fish not eating after moving?

Question

We moved our fish from one room to another and since then they haven't been the same. They are not eating, moody, not swimming around, and one fatality has occured.
Any ideas as to what might be causing this alarming situation?
The move itself was on Friday, so less then a week.
Thanks!

Answer 1

Stress is the reason they aren't eating - they probably wouldn't eat right away after you brought them home, and not eating for a day or two after a move is normal.

Some other things may have happened during the move, however:

Did you keep the filter media and gravel wet (under water)? If not, the bacteria that cycle your fish wastes may have died, and your fish are being exposed to ammonia in the tank - the symptoms of lethargy and loss of appetite fit. They may also be showing signs of split fins, red gills, or have been swimming around at the top of the water like they were gasping for air: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm You can help this by doing a 25-50% water change if you think this could be a problem.

Another possible problem is a change to their environment - was the heater (if one is needed) plugged in, and is it working properly? If these are coldwater species that don't need a heater, is the new room too hot for them? Check the water temperature against what they should have.

Answer 2

Is the lighting the same? The temperature in the room? If either of those things change, it could be fatal to your fishies. Keep their light on and adjust the temp in their tank if needed.

Answer 3

Do you have everything plugged back in? I accidentaly unplugged my heater once and the fish quit swimming and eating because the water was too cool.

Answer 4

your fish are probably stressed out. get them some stress coat and put the directed amount in the water. next time put it in before you move