Shy Red Shoulder Severums

[Joseph Tighe]

HI, I have two young Red shoulder severums in my tank around 1-1.5 inches. They are in a 4 ft tank with some smaller south american tetras and are very shy. Why is this? They come out to feed and then go and hide again?

I want them to be right as they will be having some geophagus tank mates which are 2 inches in size or will be when they go in the tank. Therefore want to make sure they are ok.

Can you help me? Really struggling to find out why.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

How long have you had the severums for?
If you have only had them for a few days they are still getting use to their tank and might need a bit more time to feel brave enough to come out.

How long has the tank been set up for?
Poor water quality or water with the wrong pH or GH can stress them and cause them to hide.
Have you checked the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH of the water? If yes, what were the results in numbers?

Lack of plants, wood, rock or ornaments can make them feel insecure.
No picture on the back of the tank can cause them to be shy.
Having the tank in a dark quiet room where nobody goes will cause fish to become shy and retiring.
If you can you post a picture of the tank, we might be able to offer ideas to help reduce the stress.

How long have you had the severums?
What other fish are in the tank and how long have you had them for?

 

[Joseph Tighe]

I will put a picture up later, there if plenty of plants and wood for them to hide in and the tank does have black background. There is always activity going on, but they will scatter away.

The tank has been set up for a few months now.

 

[Colin_T]

If the fish are hiding as soon as you approach, and the water is good, then the tank is probably in a bad spot where not many people move around. If this is the case and the tank is in a bedroom or quiet room in the house, you can have a small television on near the tank and the flashing light and movement on tv can help the fish get use to things around them.

You can also hang a mobile in the room near the tank and that can help.

You can tie some bits of ribbon (about 12 inches long) onto the front of a fan and turn the fan on. The ribbon waves about and help. If you have the fan on oscillate (move from left to right and back again), the ribbon works even better. And you can add a timer so the fan comes on randomly throughout the day.