GT is now shy

[PostalPenguin]

I have 4-5" GT in my 55g tank that has had a personality change. She used to beg and say "Hello" at the glass every time I was near. Now she hides from any movement outside the tank. She begs when she is hungry but after she eats she hides. She doesn't hide all the time since if I sneak a peak at the tank she is out and about but as soon as I come near she runs and hides.

Is there anyway to get her to be personable again?

She recently had a very small ich problem(6-10 spots total) that I treated with salt and 84F temps for 1.5 weeks. The elevated temperatures made the tiger barbs that I have as dithers extremely aggressive and they killed 3 of their own(9 down to 6). Do I need to add more dithers? Is she still sick? Should I bump the temps up a little bit(currently at 78)?

Thanks.

 

[Aquanero]

Every time a GT and cichlids in general go from being outgoing to shy and hiding they are getting sick. You said she had Ich and is most likly not full recovered. I would increase the Temerature to 80 and see if that makes a differeance. I keep my tanks right around 80 all the time. I has nothing to do with the number of Barbs in the tank.

 

[GTbEaSt]

clean gravel once a week, this also does water change to. 80 degrees. Look into some medicine. Give her a varied diet. I give my GT green peas(remove the shell first), bloodworms, Hikari pellets, and flakes. I do all this and my GT is coming around. He had first stages of hole in the head and was severey beaten up by red devils from the LFS. Im telling you all this cause these were my remedies for my sick shy GT. I watch TV all the time in front of my GT and he sits there watching me. Well anyways follow my advice and see what happens. good luck

 

[Chicklette]

I agree, something is wrong. When they hide all of a sudden they are usually sick. What are your water paramaters? ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/ph

 

[hamfist]

Sick ? Quite possibly. Another possibility is that she has gone a bit hormonal and wanting to lay some eggs.

 

[honda237]

i agree with possibly sick, but yet no one has suggest that maybe something spooked her and now has made her scared. Has there been new people over that could have tapped the glass, or maybe some banging around from moving things, ect?

 

[PostalPenguin]

Water parameters are 0 ammonia and nitrites and under 10 nitrates when I test before a water change. I have Amazon frogbit floating in the tank which helps with the nitrates. Filtration is an Emperor 400 and AC70 with a bubbler. The tank gets weekly 50% water changes. No one has been over that could have spooked her.

Her diet is NLS cichlid pellets as staple with freeze dried brine shrimp, Omega one flakes and shrimp pellets, Hikari algae wafers and blood worms for variation. She gets fed 2-3 times a day about as much as she can eat in 30 seconds. The rest of the food gets eaten by the tiger barbs or the convict and what sinks is eaten by the pictus.

I am going to try some seaweed w/ garlic and see if that helps flush her out. Thanks for all the suggestions and help. Hopefully, she will turn around.