Rainbow odd behaviour *update* RIP Sydney

[Pleco]

I have a older Australian rainbow, she normally will eat up a storm, sometimes actually jumping at the food as im putting it in.

Over the past 2 weeks ive been doing maintenance to the tank she is in. Mainly i took out a large centerpiece decoration so that i could clean it, along with taking out fake plants, cleaning them, and then the gravel underneath. I basically did the tank in halves as to not set off a mini-cycle.

My rainbow has gotten to be pretty skittish, if you approach the tank she darts around and gets in to places where im a bit freaked she is gonna hurt herself. She also isn't eating as much as she used to. Could it be just the maintenance and missing the centerpiece for a week caused her to get freaked out/stressed? I'm a bit concerned as she is the oldest fish in the tank, and from what i can tell she isn't being herself.

My water parameters are perfect, so im going to rule that out. Any ideas?

 

[Zagz]

It certainly could be stress from all the unusual activity. Try keeping the lights off a bit more and giving her a few days to readjust before doing anything else in the tank.

Is she still eating and looking normal?

 

[Pleco]

she looks normal, but is really skittish of people. She will zoom around and around actually bumping in to the glass and hitting the gravel when you come too close to the part of the tank she is in.

Eating, well i tend to leave her alone since i doubt she eats when shes scurrying all around. Hopefully she is getting food, but i cannot confirm that. She physically looks the same though. I'm just worried about her behaviour as she normally isnt like this. She isnt as friendly as my Ram is, but she was never this "swim around like a manic" when people were nearby.

I don't plan on doing anything else to the tank, short of weekly maintenance, just worried for her health is all.

Thanks

 

[Zagz]

Honestly it sounds like she is just confused and stressed by all the changes in her enviroment. Good luck and keep us posted on how she progresses.

 

[Pleco]

Well, I came home today and she had passed on. From what i heard she went nuts again hit her head a few times on the canopy and then crashed to the bottom of the tank. I really have no clue what happened as i was at work, but I've seen the behavior described first hand. I did another water test just to be sure and they read the same as they always have Ammo 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 5-10ish.

She really went nuts there after i cleaned the tank and some of the decorations, I'm not sure if that was a catalyst to a stress issue or just coincidence and it was something else all together. Basically she would go nuts when people approached the tank, or just randomly. Hitting herself on the canopy or right in to the glass. I think she had knocked herself out once, she went to the bottom for 5 min or so and then when i though she had died she popped right back up and was fine till today.

I just hope that i didn't somehow stress her out to death.

She was around 2-3 years old and was an Australian Rainbow.

R.I.P Sydney

Thanks for the advice Zags

 

[Zagz]

I'm so sorry. It could have been many things, it might have been just her time. She may have caused a neurological disorder from banging her head. I'm sure you didn't stress her to death. I can tell you really cared about her and wanted the best for her.