# Help! Fish not eating and hiding.



## mariannelev (Jan 10, 2010)

Hello,

I just got a blood parrot cichlid on friday(yes, I know, controversial subject but let's not talk about that), and a tank for him since I didn't have room in my other tank. Now, here's my problem: He has not been eating since saturday. I tested everything, no ammonia or nitrite, hardness is fine, ph is slightly high but not dramatically so(7.4-7.6). What I fed him were floating cichlid pellets, so I just went to the store and bought him bloodworms to encourage him to eat, plus some sinking cichlid pellets for later. He seemed somewhat interested in the bloodworms, but not enough to really eat any. 

I'm very worried because I got this fish because of his personality, he went up to me all the time at the store and now he's hiding at the bottom of the tank and refuses to eat anything, not even bloodworms. Is it just stress or something else? I really want him to survive. 

Thanks!

Update: He just went around the water, seemed to nip at the worms and then went around again, twitched a couple times and went back at the back of the tank...I'm really worried.


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## <3~Pleco~<3 (Jan 31, 2009)

Is the tank cycled?
How big is the tank?
It could just be stress, as he is a new addition. Eventually he should get hungry enough to eat.


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## mariannelev (Jan 10, 2010)

The tank is new, so it's going through break-in cycle, although the cycle product helps and I tested for ammonia and nitrite (nonexistent) and as I wrote the ph is only slightly high. But since I last wrote this, the fish came out and he's swimming around a little more, he even swallowed a bloodworm or two. I do think it is just stress at this point, it should improve. Thank you!

Actually, the twitching I think was some sort of territorial demonstration against his reflection, since he did it a couple more times as he charged towards his reflection afterwards.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Fish can pretty much go about 2 weeks without food. Give it a couple of days, he WILL eventually get hungry enough to eat.

Seeming how you said he is new to the tank, it may take a month or so for him to get comfortable.


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## mariannelev (Jan 10, 2010)

Thank you for your help. He's already improving, he ate his bloodworms this morning and he's swimming around more.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

no problem


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## <3~Pleco~<3 (Jan 31, 2009)

Glad to hear that he is doing much better.


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