Dick wrote:

I agree with Gill. Now that you have done the deed, give every one a
chance to settle down and continue your observation of the hospital
bucket.

Coolchinchilla, you seem to have a God syndrome. Personally, I find
I can't solve every problem that I face. Sometimes doing nothing is
better than over action. I really resist any effort to disturb my
tanks, just the partial water changes each week disturbs the fish.
Think of how you would feel if your home was invaded all the time.

This may be over the top, but an old memory of having come home and
finding I had been robbed left me upset for months. If your fish are
like mine, after a few months they stake out territories, they are
less active, they are "at home" in the tank. We are "intrudders!"
Except when we feed them, then we are heros.
snip
I also believe I have seen my fish pass through "moods," not
sick just
quiet versus active. As I have mentioned in other threads, I had an
adult Black Angel quit eating for a month. I looked for signs of ill
health, but saw nothing except her "fasting." So, I just watched her
carefully and about a month later she suddenly returned to her old
eating habits. Sometimes doing nothing is the best action to take.

I see what you mean about "invading" the tanks. I forget how
utterly stressful it must be to upset the entire tank. I guess I
did go overboard on my caretaking here. I never thought about fish
going through "moods." That helps me understand better. I'll scale
it back from now on. That's why I subscribed to this newsgroup --
to learn how to better take care of the fish tanks I'm entrusted
with. Thanks for the gentle advice.

I hope your fish recovers and can go back to the larger tank soon.

I hope so too. :-)

coolchinchilla