WHY DO MY FISH HIDE WHEN I GO UP TO THE TANK

[tommysdiscus]

ANY TIME I GO OVER TO THE TANK THE FISH ALL GO HIDE THEY HAVE ALWAYS DONE THIS I THOUGHT THEY WOULD STOP AT SOME POINT BUT THEY STILL DO IT AND I HAVE HAD THEM 3 MONTHS NOW THEY LOOK GOOD AND 2 OF THEM TRY LIKE CRAZY TO KEEP THE OTHERS FROM EATING BUT I HAVE THE FOOD SPLIT INTO 3 DIFERANT SPOTS AND THIS HELPS SOME WHAT DO YOU THINK

[Anonapersona]

I think they hide because they can. Unless you have more fish than you have hiding places it would be normal for them to try to hide at first.

Do you walk up very quickly, or appear suddenly from around a corner? Is the room generally quiet? Then your sudden appearance is startling. Maybe you need a busier room to get them trained to not get nervous. Fast moving things might be predators.

Do you ever just sit and look at them? They ought to come out to investigate pretty quickly, especially if you are the one that feeds them.

I feed my discus a small amount of pellets (New Life Spectrum Growth) almost every time I stop at the tank. This teaches them that the first one to greet me gets the most food, for there isn't a lot everytime.

[Cosmo]

Beautiful pic Tommy :)

[JimmyL]

Why?
1. Why don't they hide? You provide a place for them to hide. It's natural.
Solution: Remove all hiding places until they come to glass. Then add one piece at a time until fully decorated.

2. Disagreeable water parameters.
Solution: Check Ammonia and Nitrite level and adjust accordingly.

3. Temp. Too cold.
Solution: Raise temp to 90 until they are begging for food. Then lower it slowly to 84.

4. Upset stomach.
Solution: Check clarity of eye color. Dark or unclear means impending worm problems. Deworm.

5. Sudden change of brightness.
Solution: Keep light on 24 hrs. a day until begging for food.HTH
Jimmy.

[Carol_Roberts]

Feed them a little everytime you walk in the room. Mine love it when I hold a cube of bloodworms underwater. As it thaws they will eat from my hand.