my paradise fish

I'd had concerns about him lately. He'd been off color (see end of this post), and then was suddenly darting away, hiding after taking a few bites of food. He refused flake and NLS pellets for a few days, then I offered him one of his favorites- frozen brine shrimp. A bite, and then he hid under the ceramic arch (a spot I never saw him go into before). Spent days either there or under the filter sponge, and often darted off to hide when I approached the tank or lifted the lid. I started to wonder was he ill? was the frozen food spoiled? did someone (a kid visited the house recently) rap on the glass with a finger and traumatize him? But then his color came back-

with such dashing around upon the sight of me that I could barely get him in focus again!

Mr. Fire-Tail (though not so glorious as then)

I started to think maybe it was the cold, with winter here and his tank unheated (but I keep the room temp just above his limit). However, returning from a weekend away when it was colder than ever, found him in good form- greeting me at the glass

and getting in the way when I wanted to get photos of how my crypt balansae are doing- I thought they might melt away from the shock of transfering in here and being in a coldwater tank. They're doing fine! Standing up straighter, and showing a few new leaves

Tucker's fin extensions are getting longer- I've been trying to keep up on water changes ever week even though one fish doesn't put much waste in the water, and make sure to use the gravel vac too (I finally bought a new one that fits the tank properly and it made such a difference) perhaps that has been what he needed- just his own space, and better care.

He gets a little spoiled now, being the only fish. Gets any carpet beetle I catch, or housefly, or mosquito. When we left for the holiday, I gave him two live worms as a treat. He gets really excited over that. I finally got a decent photo from the short end of the tank- in showing his colors, that is- the angle and composition are poor, but you can see the bright blue on edge of fins. So I think he's feeling good.

Bothers me that I still don't know what was off, though. The water quality? temperature? food? was he a bit ill or just had a mood swing. Who knows.