Unpleasantries of playing Hide and Seek

[guitardude87]

I'm new to the forum. I have a tank with a few south american cichlids (blood parrot, firemouth, jack dempsey, convict). ever since I've had them they have always been way too shy to be out in the open. the only time they are not hiding is about twice a day (several hours apart) one of which I make the most of to feed them. I don't understand why they are like this...maybe there are too many decor inside the tank? maybe it's not warm enough? i hope you guys can give me a bit of insight as to why this happens. If further inquiry is needed, ask away. I've supplied a pic of my tank below.

 

[Chrisplosion]

Well a blood parrot will do that when you first get them. They will hide for a good month or so before they come out in the open unless you already have any resident fish that swim in the open. Also did you cycle the tank because they will hide if the water gets too bad. Don't remove any decor. Is the a 20 gallon long?

 

[FishingOut]

Your decor is fine.
Do you have a heater?
Tank size & Water parameters?
Is the tank cycled?
Stocking seems fine. How long have you had the fish?
If they are hidden all the time, something is making them feel uncomfortable. It could be any number of things, We will need more info to give you proper advice.

 

[guitardude87]

Well a blood parrot will do that when you first get them. They will hide for a good month or so before they come out in the open unless you already have any resident fish that swim in the open. Also did you cycle the tank because they will hide if the water gets too bad. Don't remove any decor. Is the a 20 gallon long?

I've had all the fish in this tank for a good 24 weeks already. The tank was cycled for a month before I placed any fish inside. And yes this is a 20 long.

 

[guitardude87]

Your decor is fine.
Do you have a heater?
Tank size & Water parameters?
Is the tank cycled?
Stocking seems fine. How long have you had the fish?
If they are hidden all the time, something is making them feel uncomfortable. It could be any number of things, We will need more info to give you proper advice.

Yes I do have a heater. Current temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, pH is at 7.0, all toxic agent levels are low. the tank had been cycled for a month before putting fish inside.

 

[Citrinellus]

Is there a lot of motion around the tanks? Like people always walking by or even dogs?

 

[GhostShrimpMan]

I've had all the fish in this tank for a good 24 weeks already. The tank was cycled for a month before I placed any fish inside. And yes this is a 20 long.

Well if this is the case, your tank is severely overstocked. A JD alone would want a 55 to himself.

 

[Citrinellus]

Well if this is the case, your tank is severely overstocked. A JD alone would want a 55 to himself.

Keep in mind though we haven't seen the size of his fish, if they're small enough to hide in a 20g. They are probably 1-3 inches. But, I agree down the road he would eventually have to upgrade his tank.

 

[guitardude87]

Is there a lot of motion around the tanks? Like people always walking by or even dogs?

I do have a small dog but he rarely comes into my room...usually the only ones that bypass the tank are my fiance and myself.

 

[guitardude87]

Well if this is the case, your tank is severely overstocked. A JD alone would want a 55 to himself.

they are still tiny though. My plan is to upgrade to a 30 long that my neighbor's going to give me and then I'll use this 20 long for breeding.