# New fish are shy.



## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

I bought 5 fish monday, 4 Yellow labs and 1 Pseudotropheus Demasoni. All of them are about one inch long with the Demasoni just a little bit bigger. 

For the first couple days the fish weren't that shy and swam all around. But yesturday morning our cat had about 20 min alone to herself with the tank and I feel that she must of been up on her back feet scratching at the glass. Since then the fish have been very shy and hide at any signs of movement in the room.

They will come out to eat and will come out if I stand very still. They swim all around the tank when the room is empty but as soon as you walk in you'd swear that the tank is fishless. 

The door will always be closed now and our cat is never allowed in the room.

I am going to spend some time tonight watching tv sitting close to the tank in order to try and have them become more used to me. I also walk slowly infront of the tank and try not to make any sudden movements.

Any ideas as what would help or should I just give them time?


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## AshleytheGreat (Jul 24, 2005)

Whenever I slack off on giving them a high Ph my cichlids get very skittish. Once i raise it their always out. Also they dont seem to like to color red lol, just that color too.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

mine do the same thing! I figured it was because my two year old likes to run up to the tank and it scares them. Ive had my fish for several months and they still act this way. I have labs and zebras


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

i have a mixed mbuna tank, they arent afraid of anything, i dont know if the ph has anything to do with it but i keep mine high, around 8.0 we also have a cat and whenever it tries to scratch at the glass, the fish think its feeding time and try to nip her paws, they arent skiddish unless someone they dont know is to close to the tank.


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## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

I checked the PH it's 8.2

I'm sure it's just because they are new.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

Fishnoob78 said:


> I checked the PH it's 8.2
> 
> I'm sure it's just because they are new.


yeah, I would just give them some time - they will get used to what goes on around them..


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## Fraser (Dec 5, 2005)

i say kill the cat 


hehehe just kiddin


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

My experience with african cichlids ( mbuna ) is that they are very outgoing and active. If they are still hiding after 2-3 days, I'm afraid there may be a problem of some kind. They don't hide when I put my hand in the tank to clean the glass and I don't think a cat would scare them either.


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## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

They were swimming all around the tank late tonight so i'd say everything seems normal. I fed them flakes for the first time so they discovered the top half of the tank finally. They tore the flakes appart like a pack of little sharks.


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## Fraser (Dec 5, 2005)

Mbunas are crazy little fish when jouvenilles. Theyre really not afraid of anything apart from larger fish and even then they show boldness 

I added 4 jouvs in on wednesday and they go to the top of the tank every time I approach it coz they think im feeding them  As you said, they tear up the flakes like crazy when theyre fed.

As they get older they begin to establish territories and develop a desire for spawning. They dont swim around the tank so much with other fish either - which is why people tell you to overstock the tank. It forces them to live in numbers and it limits the territorial aggression endured by each fish


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## Fishnoob78 (Oct 30, 2005)

They are pretty much shy again today. I did a water change this morning, the first one with the new fish and ever since then they have been hiding from me unless i was giving them food. 

When I walk up to the tank they hide then peek from behind the rocks/coral and if I move closer they hide completely. Most of there time is spent in the largest cave or swimming near the back of the tank. 

Unless I am standing still they just seem to be are afraid of me or just afraid of movement in general. 

Could part of the problem be is that there is only 6 of them and they don't feel safe in low numbers?

Edit-- I just did kind of a test. They were swimming around the tank so I slowly walked in my room. They all hid. I left about 30 seconds later and it took them about 3-4 min before they were swimming around again. Walked in a second time, same thing.

Also the yellow lab that has the whitest belly seems to spend alot of time going up and down the tank aganist the glass fairly quickly. Every now and then of the other fish will do it with him. I just caught the pseudo doing it with him...is that normal behavior?


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

I'm afraid you have a problem... So it happened after a water change???? A couple of weeks ago we had a thread going on this forum about water companys adding things from time to time. Why don't you call and ask if anything unusual is going on. Just tell them you have an aquarium so they won't think you are getting ready to sue them over something.. Good luck.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

the lab swimming up and down against the glass, ive noticed many of my fish do that too, it seems to only happen when they are new or after a do a large cleaning and rearrange the decorations, i THINK that the fish are just trying to learn the boundries of the tank, im not sure if they can see the glass and are trying to swim past it, that usually stopped for me after they get settled in. i dont know what else would cause that behavior so thats the assumption ive always made,


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## AshleytheGreat (Jul 24, 2005)

Mine do the same thing when i mix the aquarium up.


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## Fraser (Dec 5, 2005)

Yup same here when I add new fish or make major changes to the tank layout.


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