Your fish is "staring" because it lacks eyelids and constantly observes, often associating you with food, curiosity, or potential threats; it's a sign of attention, not necessarily emotion, driven by hunger, a need for stimulation (boredom), territoriality, or simply recognizing you as its primary caregiver. They learn schedules and your movements, making them watchful for feeding cues or environmental changes.
You may notice that when you come into the room where your aquarium is, the fish start to react by swimming around and coming up to the glass or the surface. This is because they recognize that you are the person who brings them food.
Some fish swim continuously, others stay in one place. Deviation from that norm usually indicates stress. Common symptoms of stress include: Fish stays near the surface gasping for breath, indicating that it has trouble getting enough oxygen (the concentration of dissolved oxygen is highest near the water's surface).
It could be that they were sick beforehand or just didn't acclimate well. I would keep doing large water changes and add some stress coat from API as well as prime conditioner to neutralize any ammonia. Sometimes adding a lot of fish at once can create an unbalance in the aquarium. I would just do another one tomorrow.
Many species of fish are able to recognize their owner's face. They may even get excited, swim faster, and jump in the water when they see you enter the room.
While it's true that fish can hear sounds, they can't necessarily hear the specifics of your conversation. A casual conversation won't send fish fleeing in terror, but a loud or sudden noise will spook them.
Happy fish are healthy fish that actively explore their surroundings, enjoy mealtime, have plenty of space for swimming, don't have any obvious signs of illness, and get along with their tank buddies.
These are some of the most common signs of disease seen in pet fish:
If you know a situation is going to be stressful for your fish, you can help them cope by adding a tonic salt. Read more about why tonic salts help your fish feel better.
Strong water flow
If the fish seems to be struggling to swim and maintain its position, it indicates that the water current is too strong for it to handle and is tiring it out. In such cases, fish stay at the bottom to escape the hard currents, which makes them exhausted.
Symptoms of stress
Erratic swimming, hiding, or a lack of appetite are all signs your fish may be stressed. Maintaining proper tank conditions can help prevent fish stress.
Most freshwater fish prefer not to be touched. They are creatures that are used to living in a natural environment where they are not exposed to human touch. While some species may be more tolerant to human interaction and handling than others, in general, touching fish can be stressful and dangerous for them.
Oscars (Astronotus ocellatus)
Oscars often eagerly greet their humans and have been known to “sulk” when their caregiver is not around. If not for their large size (Oscars can get over 12” long), they would probably be the number one pet fish.
Bumblebee goby knows people=food and goes to the same spot. He actually shows some evidence of superstitious behavior. Barbs know people=food but react more to your hands getting near the top than to any one person. Pleco are afraid of cameras.
Dragon Fish/ Arowana
Believed to ward off negative energy, the Arowana brings success and financial growth to its owners. It is ideal for business owners and leaders for confidence and long-term progress.
Fish can become stressed after a water change due to sudden changes in their environment. This can lead to erratic swimming, gasping, or hiding. To help them recover, you need to stabilise their surroundings, remove harmful substances, and provide essential support.
Fish experience stress when they're in a small or poorly maintained tank if the water quality is low.
Not all dead fish float and floating can depend on the decomposition process. Small fish like tetras and guppy corpses tend to float whereas catfish and cichlids tend to sink. A pond fish may sink first then float later as gases build up in the body, and that's when you'll spot it.
Anchor worms burrow head first through the skin into the flesh and have the tail end exposed causing visible red sores or pustules. They are easily plucked out or are usually removed when you skin the fish. Then cook your catch as usual.
Initial steps you can take:
The most obvious behaviors to observe are the movements of a fish. Some types of movements include swimming, hovering, perching, and lying on the bottom. Some fishes swim all the time—either moving around from place to place or hovering in a single area for long periods.
2. They're capable of remembering past social interactions that they've had with other fish, and they show affection by rubbing against each other just like other animals. 3. Neurobiologists have long recognised that fish feel pain and suffer stress just like humans and other animals.
Signs of hunger can include: