Help with stocking troubles.

[LBUK]

Hello all.
Ive kept a couple of JDs and I rehomed them as they were always hiding and didnt get on and now ive got 3 geophagus surinamesis/nearest breed and they are constantly hiding and hate whenever anyone is near the tank and its making me want to rehome those too. I would like a tank whereby when my kids and family come round they can look in and actually see something. My water is good, 0 ammonia, 0nitrite, 5nitrate, 6.8ph.

I have a 240l tank measuring 120cm x 55cm x 40cm and it has an fx6 full with bio rings and a 306 with floss purigen and more rings.

I am torn between trying a lake cichlid tank for the first time or having a single fish. Id be looking at either a tank of yellow lab cichlids or a green terror. Can anyone give any insight on which is less likely to hide and be more interesting etc? If cichlids how many could that tank hold and woukd having soft water shaft me?

Thanks.

 

[tlindsey]

Hello all.
Ive kept a couple of JDs and I rehomed them as they were always hiding and didnt get on and now ive got 3 geophagus surinamesis/nearest breed and they are constantly hiding and hate whenever anyone is near the tank and its making me want to rehome those too. I would like a tank whereby when my kids and family come round they can look in and actually see something. My water is good, 0 ammonia, 0nitrite, 5nitrate, 6.8ph.

I have a 240l tank measuring 120cm x 55cm x 40cm and it has an fx6 full with bio rings and a 306 with floss purigen and more rings.

I am torn between trying a lake cichlid tank for the first time or having a single fish. Id be looking at either a tank of yellow lab cichlids or a green terror. Can anyone give any insight on which is less likely to hide and be more interesting etc? If cichlids how many could that tank hold and woukd having soft water shaft me?

Thanks.

How big are the Cichlids? Add a small group of Tetra that may help also give time for them adjust to their new environment and you.

 

[LBUK]

How big are the Cichlids? Add a small group of Tetra that may help also give time for them adjust to their new environment and you.

Id say they were about 4 inch least. They have beem in there for well over a month with 6 odessa barbs but they seem to hide all the time too however when they do come out their colors are bold and they look 100% so no idea why they hide. The tank is full of driftwood moss and plants and floating plants. They all eat too and the geos will come to the surface for bloodworms they love them.

I didnt know if adding an acara would be too much.

 

[tlindsey]

Id say they were about 4 inch least. They have beem in there for well over a month with 6 odessa barbs but they seem to hide all the time too however when they do come out their colors are bold and they look 100% so no idea why they hide. The tank is full of driftwood moss and plants and floating plants. They all eat too and the geos will come to the surface for bloodworms they love them.

I didnt know if adding an acara would be too much.

Tbh you need the space for the Geo's.

 

[duanes]

Beyond the idea that more space for both Geo's and JDs would be appropriate, both cichlids judge safety and security in nature by the presence of dither fish.
In the case of JDs, dither fish are usually live bearers like mollies or gambusia, and with Geos its usually shoals of tetras that supply that sense of security , Cichlids constantly watch dithers to judge presence of predatory species like reptiles, birds and the like, and without the seemingly aimless presence of these fish, cichlids tend to hide (especially when new).
The problem with these fish in a small tank, is that they are also prey for JDs, and in nature striking JDs often miss (maybe 10 times missing for even 1 success, but in the confines of tank, escape with no where to go isn't very likely.
Below are some shots of JDs in nature in Mexico, note the amount of dithers compared to JDs, its at least 10 to 1.


and below, a video of another Mexican Cenote inhabited by JDs
Eden2

 

[Hidan]

Get rid of the hiding spaces.
If smaller cichlids are given a chance to hide, they will hide, especially if the tank is in a high footfall area of the house.

They should eventually get bolder and start coming out, however if you want to speed up the process, take out the hiding spots and put them in again at a later date, when the fishes are more comfortable with your presence.

 

[LBUK]

Tbh you need the space for the Geo's.

Ill try add some dither fish and hope for the best! Would congo tetras be OK? Thanks for the reply.

Beyond the idea that more space for both Geo's and JDs would be appropriate, both cichlids judge safety and security in nature by the presence of dither fish.
In the case of JDs, dither fish are usually live bearers like mollies or gambusia, and with Geos its usually shoals of tetras that supply that sense of security , Cichlids constantly watch dithers to judge presence of predatory species like reptiles, birds and the like, and without the seemingly aimless presence of these fish, cichlids tend to hide (especially when new).
The problem with these fish in a small tank, is that they are also prey for JDs, and in nature striking JDs often miss (maybe 10 times missing for even 1 success, but in the confines of tank, escape with no where to go isn't very likely.
Below are some shots of JDs in nature in Mexico, note the amount of dithers compared to JDs, its at least 10 to 1.


and below, a video of another Mexican Cenote inhabited by JDs
Eden2

I rehomed the JDs about 3 months ago. Ill try add some more dither fish and see how it goes. Thanks for the reply!

Get rid of the hiding spaces.
If smaller cichlids are given a chance to hide, they will hide, especially if the tank is in a high footfall area of the house.

They should eventually get bolder and start coming out, however if you want to speed up the process, take out the hiding spots and put them in again at a later date, when the fishes are more comfortable with your presence.

Ill give it a shot thanks!

 

[tlindsey]

If your water is soft I personally would choose SA tetra specie.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Juvenile cichlids are just shy sometimes. I wouldn't take the hide spots out personally. If they are hiding, it's because they don't feel safe. If you remove their spots, they will just feel even less safe, and be more likely to hide in a corner looking stressed, than to suddenly overcome their fears. They might overcome fear of people, if you spend hours sitting in front of the tank. But that doesn't always work either.
Dither fish is a good idea. How bright is your tank light? That might also be a factor. I find Amazonian cichlids prefer dim lighting.
African cichlids would likely be more active and probably more entertaining for the kids. But soft water would not be ideal for them. Though, if it's somewhere near the middle, yellow labs would probably be okay.
TBH, your kids probably won't know the difference between cichlids and other fish. Might be just as good to get some nice big colorful mollies or swordtails, they definitely won't be shy.