Shy Fish

[aqua monster]

Hi people i have had my cichlids in the tank for around 2 weeks now.....they were all fine and everything was good but the last 2 days they have all gone shy and when ever i go near the tank they all dart off and hide...when i lift the lid up to feed they all hide as well as befor they would almost jump out the water...

Any reason why they have started to do this..?

 

[mark4785]

What sort of cichlids do you have? Generally, if they become less active and non-interested in food after they have been desensitised to a new environment then I would be eagar to check for any rapid changes in your water parameters. Check to make sure your nitrate and PH level are within range for the species and obviously check for ammonia and nitrite.

Some say that cichlids can be very territorial so it's associated stress could have made them lethargic possibly.

edit: Also, how often do you feed them and what is the name of the food?

 

[aqua monster]

Hongi red tops...yellow labs and few others....levels are all good the only thing i have done is been leaving the light off for a few days to controll green growth....

spirulina flaks and hikari gold

Flaks 3 times a day but only small amounts and 1 or 2 days of hikari gold... when food is put into tank they all come flying out and its gone in 20 seconds flat..they almost come out water they shoot up that fast to eat it...

Temp of tank is 25.6

 

[mark4785]

The temperature seems to be very precise and correct, so no problems there.

Your Yellow Lab has a prefered PH of 7.6 - 8.6 and it prefers very hard water. The Hongi Red Top likes a very similar PH range and again likes very hard water. It might be worth checking your PH and GH to ensure they match the details I've given. You've got the temperature spot on so presumably you've achieved the same with your water parameters to best suit the fish.

One issue may be relate to aquarium capacity. The Hongi Red Top needs 30 gallons/113 litres of water while the Yellow Lab needs a minimum of 55 gallons/200 litres. They are larger fish so they will produce a lot of waste and the Hongi Red Top is more aggressive than the other when it comes to acquiring sufficient territory, which again, requires a large tank.

What is the capacity of your aquarium?

 

[aqua monster]

hi mark tank is 450 litres.

hongi red top is holding babies this would not affect them tho would it..?