What to do about 'shy' dats?

[Carg R]

I got a bunch of microlepis in June 2007. I housed them in a small hex (30 gallon), then in a 125gal. They don't want to come out and show themselves.

I recently got a 7-8 inch undecimradiatus & have moved 5 microlepis (ranging from 3-4 inches) and a small school of silver dollars into a 90 gallon tank. Anyway, they all like to hide when I enter the room.

I can peak around the corner & watch them swimming around, but once I step into their view 'BAM' they search for hiding places or get tight against the overflow box.

I really want to know how those of you who've posted some amazing photos of your dats swimming out in the open water with various large & small fish, get them to do that?

I also want to hear from those who've overcome this same problem...if you haven't been able to get photos of dats swimming out in the open, or if you haven't figured out how to over come a shy Dat (or other shy fish) PLEASE DON'T THROW OUT UNPROVEN 'SOLUTIONS'.

 

[Matt181]

how long have they been in the tank?

Matt

 

[T1KARMANN]

easy remove all of the hideing places

apart from gravel my tank is bare all of my tigers swim in the open sizes range from 12inch -3inch their are some big fish in my tank 16inch aros x 7 big tigrinus cat 13inch and rays

even the smalest tigers swim all over the place

if you have drift wood in the tank the tigers try to blend into it and turn black i had drift wood all the tigers were black took it out they were all nice and gold

IT are the hardest tigers to get looking nice some are impossable

 

[Carg R]

Matt181, I had the microlepis in a 125 for 6+months, and have placed the undecimradiatus in the 90 on March 10.

T1karmann...I'm jealous. I had removed all decor (but for gravel) from the 125 & they kept to the edges. I put a cover around 3 sides of the tank, kept the lights dim, and then tried keeping the lights on (for days at a time).

I put a floating plastic plant & removed all cover from one side of the tank (the side with the light) and got some decent results. I tried with & without ditherfish & didn't notice much of a change.

I think I'll let them sit in the 90 gallon as it stands (one light, two pvc elbows & no other cover) for at least a week before I change it up again.

So there's one vote/success story of very bare, no cover-anything else T1karmann?

 

[Nic]

complete bare tank with lights on a timer.... thats all i did to mine...

 

[T1KARMANN]

my lights are also on a timer they come on at 1pm and off at 10.30pm

i feed 1hr after lights come on and as soon as the lights do come on the tigers are up the font glass until they are fed

after feeding they retire to a corner not hideing just resting with fat bellys

the 12inch tiger is never still in a corner as he is never full

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

I always heard constant messing with the deco prolongs the time it takes for them to stabilize?

is this driftwood blending theory valid?I have driftwood in my tank,alot of it,I was told it would add cover and make them feel more comfortable....I also have fake plants...again quite a bit.

 

[Carg R]

I always heard constant messing with the deco prolongs the time it takes for them to stabilize?

is this driftwood blending theory valid?I have driftwood in my tank,alot of it,I was told it would add cover and make them feel more comfortable....I also have fake plants...again quite a bit.

I am slightly confused? Are you equating a stable dat with a dat that swims out in the open? Cause I've got loads of pictures of the little guys & a couple of the larger new one that all look pretty stable-yet they still keep to the edges of the tank?

Did adding the cover get your fish to stay out in the open?

 

[Carg R]

Here's the tank they are in currently.

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

I am slightly confused? Are you equating a stable dat with a dat that swims out in the open? Cause I've got loads of pictures of the little guys & a couple of the larger new one that all look pretty stable-yet they still keep to the edges of the tank?

Did adding the cover get your fish to stay out in the open?

yeah my bad for some reason when you said they were hiding I also pictured them being unstable I'm not sure why I'm sure you get it though.

so they are stable just shy?weird! mine come out but they are hardly ever stable.some people say some dats just can't stabilize but I know mine can because I've seen them do it so I guess it's just a matter of time.