I recently got home from a one year school in oregon, and it seems that over that year my fish have become light phobic. When the lights are on they tend to hover in the corner, but when they are off they're all over the place. I rememebred reading something about electrical currents in faulty lights, but there is none in the tank.

Could it be that fish relly are light phobic, or is something else amis?

What happened when you were gone? Were the lights left off all the time?

I guess goldfish can be sensitive to light, but over time, they usually get used to it. Are you turning on the light first in the morning or do you let the sunshine come in or turn on a lamp for an hour beforehand? Sudden bursts of light can shock fish and cause them to stress out when the light is on.

You may even want to see if you can find a light with lower brightness or wattage, this may work better with your fish and you can have a light on the tank for viewing purposes.

Either way, I hope your fish are doing well!

yeah i left my light on over the weekend my fish were so happy when they were off

Maybe it's just a shock to then when you turn it on leave them with it for a while... they should 'adapt' to it as most animals do.

try leaving it on for about 6 hours and check on them now again. Reister their progress.

I they get stressed further... then turn it off.

I do know that it takes some time for a fish accustomed to living in a pond with natural lighting (dim in the green water) to adjust to being in a clear water tank with bright lights and people's faces. I expect that your fish need some adjustment to the lights.

I also know that I HATE having the lights flipped on in the morning - after daylight savings time has messed up our schedules..... It hurts my eyes and is rather startling. I try turning on overhead room lights, or opening drapes or some such thing before I turn on any tank lights. That way the fish can know it is coming. They cannot close their eyes, so if they are fast asleep and the lights flash on - it can be a big scarey thing!

Try to set up a routine - turn on the overhead lights or open the drapes or something at the same time each day. Then, after a set time turn on the tank. Turn off the tank lights at night and make sure that you do not turn on the room light or any light again until morning. They should adjust to that routine within a few weeks at most, I would think.

My fish don't like lights much either.

I've been meaning to get a timer so I can have the lights turn on for a few hours a day at the same time everyday then gradually increase the time over several weeks.

I really need to get on that . . . .

Outlet timers are a wonderful WONDERFUL thing. It really gives the fish a sense of routine and they get used to the lights going on and off the same time every night.

Plus, in my case, my hoods tend to make this loud POP when I push the light switch, which totally freaked my fish out everytime. So a having the lights come on with no noise definitely helped them get used to it.

well what i do is i open my blinds in the morning. then later that after noon when i get home and turn on the lights and the fish dont seem to mind at all.