Black Ear Pangasius Going Nuts?

[AG458]

So I've had my black ear pangasius for a little while now, and he is starting to gain confidence as a member of my tank. However, at random times, he'll go absolutely nuts for no reason. He will swim from one side of my tank to the other at lightning speed. He'll hit the glass so hard I can hear it. I've heard they're very skittish, even more so than the iridescent shark. I don't have a top on my tank currently, and some of his movements could easily thrust him out of my tank. I'm not scaring him- I approach my tank slowly each time I look in, and I keep my distance when I'm not-and I'm avoiding any circumstances in which he could get scared. His nose now has some red on it from hitting the glass, and I don't want his nose to be ruined. Any idea of what's spooking him? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Fiat4]

Hey,I have the same problem with my huge "22 albino iris shark, he goes nuts on my 300g,for no reason,more when I turn lights on ,even do I wait till he sees me before I turn them on, I been trying to spend more time with him ,now his getting a bit better,I think it's time for a indoor pond,, when I got him a few months ago he was in a 150g,, so not sure ,he has much more room now,,,

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

That's typical of the black ears I have kept. Sudden move or a nip by a tank mate can spark this. Sudden light, noise, vibration, any sudden change in or out of the tank (but felt in the tank) can do it.

 

[RedDevilRyan]

I have had this happen too, even when they are in a group they remain skittish. I had a small one swim against the glass no matter what size tank I put him in. It wasn't until I moved them to a 400g pond that they settled down, probably due to the high flow rate and black bottom/sides.