after the issue about my water.. i think the water is pretty much ok now.. thanks to the people here that helped me alot.. thanks again..
and now, my issue is.. my cichlids keep hiding, they don't show up.. is it maybe too much rock for them to hide? and in my 100G tank, i think there are about 35-40 cichlids, mbuna.. should i put different fish that will not hide, and the one that keep swims around? just like a barb? for them to be encourage to swim out all the time? i am not sure if bard will be compatible with them, cause some cichlids are aggressive..
anyways, they just show up when i feed them.. but when i get nearer, they just swim and hide.. they are shy.. all of them.. sorry for all this troubles, but i just need help..
How long has the tank been set up? How big are the fish? If it's still a new tank and the fish are young, you can expect them to be more shy. There really aren't very many fish that make good tankmates for your mbuna due to the high pH and hard water you keep them in. Barbs like soft, acidic water so they would be a poor choice. Many mbuna are also very aggressive so choosing tankmates can be difficult. There are several species of synodontis catfish that you could try, but they probably wouldn't make your mbuna come out of hiding more.
Do you have a picture of the tank? I'd love to see it!
and the second pictures is when i feed them.. i can't even stare at them when i feed them, cause they will not come out.. i took this picture too far.. so that they will not see me.. can you compare the difference? i can't appreciate their colors if they will not show up.. what should i do with this guys?
Whoa...is that cow skull real? That's pretty neat looking.
I think the tank would look better if the rock piles were more irregular looking. The way you have them stacked now is very...organized. If they were piled more at random it would look more natural. Also, since your substrate is kind of an orange color, I don't think the blue background works very well. I think a black background would look a lot better.
I think you need plants. I know they have a habit of tearing the plants out, but a couple floating plants might help. I have had luck getting Ahlis to come out of hiding with floating plants. I kind of like the bricks. It's a different look.
I believe it's because you Cichlids have all of that room to explore in and all of the hiding spots. It's like an apartment, people generally stay in their section, never leaving it.
Driftwood lowers your pH and therefore wouldn't be a good choice for a mbuna tank. My cichlids will behave this way sometimes, especially if there is someone or something in the room that they don't recognize (like a cat).. Good luck
is the tank in a room where you spend most of your time? i have 2 cichlid tanks, one in our bedroom, and one in our living room
the fish in the living room took about a month to start to swim about all the time, the ones in the bedroom took a long time to get comfortable w/ just me...and even longer to get used to my kids (2yr and 6yr)
basicly what im getting at is if your only around the fish tank for a short time every now and then the fish will take longer to get used to you and realize you wont hurt them
I have the same problem. I have just started a tank with 18 baby cichlids and the tank is running now for two years. Before it was running with guppies and mollies.
Any advice to get them out from hiding behind anything
Try adding more hiding places and decor. Sounds strange, but the more hiding places the fish have, the less inclined they'll be to stay behind cover all the time.
the best way to get them out of hiding all the time is to spend more time around the tank they will be scared at first but once they realize your not there to hurt or eat them they will come out. it took my mbunas about a month or so to become comfortable with me and my family they are very very smart fish, able to recognise faces :-D
oh and your tank... they love sand always digging in it and go for a natural looking backgroung maybe with rocks and plants i noticed it made my guys feel safer and more at home
Perhaps just re-arranging the rocks would encourage them out more. Plan the layout so they hang out at a place where you can still see them. I agree with the comments about some plants. Perhaps plan for some plants when you re-arrange. Good luck
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