new fish...

Nigma

Nigma

Member
so in my new tank, i got nothing but shrimp snails, and hermits.
added my 1st fish, a purple firefish

of course the lil guy is hiding in a cave for an entire day now... i can c him in the cave.. so preaty sure he is not dead... but he isn't coming out when i feed the tank/inverts, i know its some what common for new fish to hide in caves for a lil while...
but how long should i wait before i should be worried? or start target feeding him?

been watching that fish at my LFS for the past 2 weeks, he seems healthy, and he eats well, when he was there.
 
seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
Try to spot feed him and give it a couple more days. Firefish are shy. He's probably just getting used to his new home. He might be scared, because there are no other fish in the tank. A lot of timid fish need a bolder, but peaceful fish that out, about, and eating to feel comfortable.
 
B

bluecoyote79

New Member
Nigma said:
so in my new tank, i got nothing but shrimp snails, and hermits.
added my 1st fish, a purple firefish

of course the lil guy is hiding in a cave for an entire day now... i can c him in the cave.. so preaty sure he is not dead... but he isn't coming out when i feed the tank/inverts, i know its some what common for new fish to hide in caves for a lil while...
but how long should i wait before i should be worried? or start target feeding him?

been watching that fish at my LFS for the past 2 weeks, he seems healthy, and he eats well, when he was there.
Click to expand...

Mine hides until I put in frozen brine shrimp and then it will come out, otherwise it just stays inside the cave. Overall they're a very pretty although boring fish. I'd be curious to see if others have had the same experience.
 
M

mattdean

Member
My purple firefish stays out ALL the time. Hangs out in front. I agree, they are a bit boring, but nice contrast to other fish. it eats everything but it is a bit skittish.

Just let it be and it should come out eventually.
 
Nigma

Nigma

Member
yeah, he came out today for a couple of seconds, and dove back to his cave.... oddly enough he was waving his fins like a mandarin would or a butter fly... is that common? was he doing that to scare off other fish? (even though there aren't any....)
 
molsen187

molsen187

Member
i would think once he has been in the tank for a couple of days that he will be out more often than not. it took a wrasse i had a week to start showing his face but then he was out all the time.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
They are naturally a timid breed of fish. Some stay that way and inversely some never show that tendency. Go figure!

One thing you need to consider is they are NOTORIOUS jumpers. The least little thing can spook them and often times the result is "Carpet Surfing" and few are good at it :stars: . Here is a great idea to make your tank almost (key word being ALMOST) >>>>> Click Me to read about Jump Proof<<<<<<. I've added this to my 90g and it works GREAT! I've actually seen one fish utilize it (although it was NOT expecting it to be there).
 
Nigma

Nigma

Member
indeed, i will give him a couple more days, the max has a solid top, so i am safe there, its good to know that they are jumpers!
i keep the tank closed at all times except for when i am feeding/cleaning.

now to get this guy some food.... should i add some garlic extract to entice him out to feed? i have been using a turkey baster, but i can't really c him eating in side that tiny cave...

can i use any type of garlic extract that i can get at the supermarket?


thanks guys
 
1

1Reefer

Active Member
I would just hang tight and ledt him settle in. As molson said some fish take a little bit to adjust. I also had a wrasse which I thought jumped out and eaten by a cat or maybe a crab ate him I thought but two days later there he was and sure enough now he's out all day beggin me for food lol. Good luck and keep us updated. Reefer1
 
lonewolf1911

lonewolf1911

Member
I have a standard firefish and he hid for 4-5 months now he comes out on a regular basis but if something spooks him he is gone for a few hours to all day. Hopefully he will come around for ya
 
Nigma

Nigma

Member
indeed, he was out and about for a couple of hours today... and i had the chance to feed him in the open, so at least i saw him eat!
he does get spooked easyly and disappears for an hour or so...

most of the time he is out, he attacks the side of the tank... i guess his reflection is bothering him? should i put something up on the side wall to not stress him out... from his own reflection?
 
Nigma

Nigma

Member
got ya, he stays out for hours now,

i don't think he understand that i am the food giver.... cause my clown (in the other tank) always runs to the top of the tank when i just look at the tank... same way with my shrimp... but not the fire fish are they too dumb to know?
 
cindyp

cindyp

Active Member
no their not dumb I have 3 in one of my tanks and in the beginning they would hide everytime anyone would walk by the tank. it took about 3 weeks for them to settle into their new home and now they see me coming and they beg for food just like all the other fish:) its a 29 gallon with 3 firefish, 1 mandarin and a small cuc and frags. I know these fish do like to have company of their own kind thou:)
 
1

11tmiller

New Member
Firefish can be extremely shy sometimes.. i wouldnt worry unless he hides longer than 2 days but I would also try to target feed him. Mysis should excite him ;D

hope this helps
 
CB Waters

CB Waters

New Member
Not to highjack but has anyone ever had their Fire fish jump out of the tank? Im trying to keep my temp down and going to take off the glass tops. It hasn't really gone by the top of the tank and I had it for about two months, I'm going to get some eggcrate material in replacement of the glass tops. But until then I think the tops need to stay off.
 
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