View Full Version : Hiding mbuna
TaratronVaeVictus
10-29-2005, 5:52 PM
So at work we have a 55 gallon tank with various rockwork in, and this is our Lake Malawi setup: it has currently 4 Psuedotropheus socofli, and 7 yellow labs. Problem is that the fish hide pretty much all the time, save during food time. Would the addition of dither fish, say, zebra danios, bring them out more?
SinisterKisses
10-29-2005, 9:51 PM
How long have the fish been in the tank?
TaratronVaeVictus
10-30-2005, 6:00 AM
Two months now.
_erik_
10-30-2005, 11:01 AM
Probably. one way of making fish stop hiding is to take all rocks and plants and just leave gravel and sand. After a few days, just but back the rocks and plants and the fish has being used to being vulnerably and wont hide.
/ sorry for the spelling misstakes if there are any!
/erik
SinisterKisses
10-30-2005, 11:02 AM
Could be a few things. Lights might be too bright, which spooks them. Maybe not enough rockwork for them to feel comfy. If there's too much traffic passing by the tank all the time, they may not have adjusted to it yet and are still spooked by it. Water conditions may not be right, and they're not feeling their best, so they hide...hard to say. Is there a background on the tank? If not, maybe they feel too 'exposed'.
TaratronVaeVictus
10-31-2005, 3:15 AM
Rockwork for a background, and as for traffic....well, this tank is at work, which is a zoo, so there is a ton of traffic. Oddly enough, the discus and the tetras don't mind the traffic, but the yellow labs...mmm.
Will add more caves and rockwork this week and see if that helps.
Giant Danios, or tiger barbs. Smaller, less robust fish will get knocked off too quickly.