Giving wilds a hiding place, makes them want to hide ?

[damian_ireland]

I have over the last few months added some nice wood roots to my tank but it the process i believe that they now are more nervous ; as in , when someone walks past the tank the will head for the wood. Has anyone else experienced this ? It is probably perfectly normal behaviour

[Discus-n00b]

I am a pretty firm believer in this. I try to limit it in my tanks.

[gabloo]

I had pretty big driftwood in my tank for last couple months(3 - 4 months), they always love to hang out around that driftwood and hide. They will never come out unless i feed them. My intention was giving them hiding spot in case they fight with one another. Turned out they love that spot and hide all the time. So, i took out that big piece and put some branches in it which turned out they no longer hide anymore. I can really enjoy them now ;). So, if you give them hiding spot, they will hide.

[3dees]

70951I have loads of wood including two stumps. my wilds will very rarely stay behind them for long. they use the whole tank and are almost always out in front. my tank is also next to a staircase that I walk by and then there's my lab who is always playing in front of the tank. nothing seems to bother the fish.

[DiscusOnly]

I originally had wild in my tank with wood and a black background, I find that they like to hide back there. I've stopped using wood in my tank and went with vals. I know vals are supposed to be background plants as they do get tall but I decided to let mine run across the front of the tank. I like this look better cause it looks more natural to me. I don't like the "staged" look of a tank when things are nicely placed. My tank are by no mean a display piece in the living room. It's sitting on an unfinished wood stand in a basement so it's more about the fish being happy then looking good.

Just my .02

Van

[damba]

3dees that is probably the best discus tank i have seen outside Blehers aquascaped huge discus tanks. Absolutely gorgeous fish and layout. Well done.

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[damian_ireland]

70951I have loads of wood including two stumps. my wilds will very rarely stay behind them for long. they use the whole tank and are almost always out in front. my tank is also next to a staircase that I walk by and then there's my lab who is always playing in front of the tank. nothing seems to bother the fish.
Interesting.

[Second Hand Pat]

I have to admit mine do not hide either, they tend to be either begging or hunting.

[Jennie]

mine neither Pat.. they prefer open space

[Darrell Ward]

I agree, they should not be hiding all the time. I would be looking for problems.

[chiligum]

I just have roots on the floor (really for the Brochis and Bristlenose more than the Discus)...If the Discus are comfortable in their surroundings they should show no signs of hiding and are 99% of the time up and down the front of the glass wanting to be fed!

[YSS]

My wilds don't hide either and I have a few places for them to hide. When a fish hide, that means something is bothering the fish.

[TURQ64]

I guess I'll jump in the discussion here..I just need a little 'clarification', if you will....60+ tanks here, three aren't BB...those are wild tanks with sand and driftwood, maybe a plant or 2...I prefer heavy Malaysian wood over Manzanita.I have since I was a kid... More like a blowdown. That said, my Heckel's love it under, behind and around the chunky stuff..BUT, they never hide, they are just guarding their respective 'turf'...They swim, forage, etc..but by and large, THEY prefer to hang around under it..it's their comfort zone, and they seem comfortable....personally, I'd rather they do what they wanted, not what I would like..Then,in the end, I'm more comfortable because they are..Just my angle of enjoyment, I guess...

[damian_ireland]

very interesting comments. thanks folks. I still believe I am having some circulation issues with my sump. Hopefully will be getting an FX5 tomorrow.

[wannafish]

Hey Damian,

I feel your pain. And understand your woes. I have posted 2 or 3 times about my
Heckels. At first they woudln't swim, then they only came out for feeding, then for about
6 to 8 months they decided to hide continuously within my driftwood. I have some nice
pieces and it has made a great cave. It's like somebody said, give em' a place to hide and
they will. Well they did. I couldn't figure it out. I thought they were sick. Then I decided to
change the black background. I have a color that is close to the tannin color of their
habitat. And I'm tell'n ya within two days they all came out and started swimming and dashing
around like they were born again. For me it has been an amazing site. I can't believe the
change. So if I were you and you have a black background, get rid of it. Or change it out
for a natural color.

[YSS]

Hey Damian,

I feel your pain. And understand your woes. I have posted 2 or 3 times about my
Heckels. At first they woudln't swim, then they only came out for feeding, then for about
6 to 8 months they decided to hide continuously within my driftwood. I have some nice
pieces and it has made a great cave. It's like somebody said, give em' a place to hide and
they will. Well they did. I couldn't figure it out. I thought they were sick. Then I decided to
change the black background. I have a color that is close to the tannin color of their
habitat. And I'm tell'n ya within two days they all came out and started swimming and dashing
around like they were born again. For me it has been an amazing site. I can't believe the
change. So if I were you and you have a black background, get rid of it. Or change it out
for a natural color.

That's very interesting ....

[damian_ireland]

I have a 3d background which is as natural as possible. I think it is the flow in my water is causing the problem. I have an fx5 that I was not using which i will be putting in place over the next few days

[jimg]

I guess I'll jump in the discussion here..I just need a little 'clarification', if you will....60+ tanks here, three aren't BB...those are wild tanks with sand and driftwood, maybe a plant or 2...I prefer heavy Malaysian wood over Manzanita.I have since I was a kid... More like a blowdown. That said, my Heckel's love it under, behind and around the chunky stuff..BUT, they never hide, they are just guarding their respective 'turf'...They swim, forage, etc..but by and large, THEY prefer to hang around under it..it's their comfort zone, and they seem comfortable....personally, I'd rather they do what they wanted, not what I would like..Then,in the end, I'm more comfortable because they are..Just my angle of enjoyment, I guess...

60 tanks, malaysian wood can you take some pics? and where do you get the malaysian wood?

[jimg]

are they piped for wc's too?

[TURQ64]

Jim, the seller I buy the wood from has a corner on the market. An ebay seller goes by 'apethouse' seems to be a huge gov't backed Malaysian company..
As for the bulk of the tanks, they are all bottom drilled and used to be on an automated wc system. I have now disconbubulated everything to move into the new fishroom, but will eventually replumb them. My large display tanks, which is the focus of the new room are all done by pump, hand located, at present..I'll have to run like this until next summer when I can go back to earthwork, and install a grey water system holding tank/leach field.

I posted this on the new fishroom build thread..

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/fishroom/DSC_0078-1.jpg

[damian_ireland]

nice size tank. My fishes are doing alot better . I initially had wood just at one end of the tank and I dont think that was a great idea. I have added wood at the other end and also an FX5 and the movement in the water is far better now. I will leave it alone now for a few days

[jimg]

I thought that's what the wood was. I have some of that, the ones I have they used to scrtew a pice of slate to the bottom to keep it in place.
Must be a project keeping up with 60+ tanks.... I had a "job" keeping 14 in shape!

[TURQ64]

That tank is changing daily..I relocated and replumbed the sump, and soon an FX5 will make the move..I have over 30 tanks idle due to no fry or plants...I bumped quite a few more off the active list with the addition of several larger tanks...Interestingly, the Greens and Blues are already giiving the two largest Heckel's a wide berth, and there has been hardly any feuding over new territory..

[TURQ64]

I was carrying a rack into the room when I saw how active these guys were at the time..exploring the new digs..Really a ton of glare, beware..


http://youtu.be/CNaHxyNffNs

[Darrell Ward]

Sunny day on the "frozen tundra" I see! LOL! Wilds do love their space.

[TURQ64]

yeah!,..Beats last winter's way below the '0' temps...I like how the sun 'X-ray's' the fish in the center..see thru Heckel's...

[chiligum]

I'd love to see a re-make when it's all dark apart from a bit of overhead lighting, how many gallons, it looks massive?!

[Second Hand Pat]

They are liking that natural light. Heckels have already settled and bossing everyone about it appears.

[Second Hand Pat]

I'd love to see a re-make when it's all dark apart from a bit of overhead lighting, how many gallons, it looks massive?!

Chiligum, that baby is 300 gallons.

[chiligum]

300 Gallons?...Sick with jealousy:mad:...In a good way:D

[TURQ64]

More settling in in the large tank..Funny thing, I have a female red turq that's a mean machine. She was terrorizing the 180, so I tossed her in this tank..She's swam around and tagged every male fish in there..I should have taken photo notes for future reference. So if you see her in here at some time, that's whassup; incarceration...
Pre-dawn raid today...

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/Fish/DSC_0102-1.jpg

Cruising..

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/Fish/DSC_0103-1.jpg
http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/Fish/DSC_0106-1.jpg

Found something to scrounge..

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/Fish/DSC_0104-1.jpg

Parking space

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/Fish/DSC_0105.jpg
http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/Royaliste/Fish/DSC_0107-1.jpg

Is this 'hiding'?..pre-dawn, a feeding time for most species...out and about...
During mid-day, when the sun is high, they seek cover..When the shadows of the day lengthen, they come out and cruise structures foraging again....simple structure fishing principles....no hooks allowed in this room!..

[JamesP]

Gary, I bet they would give a great fight like a big Sunny just sayin:)

[TURQ64]

I bet they would, Jim..If I had another beast like this, I'd fill it with 'locals' and place them side by side!...
For the uninitiated, three days up, and the wood has already stained the water that dark. No extracts, just wood..ph has probably lowered a point or so..

[gabloo]

Gary - how do u clean up ur tank with that huge driftwood?

[damian_ireland]

i bet he doesn't , proper filtration does it for him

[TURQ64]

My routine on the Heckels (now mixed) is plenty of filtration, big wc every 3rd day. Cross thread polination-I sometimes use blackwater extracts, but at present, the wood is doing fine without help. As for the internal maintenance, I scrub heck out of the driftwood once or twice a month. I vac the sand once a week.This tank has it's own siphon hose; 3/8 hose with 18" of rigid tubing in each end. One end is bent to around 45 degrees, which allows it to get under anywhere in there..I add a 6" small gravel vac to the end, and it then vacs the sand also...These guys will nip your arm when you least expect it..startling...

[gabloo]

Thanks for info Gary. I should have asked more detail. What i do really concern is how do you keep your sand so clean? I used to have big driftwood in my tank and i have to move that driftwood everyday to siphon out poop and left over food everyday. Your sand looks crystal clean