Are My Cichlids Scarred?

[divemaster99]

Ok yeah I know let's get this out of the way now. I know I've recently said that I'll never keep cichlids again because of how frustrating they can be but I'm getting really attached to the cutteri cichlid fry that I can't catch to give to a friend so I think I'm going to keep them, yeah I know I'm a hypocrite . But that matter aside while attempting to catch the last two that were in my 75 today the third one up that was in a breeder net jumped back in so I'm facing the fact that I can't get rid of them. The reason I was trying to rid of them was because they were beating up on a bullhead six times their size but none if them have been doing that in the past two weeks so hopefully they're done with that. During multiple water changes I've attempting to grab them with my hand to get them out into another tank since my net won't fit in the caves they go in but I'm fearing that all I did was traumatize them to the point where they'll always fear my hand and possibly people. When I go up to the glass they don't run but I'm not sure. I think I'm going to try to handfeed them and see if that gets them to trust that my hand won't hurt them but I don't know if they'll ever take to that until they're adults.

So is there anything I can do to have the cichlids eventually not fear me or my hands in the tank at all?

 

[convict360]

Don't chase them with your hand then they won't fear you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[Crazy mike]

Don't chase them and keep your hand away from them. Some won't hand feed and that's a fact you won't change. All the chasing has freaked them to a degree all my cichlid go into flight mode at the sight of a net so they do remember

Sent from my VS840 4G

 

[divemaster99]

Don't chase them with your hand then they won't fear you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

Well I'm not any more. I was doing that it try to catch them because the net kept getting stuck in the caves they'd hide in. I actually got one of the three to handfeed tonight, another cautiously watched, and the one that just got back into the tank has been defending the back corner of the tank all night. I think they've pretty much already forgot about me chasing them, at least the one that handfed.

 

[divemaster99]

Don't chase them and keep your hand away from them. Some won't hand feed and that's a fact you won't change. All the chasing has freaked them to a degree all my cichlid go into flight mode at the sight of a net so they do remember

Sent from my VS840 4G

I'm not chasing them any more, one is actually handfeeding again already! I can get almost all my fish to handfeed believe it or not, I've even got super skittish bluefin killies to handfeed in a week! I know they'll always fear the net, I just don't want them fearing their owner when I come up to the tank and when I'm doing water changes.