Newly introduced fish behavior can seem strange to us humans. If the lights are on we expect them to be up and about. That’s not always the case. You have to realize the journey they’ve been on to reach your LFS is one fraught with fear and uncertainty, total loss of bearings, crowded conditions, swimming in an enclosed container (plastic bag) laden with their own urine and feces, tossed around by baggage handlers, dumped into strange holding systems of dubious adequacy or condition. All this to just the first holding system. Then bagged again to begin the second part of the journey, to a US holding facility. Then grabbed, bagged again to finally make it to your LFS who then grabs and bags it to go home to your glass box. All of this is foreign to them. Is it any wonder that they act a little strange the first few days???
To me, it’s a wonder that any make it alive. Reality is, many do not survive the rigors of capture and transport to their final destination. Those that are lucky are in a state of shock. Their condition is not always evident to the Newbie’s untrained human eye. Then you put them into your glass box of artificial sea water with full expectations of them settling in and acting normal.
Granted, we have come a long way from the 1960s when i started in SW.
Your fish are acting normal as long as there aren’t any other symptoms showing their ugly face, like heavy breathing or scratching.
Many people have benefited from reading my article, “Nine Simple rules” on how to buy healthy fish and keep them healthy. You can find it here - “Nine Simple rules”
Even if you’ve read it, it’s good to review it often because the human mind gets crowded with daily stuff and we tend to forget what’s important.
Relax and enjoy.
Dick
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