Any of yall have really shy guys?

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dbcb314

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jun 4, 2007
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I just purchased a Rotkeil about 5 days ago and damn, he is extremely shy. I haven't even gotten him to eat yet because he won't come out of the wood when I get near the tank.

This is... odd for me. Every cichlid I have owned in the past, including other severums, have never been like this. Heck, after one feed, every other cichlid I have had beg for food when I come near the tank

(and no he isn't getting bullied... he is in a tank with only 11 giant danios and a fire eel)


Any of you guys got some shy cichlids? Did they grow out of it or just had a timid personality their whole lives?

(and no I am not worried about it, just curious if you guys have dealt with the same thing. and I'm bored.)
 
My sev was like that until I added a small oscar with him. The oscar was more outgoing and begged for food and the sev picked up on it pretty quickly. Now he never hides
 
How big is the fish? Severums seem to feel more comfortable in small groups or with other similarly sized cichlids, at least when they're small or when they're introduced to a new home. Any time I've quarantined a severum by itself, it tends to be really shy for a while. They all perk up when I add them to a tank with more sevs/cichlids.
 
:iagree: plus the larger/older the cichlid, the longer it'll take to adjust to new surroundings. I'm sure he'll grow out of it. Dimming the lights or adding some floating plants may help as well. The most reclusive cichlid I've kept that I can think of was a Jack dempsey. He was out and about sometimes but seemed to prefer staying in his cave most of the time.
 
Jason_S;4426061;4426061 said:
:iagree: plus the larger/older the cichlid, the longer it'll take to adjust to new surroundings. I'm sure he'll grow out of it. Dimming the lights or adding some floating plants may help as well. The most reclusive cichlid I've kept that I can think of was a Jack dempsey. He was out and about sometimes but seemed to prefer staying in his cave most of the time.
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cool thanks
 
Spitting out food is not a good sign. Does it look emaciated or sick? What are your tank parameters? The first thing I'd do is raise the heat to about 86F to bump his metabolism and see if it gets him eating. Sometimes when discus spit food and refuse to eat, they need to be treated with metronidazole for intestinal flagellates. For now, try the increased heat and see if it gets you anywhere.

It would probably be easier to do this in a smaller quarantine tank.
 
My frontosa is incredibly shy. He's 7 inches right now but stays under his rock and only grabs food if it floats right in front of his mouth. He's been getting better but I don't like seeing him starve himself.
 
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