New cichlids won't come out of hiding

[fanofbigblue]

Hello!

I am new to this forum and hope I can find a solution to my problem here.

Two days ago I received an order from LiveFishDirect that included:

3 Obliquiden Zebras,
2 Ngara Flametails,
and
1 Regal Blue (that they included free w/ my order)


The fish are housed in a well established 55 gallon tank (I know that's a lot for 55 gallons but I wasn't expecting the freebie. I will probably take him out when the fish get larger) with a pH of 7.8, temp around 76-78 degrees, and an aragonite substrate. Prior to adding my new fish I gave away the two Jack Dempseys and the Firemouth that had been in the tank, and did a 20% water change.

My problem is that ever since adding the fish 2 days ago they have all hidden in one corner of the tank behind a rock structure and they won't come out unless it is absolutely still in the house with the tank light off. Even then only the Regal Blue and one of the Flametails will poke around a bit, but as soon as I am within 10 feet of the tank (even with the light off) they dart right back into the corner with the others. They won't even come out to feed, instead only picking at any of the flakes that happen to find their way into that corner.

I fear that they will all die on the 15th day after I received my order and I won't be able to get a credit from Live Fish Direct (they guarantee their fish for 14 days). I have tried contacting them by e-mail and telephone, but no one has replied to me yet.

I have heard of using "dither fish" such as giant danios or cardinal tetras in schools to try and convince the cichlids that it is safe in the tank, but I'm hesitant to spend even more money on fish and adding more to what will be an already crowded tank. Not to mention that they require softer water with a lower pH, so I don't even know if they would survive in my tank.

I've kept Oscars, Discus, and community tanks for years (as well as the Jack Dempseys and Firemouth) without ever having this problem, and I'm frustrated to know that I can't enjoy my new fish. Plus I'm worried that I wasted $90 on fish and $400 on setting up my tank for cichlids. I think my wife will throw me out if these fish die! :help2:

Does anyone have any other ideas for me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[billswin]

I set up my tank around 2 months ago and had similiar problems. I cycled the tank (75 gallon) with 4 cichlids and they just hid for weeks under the rocks and even dug holes to hide in.

Once the tank finished the cycle (1 died) after 5 weeks I added more slowly up to 12 now. Around week 6-7 they all started to come out and act normal. My wife thought they were afraid of her lol - every time she went 10 feet near them they would bolt.

Now whenever anyone goes near the tank they all come out thinking they will be fed. In my opinion they take some time to get used to there surroundings and start to come out more. Hope this helps

 

[fanofbigblue]

Thanks for the reply. 6-7 weeks sounds like an awfully long time, but maybe I'm just impatient. I've been keeping fish on and off for decades and just never had this happen. I've read of dwarf cichlids being this shy, but not these particular fish. Knowing how impatient I am I think I will wind up trying the "dither fish method" if there's not a marked improvement in another day or two. Thanks again!

 

[blue2fyre]

It's only been 2 days. I would give them more time.

How big are they? Juveniles tend to be more skittish from what I have seen. You could try stocking more fish as well to help them feel more comfortable. I'm not sure of stocking rules for those types of fish.

 

[Lab_Rat]

Give them time to adjust and plenty of hiding spots so they feel comfortable. Are these the only fish in your tank? Right now I've got 18 zebra obliquidens in my tank. They were shy at first but now they're little piggies. My calvus hid for almost 3 weeks before getting brave enough to venture out.

 

[thorpbrian]

My blood parrots and severum would hide for weeks after I bought them. Now they come out say "Hi" every time I go to the tank. Just be patient and give them time to adjust before you do anything to the tank.

 

[fanofbigblue]

Thanks for the responses. I put 5 Zebra Danios in my tank to help out and the cichlids promptly ate two of them, so I guess they'll come out for feeder fish! BTW, they're not very young; they're about 2.5 inches long already. I'll follow everyone's advice and just try to wait them out. Thanks again!