood and turned it on, and they didn't react to it at all.

We have no live plants so that is not a problem with selecting a light. I preferred the more gentle light of the incandescent bulb. The florescent light seems much more harsh and operating room like.

Is this unusual? What are my options?
Thanks for the help.

 

[tkos]

Fish don't care about the quality of light like plants do. And since this is a goldfish tank it would seem that you will never plant it. If the incandescent light is to your liking then I say use it and return the other hood. Just make sure to keep the light cycle constant for the fish. Your best bet is to buy a timer and let it turn the light on and off. Not too long or you will get a lot of algae in a goldfish tank.

 

[Highlander]

Freaked out fish

Thanks for the reply.

Using the old light won't work well since it is made for a much smaller tank.

Any idea why the fish seem to hate the new light so much. The reaction is extreme.

I assume there is no type of incandescent bulb that would work in a florescent fixture.

Is there a wide variety of florescent bulbs, that might offer a light more to the liking of these fish?

 

[Ady1397]

you might just be waking them up.Or they are exited to see u

 

[Guest]

If you just keep using it, they will get used to it in time. They are just adjusting to change, they'll get over it. turn on the light and walk away, let the,m deal in their own way. 8-10 hours a day, within a few days, they'l be fine. I hope.

 

[Allivymar]

Hiya Highlander and welcome to Aquariumadvice

You might want to look into some fake floating plants; it might be cheaper then buying new bulbs. It will provide some shade and you goldies will likely feel safer (its quite possible they feel very exposed to "predators" with the bright light).

Also. thumbs up on providing your goldies with a decent size tank! Many folk don't realise those lil goldfish bowls are horrible things for such lovely fish, and goldies need around 10g each, especially as they get larger. Heh, and did you know they have very long life spans? 10-20 years if they are well kept is not unusual, and the oldest known goldfish died at age 68!

 

[tkos]

Go to Home Depot if that is possible. They carry a huge selection of flourescent bulbs and you can buy cool white ones that are actually quite yellow in colour, much like an incandescent bulb. If you do get plants then the more bluish white the better. They only cost a few dollars each. Also ifd it has 2 bulbs then remove one for awhile and let the fish get used to it. Then add the second one in after a week or so.

 

[tabitha]

honestly it just takes some getting used to for them.. just keep it on for maybe 8 hours a day for a week or so and if they still react the same way then you might want to try another light..

i think they will get used to it tho..

 

[Mr Burns]

i posted a similar question in another forum but didn't get much of a response. my danios and harlequins seemed to freak out when i put a bright light on them...

 

[dralarms]

They will adjust, when I went from 2 15 watt flour. bulbs to 2 65 watt bulbs mine freaked for a little while, turn it on and wait for them to settle before trying to feed them.

 

[malkore]

They'll probably adjust to it after a week or two.

I hate to break topic, and I'll try to be nice: please get a MUCH bigger tank for those goldfish. You don't specifically mention how many goldfish you have, but the rule of thumb is 10 gallons per goldfish...I like to go for 15 gallons, and some advocate no less than 20 gallons.

 

[tabitha]

All 3 darted around extremely fast and then hid under a large rock decoration.

they have 3 goldfish malkore-- i think that will be fine in a 20 gal, with lotsa water changes.. but i would eventually get a 29 gal or so if i was them...