hatchling is home…now a few questions..?..
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i am a brand new northern DBT parent!! i am very happy about it, but i have questions…thanks in advance!! i recieved the hatchling yesterday, and he seemed full of pi** & vinegar and even ate a few pieces of repto-min almost rite away. now that i have gotten him home, he is very nervous in his new habitat. it is a 30 gal with all the necessary lighting and filters, but i do have some feeder fish in there with him and im wondering if the fish are making him even more nervous. he has been clinging to the filter hose all morning now, and hasnt gone to bask on his own. is this normal behaviour for hatchlings when they are in a new environment? he has been in this tank for about 15 hours now. also, when he breathes sometimes i notice his neck extend, almost to a bulge the same size as his head! his mouth is closed when he does this, but is it something i should worry about? it doesnt happen all the time, mostly when he is out of the water. i figure maybe it is just stress, but im not really sure.
Congratulations on being a new parent! One thing that did cross my mind is make sure that the water flow in the tank is not too extreme. In other words, the output from your filter should be gentle enough that your hatchling doesn’t get swept away by it. A new hatchling will be naturally nervous in a new environment. The filter hose may offer some cover. I use floating plastic plants (Fancy Plants) in my hatchling tank to provide cover for the hatchlings and it adds to the tank aesthetically as well. The feeder fish should not be a problem if they are guppies or smaller. Larger fish like rosies, fatheads or goldfish may intimidate your hatchling a little. Puffing out the neck is normal behavior among hatchlings – I’m sure it is just some type of respiratory response. Not basking is natural given that in the wild, basking exposes them to danger. Over basking is typically an indication of problems with hatchlings when coupled with other symptoms such as fasting. Give it a few weeks to get adjusted to its new environment. So far, it sounds like you have a healthy and spunky hatchling. All the best. -Chun
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