Shy dat

[carcrazy]

I have a 5" thin bar datnoid that likes to hide in his pvc pipe almost all the time. I see him out sometimes after the lights are out but he never comes out with the lights on. He only feeds on shrimp every second day in the morning without the lights as well (he should be eating better). He has 2 motoro rays (about 12" each), a 8" HBRTG, 5 1" silver dollars and 2 3" pbass (which are picky eaters as well) for company in a 320g tank.

Is it normal for small dats to be this shy? Do they get braver when they get older or is there something I can do to make him more comfortable? There are no decorations in the tank besides the dats pvc pipe (8" long). He is light colored with dark stripes and looks stable but he doesn't act it.

 

[BushFishRox]

Thinbars are the most timid... just give him some time and he will come around.

 

[TCZeli]

I agree with Rox, they are deff the most timid, and may not get comfortable until they are much bigger. If hes eating and stable, then i'd be happy.

 

[KenyanSandBoa]

I agree with Rox, they are deff the most timid, and may not get comfortable until they are much bigger. If hes eating and stable, then i'd be happy.

My thin bar is about 10" and still shy.

He spends a lot of time behind a large piece of driftwood, but he'll come out from time to time to let me know everything is ok.

 

[pwmin]

My thin bar is about 10" and still shy.

He spends a lot of time behind a large piece of driftwood, but he'll come out from time to time to let me know everything is ok.

same w/ mine, except mine is only 7-8 inches. Good luck, man.

 

[TCZeli]

My thin bar is about 10" and still shy.

He spends a lot of time behind a large piece of driftwood, but he'll come out from time to time to let me know everything is ok.

I have a 10" NTT as well, I had since it was 2". He would constantly stay hidden until a piece of food came floating down. Once he snapped it up he would retreat right back. Once it hit about 7.5-8" is when he started to come out. Still perfers to be behind/under somthing but will now stay out from the moment I get home till I finally feed them. Even after the feeding he patrols the tank regularly.

 

[EKen53]

Seriously, if NTTs were more aggressive and less timid, I would almost like them as much as STs...

 

[KenyanSandBoa]

same w/ mine, except mine is only 7-8 inches. Good luck, man.

I have a 10" NTT as well, I had since it was 2". He would constantly stay hidden until a piece of food came floating down. Once he snapped it up he would retreat right back. Once it hit about 7.5-8" is when he started to come out. Still perfers to be behind/under somthing but will now stay out from the moment I get home till I finally feed them. Even after the feeding he patrols the tank regularly.

Thought you guys might find this interesting...sort of.

While I was watching the Celtics game last night, I decided to do a little observation work on my tank with my large dats, and record the amount of time my NTT spends hiding versus out in the open.

Now, here were the conditions of the tank. I had the tank in "feeding position"...lights on, hood open, and specimen container hanging on the side...this always triggers the "feeding frenzy" in that tank.

At first I was a little nervous because my bass and black aro were trying to find a way to get out of the tank and INTO the specimen container...but I held out (with a VERY watchful eye ).

My STs were snapping at the container the whole time, but the NTT was like clockwork:

Hide for 5-6 minutes, patrol for 1.5 minutes...and I mean almost EXACTLY 1.5 minutes everytime. To qoute the great Chaz Michael Michaels...it was mind-bottling...it was so crazy that I got my thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle.

Anyway, I just thought that was an interesting find. Regardless of there being other large dats that are constantly out begging for food, it doesn't coax the thin-bar out at all.

Seriously, if NTTs were more aggressive and less timid, I would almost like them as much as STs...

Same here...I love the look of the NTT, but I do prefer the tenacity of the widebars.

 

[TCZeli]

Thats interesting, I will have to give it a try and see if my NTT has any paterns like that. But I think I'll have to do it after he has fed, because he acts more like your ST's do when my tank is in "feeding position".

 

[KenyanSandBoa]

Thats interesting, I will have to give it a try and see if my NTT has any paterns like that. But I think I'll have to do it after he has fed, because he acts more like your ST's do when my tank is in "feeding position".

Please do...I would love to see what you find. The most activity I get from my NTT is prior to feeding, so that's why I did it that way. If I fed first, I wouldn't see him until the next day.

I noticed he was out more when I had an RCK in there with him, but I got rid of him when he started going after my black aro. Ever since then he has been much more reclusive.