why does my jack dempsey hide

[thedarkone]

also, dempseys are territorial and live in caves, most of them will stay in or around their cave and defend it.... This is normal behavior

Bingo!

Mine is always in her cave, but when ever I come down the stairs she shoots out of her cave and comes to the front of the tank to greet me. The more your fish becomes familiar with you the more he will come out when you come around the tank.

 

[Adam-011]

Also when they're at the lfs still they are usually with numerous of their siblings making them more confident. As he grows he will darken and gain more spangling also becoming more out going.

 

[V1xIII]

Yeah, in my experience JD's are unfortunately shy and skittish (but I still love em). If you want a bold cichlid, try a GT.

 

[uncwnells]

GTs are not that bold, cichlids are like people and each one has its own personality.

 

[Jmart159]

Yeah, your JD is still very small and is still the underdog in your tank. You have to give it some time to grow in size and confidence. On top of that, like said before, JDs are lurkers. They will hide out a lot of the time until they spot food or have to run another fish out of their spot. Mine is 6in and still does. He even did this when he was the top dog of his tank.

 

[V1xIII]

GTs are not that bold, cichlids are like people and each one has its own personality.

My big male GT is a glassbanger, and I've seen videos of others doing the same. At the very least they are commonly bolder than JD's.