Does spring make fish particularly playful?

Inga

Does spring make fish particularly playful? I have noticed that as of late my Tiger Barbs are very energetic and doing a lot more racing about. Everyone seems more lively then they have been for the past several months. I am wondering if the weather outside makes any difference in fish behavior? Anyone else notice any changes in energy of your fish?

fish4ever

i know fish like dojo loaches also called weatherfish do that.

Blaxicanlatino

could be the temperature change? Im in Texas and when it gets hot, it gets HOT!!!!!! and i dont like playing with my A/C so my house just gets hot along with it. Therefore my tanks can get purdy warm, like more than 80 degrees F. When its this warm (around summer and spring), my fish are by far more active

1077

+ one,, Tanks that may have had heater's turned up to maintain heat during winter months,may get too warm now that spring is nearing.Depending on species being kept,and location,, temps may need to be adjusted.
I recently had to turn the heat down in my tanks for above mentioned reason. While tanks were dialed in for winter,,they were running too warm for spring,summer.

SinCrisis

all of my fish are exhibiting the same behavior, but my waters actually gotten cooler than in the winter. it was at a steady 78-80 and my fish were all lethargic all through winter, but now in the spring, i turned my heater down and they've become more active?

Byron

I would expect it is more of the biological programming in the fish than the weather, though this plays a part. In their habitat, fish have a basically constant seasonal year, but it is not based as much on temperature. The rainy season, lasting 6 months, then the dry season, the remaining six. Fish always spawn near the start of the rainy season--flooded forest means more food for them and their fry, plus they spawn among plants and many streams are plaqnt-less, so the flooded forest provides this too. Interestingly, the water cools from the rain, and the pH shifts, and this sets them off. If you want success spawning fish, do a major water change with slightly cooler water on an overcast (low pressure) day. Fish certainly do feel pressure changes in the atmosphere, most animals do actually. The influx of cooler water during low pressure is a clear trigger for spawning.

SinCrisis

how about maintaining the cooler water? Are we supposed to unplug the heater to keep the water from heating up too much?

1077

No,to encourage spawning,, you simply perform water changes perhaps twice a week with slightly cooler water. No need to turn heater off.
Tropical fishes need stable temps day in,and day out. The cooler water at water changes, is ONLY to encourage spawning with some species.
If you live where water in tanks get too hot during the summmer, then perhaps no heater would be necessary, but evening temps should not drop so low as to cause significant temp change.
Sometimes fans blowing across the surface of the water are needed during summer, or when AC breaks down to keep temps from climbing too high depending on where you live or where tanks are placed.
Moving tanks, or keeping them in basement often is what those who live in very warm climates do.