Ute God Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 OK when ever I walk in my room at least 7 out of 8 fish swin and hide in their rocks. This is giving me the craP as I want to look at them. But if i stay still for a bit they come out then if i move off they go again. Would the easiest thing to do is take away the rocks so they have to get used to me walking into my room? or would this stress them out to much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Hey Ute god, Ive had the same experience like you but with discus. I found it was because my tank was low and only reached up to my middle body so when the fish saw me coming it was liek a giant coming to eat them..eho wouldnt be scared? They got better after 3 months, i fed them abit by bit in front of them and waited for them to eat it all before giving them more, this made them feel more comfortable when i was around. Judt my opinion anyways.. cheers Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I've found that if the ends of your tanks are not painted or covered, the fish get jumpy as you constantly startle them every time you 'suddenly' walk past. You'll find that approaching the tank from the front helps alot as they see you approaching. Some fish are naturally jumpy too though!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazza Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 How long have you had the fish? i have found that over time they get less and less scared. Like with my yellows. When i first got them they would run away and hide evrytimei moved in my room. Now, if i walk by they will come to the front of the tank and run up and down the glass chasing me along Give it time and things should work out. By the way what kind of fish are they? HTH wazza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ute God Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 2 pulu points 2 cobolt blues 2 Possible Blue Orchids 1 Rusty 1 Clown Loach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ute God Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 Should I take the rocks out? I have had the fish since boxing day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Hey Ute god, I suggest you dont take the rocks out because they are probably not settled in yet so by taking the rocks out they have nowhere to seek refuge to and stress even more. Just give thme time im sure they will get better. You could try target fish? cheers Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The cichlid Man Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Ute God, The best way to make the fish more tame is to spend as much time a possible with them. Put your hand in the tank so they get used to you being in there environment, it has worked well for me. In the beginning they will just hide but with a bit of patiance and a little bit of food in the hand they will soon learn to not just go and hide. Try it and see how you go. Using this method i can feed my frontosa, calvus, aulonocara's out of my hand. Regards, Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoolig Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Dont fall over laughing when you read this. A few years back a mate of mine had the same problem, he worked in Dept. Store, he borrowed a dummy put it on a old gramaphone turntable, and let it run, he said,and I kid you not, the fish were queueing up by the front glass watching. And its not April the 1st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 G'day The other way to get them to settle down is to add some mid level fish into the tank. These fish happily stay in the mid level area of the tank, this encourages the other fish to feel safe and less inclined to hide. Possible fish could include Rainbows and various types of tetras. However please ensure that the fish you choose will be happy in the water conditions you have. The other way I use is to restrict the food given to the tank, Eg tiny feedings for a few days, then build up slowly. This ensures that when the fish see you they are happy to greet you and as you return to a normal feeding regimine they stay happy to see you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 If the size of your tank allows it, I'd purchase a few more clowns as they school with confidence. This in turn should bring the others out. My clowns (9) get moved around to draw out spooked fish and it works for me. merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.apps Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Yeah I can vouch the feeding thing works, in my community tank, livebearers, sharks, fighters, tetras, cats etc... whenever i walk to one corner of the tank they will all dash up there thinking that i am going to feed them. So yeah try that, I also try to feed my fish at the same end and then hand feed my fighters at the other end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishly Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 Well, I am having the same problem as well. I think the feeding technique is a good idea which I am doing now. Hopefully they are not hiding when I am approaching them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ute God Posted January 10, 2004 Author Share Posted January 10, 2004 Well I took the rocks out and they were scared at first but then couldnt care as they had no where to go. They now dont care if im there. But I think having the lone rusty was having a bit of an effect on them so i went and swapped him for 2 hongi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulva Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 Also this might help...... Ive noticed when keeping fish in a backroom, or some part of the house that doesnt get a lot of human traffic, they tend to take MUCH longer to get used to us. A tank in a TV room, or some room where people are constantly walking by, the fish seem to get used to people much quicker. Also depends on the type of fish you have. Malawis seem to recognize people as food sources much quicker in aquariums, then say Tangs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted January 11, 2004 Share Posted January 11, 2004 Hey i used some tiger barbs as dither fish and target fish (ie. Target= for males to use agression towards target fish and Dither= Dither fish moving about make other fish more comfortable to come out of hiding) It has worked for me Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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