new fish in hiding? how long is normal?

AnnetteG

AnnetteG

getting back to basics
Sep 24, 2007
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I just got the red spotted lawnmower blenny last night. I spent 3 hours acclimating him, then released him into the tank after lights out. He sat on the glass for a few minutes looking at me and then I walked away and left him alone. He was gone when I came back by on my way to bed. He hasn't shown up yet this morning. It's pretty normal for a new fish to hide for a while, right? I can't help worrying, he's gorgeous and my husband is PO'd at me for spending $30 on a fish. :uhoh: So if I spent $30 on a fish that died as soon as I put in my tank, he's REALLY not going to be happy with me.

:confused: cross your fingers my fish decides to show his face soon!
 
Ya, it is very normal for new fish to hide for the first few days in a tank. After they get used to it though they will be out all over the place, at least I think your blenny will. I have one fish, a pseudo, that I have had for 6 months and I still only get to see it for 2 seconds a day out of the hours I spend staring at the tank. It just loves living in the rocks and not coming out.
 
nevermind, I found him!

In the SUMP! :eek3: My poor fish! He must have gone over the overflow and then into the new durso the hubby just installed, down that and landed in the left side of the sump with the pump going to the skimmer!!! :eek: He was sitting in the bottom just kindof hanging out. I put him on into the main tank and he's sitting in the bottom under some rocks now. Poor little guy.

We have to find something to put in there to stop fish going thru the slats or over the overflow. He's the second one to end up down there. One of my smaller blue green chromis was hanging out in the fuge yesterday morning, which was the first day after the hubby had put the durso in. Which means that little guy made it by the skimmer pump and up and over the next waterfall and down into the fuge!

Okay, any suggestions for what to do to block the overflow?
 
I've had quite a few end up in the sump via the overflow - 2 chromis, cleaner wrasse, 2 mandarin dragonets, 2 crabs and 1 snail!!!! I tried putting some plastic meshing around mine but it does restrict the flow a bit, I'm finding that once I chuck them back in the main tank they've learnt not to go via that route again (unless chased by a nasty sixline wrasse!!!)
 
Gutter guard works. Although oddly my shrimp never got into the overflow box..until I put the gutter guard up. Now I have 3 peppermints down in the sump. They were stuck in the overflow so I had to remove the gurglebuster and let the ride the flow down. Unfortunately I can't retrieve them in the section of the sump they are so there they stay until they figure out a way to get into the fuge section.
 
OMG, this is hilarious, I have to share! The new guy has backed himself into the diamond goby's main den. He is sitting there looking out and checking things out. The diamond goby is sitting in the front giving me the evil eye. Look! I can't even believe I managed to get a pic of this. Don't you just love fish that sit still for the camera? :grinyes:

3.21.08 014.jpg
 
First lesson in taking aquarium pictures.. don't use the flash. ;)

Also, with your overflow thing, ya, happens to us all now and again. I put some course plastic screen materiel like you do for a screen door over my overflow pipe. I just recently found these at Marinedepot (scroll down to the bottom of the page) and I am kicking myself because I have been doing this for years and I just now see someone made them for sale.
 
I just got a lawnmower blenny this last week and I haven't really seen it. New fish are passive in their new home and it takes time for them to get use to their new home. Hope everythings going great!
 
Re: flash - if I don't use it, everything is blue because of my lights. 20K MHs and actinic HO T5s. Haven't replaced the bulbs yet with what I want. Won't for a while most likely. Looking at the tank, it doesn't bother me, but pictures don't look good.

Also, I read some of the tips in the photography forum and it actually does recommend using a flash, but it turns out better when the camera is against the glass. I have one part of my camera perfectly tuned to taking really good aquatic photos, catching the fish even when they're moving, etc., but for some reason it's not working with the batteries I have at the moment. It takes it too long to process the picture. Anyhoo, that's all for another forum!

Here's an example though from when it was working & my fast moving fish:

2344304661_d6e9391c52.jpg

you know an angel is a hard one to get a picture of

2344304385_28205d0f79.jpg

this guy never stops moving, so even though it's not perfect, it's pretty good for a pic of a fast damsel, taken by an amateur.

and my wiggly clown:
2272942147_b83bf3671a.jpg


and my tank without the flash:
2345129336_219bb17cc9.jpg


okay, sorry I hijacked my own thread, but there ya go. :)
 
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