My jewels are scared

[Elisabeth83]

I posted this in another section but no ones in there and I kind of need an answer soon as I'm planning a trip to my lfs.

Anyways my jewel cichlids are scared and have been hiding out together a lot. I'm wondering if I can add some dither fish to ease them. Maybe some tetras?? I know your really not supposed to add fish like that with them but maybe I can at least while the jewels are small??

I also read it's good to maybe get a "target fish" so the male jewel doesnt focus on the female and harass her too much. What exactly is a target fish?? My jewels are in a 30 gallon so I dont think I can fit much else than say small tetras or something like that.

 

[cometcattle]

I'm pretty sure "target" fish is just another term for "dither" fish.

I've never owned Jewels, so I don't know if you could add dithers or not. If you do, get something fast, like zebra danios.

If you just got the Jewels, it could take a few days for them to settle in.

 

[trimacdevilconvict]

dependant on tank size i have had jewels with t-barbs tinfiol barbs(not for you too large) gouramis. ect 30 gall tank 120ltr 3ft 2 jewels 6 tigerbarbs/t barbs maybee ??

 

[Elisabeth83]

I went to my lfs and talked with the guy I got them from and he said to just give them a couple weeks to settle in. I've only had them about 5-6 days. He said anything small like tetras will just become lunch. He said I could put in some giant dannos or tiger barbs but since they grow so big it wouldnt work in the long run. He also said target fish would be like a single convict or something which makes the male jewel focus on it. But that the target fish usually ends up stressed and dead

I think I've just got to be quiet when I am around their tank. Seems if I walk too fast or accidently make any noise near the tank they freak out and hide for quite awhile. Usually if I go up to the tank and sit still they swim about and dont care if I am there.

I bought some clay pots and just put them in the tank I'm sure that will make them feel a bit more comfortable.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Adding more planting will help alot, also leaving the tank light off for much longer periods of time will also help them lower stress levels, but adding new fish won't realy help their problem of settling in as fish need to create social pecking orders between them adding new fish before they have even settled in will just upset them more.

 

[Elisabeth83]

Adding more planting will help alot, also leaving the tank light off for much longer periods of time will also help them lower stress levels, but adding new fish won't realy help their problem of settling in as fish need to create social pecking orders between them adding new fish before they have even settled in will just upset them more.

Yeah I've had the light off for most of the the day today. Well I read that dither fish (tetras,barbs,rasboras etc) are like patrol/alert fish and when the more scared fish see them swimming about then they think to themselves hey theres no danger I can swim around too.

But I'm thinking and hoping that my jewels are just scared because they are new and that if I added any other fish they might help but would most likely become lunch. Fish arn't cheap here either so theres no point in risking it and I wouldnt want to buy a fish with a chance that it'll end up being attacked and eaten

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I would just leave the fish as they are for another 2weeks and see how they do, some fish just aern't very tame and need time to adjust to their surroundings and people, im not sure on how many jewels are caught from the wild but i've noticed many wild caught fish take much longer to settle into new tanks.
I know my first and largest common plec came from the wild and i didn't actually see him for the first month or 2 of having him as all he did was hide in his cave and has taken a long time to trust me and certainly doesn't trust visitors that come to my place...My other common plec though who was captivity bred was out and about in the tank from day one and has always been very tame...