"Nocturnal fish and hiding places"

[JamisonBWolsh]

This is a question about fish that are nocturnal (hence the title).

I have a 20 gallon. I had many rocks and pipes in it as a hiding place. Problem is...all the fish are hiding all the time and I cant view them :(

Today, when I was cleaning the tank, I decided to leave all the rocks/pipes out and just add a few plants (plastic). How would this impact the fish without a hiding place? If they eventually feel comfortable enough in the tank, would they really need a hiding place? There are no aggressive fish in the tank.

Thanks for your help...

[OrionGirl]

IME, it depends on the fish. Some fish will be comfortable eventually, but others just won't ever calm down--you'll have them trying to pile up in corners, under heaters, ect. I have upside down cats, and while in quarantine there wasn't cover that made them comfortable. They'd all try to cram under one plastic plants and freeze. Once they moved to the main tank, they picked out hidey holes, and will lurk there with occassional trips out. Maybe if they'd been in the q-tank longer, they would have adapted, but no gaurantee. Other fish eventually figure out that there's nothing to worry about and are fine, but I still think it's better to provide them with some cover.

Have you tried floating plants? Sometimes that is all it takes--just some refuge from above. This is especially true for small, prey fish. You could try using a red bulb to provide darker conditions for the fish, as well.

HTH

[NJ Devils Fan]

Plecos are nocternal, so in the day, they spend most of there time hiding. I got my common pleco a long time ago and put it in my 10g tank that had absolutely no hiding places at all. I'm glad that I did that because now in the big tank, he never hides. He is always out cleaning the glass or eating veggies. I think the my tiger pleco and bristlenose have found new hiding places. One is in a car decoration and the other is in a hole in the driftwood.

I guess not having any hiding places would stress them out a little, but after time, they will get used to it.

[Dragon_Lord_Tia]

i use pvc pipe for my feather finned synadontis and in the day it sits in the pipe and of a night i put on the moonlight light and watch him go around the tank picking up yabbies worms but in a 10 gallon tank he wouldnt be able to move i might say the tank is to small 10 gallons is small very small

[JamisonBWolsh]

Im sorry... they are Petricola Catfish. Yes there is a catfish forum, but the question was for nocturnal fish. After about 30 minutes without the rocks, I do see the catfish swimming around more now than with cover (cause they are always hiding in the rocks) By taking out all the rocks, I gained about 2 inches of water in the 20 gallon (in depth).

NJ: How is your bristlenose plecos coming along? Do you have a male and a female? If you do, these guys are extremely easy to breed.


I do hope this works out. They are so Nice to watch and with the rocks, I never got a chance to view them!

[NJ Devils Fan]

Jamison, I only have one bristlenose. If I had known that my lfs had 2 when I went, I would have gotten both. That would be pretty cool if all my plecos breed. I would have a common bristle tiger. ;)

[carpguy]

I can't keep myself from mentioning red nocturnal lighting. Probably not a good idea, but I'm tired. Judgement impaired :rolleyes:

I know absolutely nothing about your fish so I can only offer you a few general observations.

I don't think its terribly important that there be a threat, its more a matter of what the fish need to feel secure. My dad is somewhat hard of hearing. He always is more comfortable with his back to the wall, he dislikes people coming up behind him. It doesn't have anything to do with feeling threatened, but it has a lot to do with feeling safe, secure, comfortable.

I've noticed that my rasboras will cluster into an ever shrinking open area of the tank if I let the plants get a little overgrown. They expand their territory when I cut everything back. They hide in the open, avoiding areas where they can be ambushed. The loaches on the other hand are more like my pop, they seem most comfortable with their backs covered. They aren't shy or nervous in anyway, but when they lounge they frequently lounge with driftwood or rocks behind them and/or above them.

Instead of using shelters as total as pipes, have you tried semi open shelters where the fish can feel secure but still be visible? The loaches favorite hangout when I "threaten" is an open cave complex with two mouths and an open back/top. They feel secure but are always fully visible. I'd try to figure out what the fish need to feel secure that isn't going to interfere with your seeing them. Maybe a little creative aquascaping could help…

http://pic1.picturetrail.com:80/VOL118/907205/1658951/20502909.jpg

[firetank]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1091&highlight=evolution

i think this exact conversation has already taken place.

check the link.

:rolleyes: ;)

[RTR]

And even mor than carpguy's excellent suggestions, or perhaps extending them - there is the idea of knowing about fish before you buy them. If fish are nocturnal, you should not expect them to pacing the tank during the light cycle as if they are barbs. If they are because they are in a relatively bare tank, I'd condsider that stress.

[superstein61]

Man Carpguy - that was one of the better responses - with pics and diagrams I have seen here :)

I would echo Carpguy's thoughts - some fish need hiding places to feel secure. You need to learn what each fish needs to limit its stress. Once that occurs, you will likely see healthier, more active fish. For example, I have a ton more hiding spots in my 72 gallon than the one I had in my 29 gallon setup. As a result, I see my clown loaches out and about all the time now. In the 29 gallon, because there was just one spot to hide, they didn't feel comfortable swimming around most of the time - and thus hid most of the day.

As for nocturnal fish - you should know in advance if you buy nocturnal fish, that you won't likely see them much during the day. Removing their hiding spots to force them out in the day is not the best idea IMO

[JamisonBWolsh]

haha.. That other link goes to another thread I started a while back.. I forgot about that one!!! :)

anyway, everyone that responded gave great advice. thanks!