Datnoid Stability

[invader]

I have been wondering about the stability of datnoids. As many of you all know, some are just not stable and some are the complete opposite. Now, can stability change over time? When I first bought my datnoid, it was one of the most bold fish in the tank I grew it out with. The tankmates were large community type fish, so I am assuming the reason why it felt ok, was that it was the king of the tank. Once putting it in my 125 gallon, it became less and less bold and spends most of it's time under a piece of wood, unless it is getting hungry. It will stay out in the open when hungry, but will dart back under the wood if someone other than me comes into the room.

I've heard that when dats are given places to hide, they will constantly hide. I've been planning on taking out the wood in my tank and keeping it completely open... will that make the dat more stable or will it just hide in the corner all the time now?

Thank you for your help!

 

[CFC]

My big microlepis didnt fully stabilise for the first 5 years and even now at a chunky 12" will go dark if i spend too much time poking around in the tank, as for hiding mine will try and squeeze behind anything to hide when people are about.

 

[shroob]

I have a dat (for about 4 or so weeks now), it hasn't fully stabalized yet but I think its getting better. It becomes active in the evening, probably because thats when it gets fed and is stable then, showing vivid bars. However most of the time it hides under the bogwood or in the plants and isn't stable.

I don't think that mine is timid, it lets me hand feed it but I do wish it would spend more time out in the open.

 

[invader]

Thanks for the replies. Do you think I should take the wood out? There isn't anything to hide behind, because there are no filter pipes or heaters in the tank (drilled overflow) that hang down. I'm worried that I'm reversing the bold personality of my datnoid.

 

[shroob]

I don't like bare tanks personally so I would keep it in, but there are others who don't have any decoration in so I think its a matter of tase, however I do think fish would benefit from atleast some structure in the tank.

 

[invader]

I don't have a problem with a bare tank, but my catfish will! There will probably be a small pile for the cats, but there won't be the huge piece in there anymore... Here's an old pic to show what I'm talking about:

The piece I am talking about it the huge tall one... the tank looks nothing like this anymore, but the pieces of wood are still the same ones.

I would also like to hear other people's opinions on this. I am really curious about it.

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

I have two silver tigers which i got from Mark awhile ago....

one seems to be out most of the time while the other seems to hide behind the fluval 4's

it does come out occasionally but only when the food is around and the tank is no completely bare execept the internals and a few tubes and pipes for air stone and filters as the bogwood was staining m water which i didn'e like

 

[§tudz]

Dont take the wood out, giving fish the option to hide if they wish, will make them more relaxed. Dats can be very funny when in bare tanks.
I have read from another Dat keeper on the forum, that if there are no hiding places they will lie flat on their sides on the bottom of the tank.

I have a 5" dat in my 120gal which has loadsa places to hide and her is out and about and stable, where as I had 7 young (now down to 4 [two reserved]) in a small tank and they hide all the time, unless they are hungry then they come and stare at me.

You didnt say how big your Dat is, but they are VERY shy and skitish when young, and tend to get braver when older. Datnioides microlepis is a hard fish to stablise (or so Im told)
Just give him time and let him come out in his own time, forcing fish into view isnt a great idea and possibly not healthy for the fish involved.

 

[invader]

I had another thread on this issue and I did eventually take the wood out a couple of weeks ago. The datnoid is now all over the place, stable as can be. He's about 7".

The thing is, he was stable before I put him in with the big wood and the hiding places made him less stable.

Thanks for the info, though.

PS: There are new pictures of him in my profile. You can see how stable he has become.