Shy Cichlids ???

Two weeks ago I purchased a male and female "Powder Blue - Mbuna Lake
Malawi" cichlids. The first day I put them in their new home, with a
unknown snail species and a Otto, they swam around and enjoyed chasing each
other. They seemed very happy.

But now they seem to hide most of the day, by hiding in some depressions in
the substrate or hiding in a shale cave I created for them, or in the plant
cover. Sometimes they MIGHT come out for feeding when I release some Brine
Shrimp or Blood Worms, but return quickly. Also in the late evening they
will come out, but as soon as they see any movement in the room that they
are in, they dart away again. At night I know they are active because they
have been burrowing under the cave walls or pulling up the smaller plants in
the tank. The water parameters test fine. I had took the time to set a
tank up just for them now I never seem them. Is their anyway to help them
get over their shyness without overfeeding them, and so I can see them
during the day? Should I remove the cave?


This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

I don't know the size of the tank but you need to add dither fish so thay
feel comfortable
"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
Two weeks ago I purchased a male and female "Powder Blue - Mbuna Lake
Malawi" cichlids. The first day I put them in their new home, with a
unknown snail species and a Otto, they swam around and enjoyed chasing
each
other. They seemed very happy.

But now they seem to hide most of the day, by hiding in some depressions
in
the substrate or hiding in a shale cave I created for them, or in the
plant
cover. Sometimes they MIGHT come out for feeding when I release some
Brine
Shrimp or Blood Worms, but return quickly. Also in the late evening they
will come out, but as soon as they see any movement in the room that they
are in, they dart away again. At night I know they are active because they
have been burrowing under the cave walls or pulling up the smaller plants
in
the tank. The water parameters test fine. I had took the time to set a
tank up just for them now I never seem them. Is their anyway to help them
get over their shyness without overfeeding them, and so I can see them
during the day? Should I remove the cave?


This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
snip. Is their anyway to help them
get over their shyness without overfeeding them, and so I can see them
during the day? Should I remove the cave?


Give them some time to adjust to their new surroundings. Feed them less.
When they get hungry enough, they'll come out more readily for feeding.
They'll associate you with food and they'll be out all the time.
Stop feeding blood worms and brine shrimp. This is a good way to kill your
Mbuna. They mostly eat algae in the Lake and feeding meaty things like blood
worms is a good way to cause digestive tract infections and blockages. Stick
with spirulina for now. Spectrum New Life cichlid pellets are good also.
Give it time, they'll be out.
Tim
www.fishaholics.org

Samuel Warren wrote:
Two weeks ago I purchased a male and female "Powder Blue - Mbuna Lake
Malawi" cichlids. The first day I put them in their new home, with a
unknown snail species and a Otto, they swam around and enjoyed chasing each
other. They seemed very happy.
How large is the tank?

But now they seem to hide most of the day, by hiding in some depressions in
the substrate or hiding in a shale cave I created for them, or in the plant
cover. Sometimes they MIGHT come out for feeding when I release some Brine
Shrimp or Blood Worms, but return quickly. Also in the late evening they
will come out, but as soon as they see any movement in the room that they
are in, they dart away again. At night I know they are active because they
have been burrowing under the cave walls or pulling up the smaller plants in
the tank. The water parameters test fine. I had took the time to set a
tank up just for them now I never seem them. Is their anyway to help them
get over their shyness without overfeeding them, and so I can see them
during the day? Should I remove the cave?

No, they'd quite likely become more shy if you do.


In general, I've heard people suggest dither fish, it's not much in use
in the social circles I've met aquarists in as of yet (that keep mbuna).
Instead they crowd the tank, 20'ish fish in 200L isn't all that
uncommon, and another added benefit is lessened aggression towards other
fish.

hth

I have some Zebra Danios in another tank, would it be ok to put them in my
cichlids. I was thinking about moving 6 or so over to the cichlid tank, as
the "dither" fish. Or can someone recommend another "dither" fish species?

This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
Two weeks ago I purchased a male and female "Powder Blue - Mbuna Lake
Malawi" cichlids. The first day I put them in their new home, with a
unknown snail species and a Otto, they swam around and enjoyed chasing
each
other. They seemed very happy.

But now they seem to hide most of the day, by hiding in some depressions
in
the substrate or hiding in a shale cave I created for them, or in the
plant
cover. Sometimes they MIGHT come out for feeding when I release some
Brine
Shrimp or Blood Worms, but return quickly. Also in the late evening they
will come out, but as soon as they see any movement in the room that they
are in, they dart away again. At night I know they are active because they
have been burrowing under the cave walls or pulling up the smaller plants
in
the tank. The water parameters test fine. I had took the time to set a
tank up just for them now I never seem them. Is their anyway to help them
get over their shyness without overfeeding them, and so I can see them
during the day? Should I remove the cave?


This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

Danios are good. I have about a dozen rosie barbs. They're a little riskier
because of their small size. Sometimes the smaller, and the less red
colored ones, get picked off by my N. venustus. I like the addition of the
red in my tank. Wide assortments of tetras are used, but they don't always
like the water conditions that cichlids do.



--
"The task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what
no body yet has thought about that which everyone sees."

Schopenhaeur (1788 - 1860).


"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
I have some Zebra Danios in another tank, would it be ok to put them in my
cichlids. I was thinking about moving 6 or so over to the cichlid tank,
as
the "dither" fish. Or can someone recommend another "dither" fish
species?

This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
Two weeks ago I purchased a male and female "Powder Blue - Mbuna Lake
Malawi" cichlids. The first day I put them in their new home, with a
unknown snail species and a Otto, they swam around and enjoyed chasing
each
other. They seemed very happy.

But now they seem to hide most of the day, by hiding in some depressions
in
the substrate or hiding in a shale cave I created for them, or in the
plant
cover. Sometimes they MIGHT come out for feeding when I release some
Brine
Shrimp or Blood Worms, but return quickly. Also in the late evening they
will come out, but as soon as they see any movement in the room that they
are in, they dart away again. At night I know they are active because
they
have been burrowing under the cave walls or pulling up the smaller plants
in
the tank. The water parameters test fine. I had took the time to set a
tank up just for them now I never seem them. Is their anyway to help
them
get over their shyness without overfeeding them, and so I can see them
during the day? Should I remove the cave?


This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

Okay, I added 6 Black Neon Tetras and sure enough the cichlids came out from
hiding. So the dither fish idea worked.

I also started to feed the cichlids some Tetra-Min "Crisps", they seem to
enjoy that very much. I have krill, dry blood worms, algae tablets, flake
food, frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp and some frozen Veggies from
feeding my community tank, so I think I should be able to vary their diet.
The cichlids are still too small to consume the Tetras, but if they should
ever do that is the way of nature.


This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
Two weeks ago I purchased a male and female "Powder Blue - Mbuna Lake
Malawi" cichlids. The first day I put them in their new home, with a
unknown snail species and a Otto, they swam around and enjoyed chasing
each
other. They seemed very happy.

But now they seem to hide most of the day, by hiding in some depressions
in
the substrate or hiding in a shale cave I created for them, or in the
plant
cover. Sometimes they MIGHT come out for feeding when I release some
Brine
Shrimp or Blood Worms, but return quickly. Also in the late evening they
will come out, but as soon as they see any movement in the room that they
are in, they dart away again. At night I know they are active because they
have been burrowing under the cave walls or pulling up the smaller plants
in
the tank. The water parameters test fine. I had took the time to set a
tank up just for them now I never seem them. Is their anyway to help them
get over their shyness without overfeeding them, and so I can see them
during the day? Should I remove the cave?


This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

Samuel Warren wrote:
Okay, I added 6 Black Neon Tetras and sure enough the cichlids came out from
hiding. So the dither fish idea worked.

I also started to feed the cichlids some Tetra-Min "Crisps", they seem to
enjoy that very much. I have krill, dry blood worms, algae tablets, flake
food, frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp and some frozen Veggies from
feeding my community tank, so I think I should be able to vary their diet.
The cichlids are still too small to consume the Tetras, but if they should
ever do that is the way of nature.


I wanted to reinforce what Tim said since you've posted about feding
high-protein foods again. Mbuna are herbivores and get bloated and die
if fed high protein foods. Don't feed krill, bloodworms or brine
shrimp. Even the Tetra-Min crisps aren't intended for these fish. To
keep them healthy, feed algae-based foods or specialty foods made for
specifically for mbuna.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__

"Elaine T" wrote in message
m...
Samuel Warren wrote:
Okay, I added 6 Black Neon Tetras and sure enough the cichlids came out
from
hiding. So the dither fish idea worked.

I also started to feed the cichlids some Tetra-Min "Crisps", they seem
to
enjoy that very much. I have krill, dry blood worms, algae tablets,
flake
food, frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp and some frozen Veggies
from
feeding my community tank, so I think I should be able to vary their
diet.
The cichlids are still too small to consume the Tetras, but if they
should
ever do that is the way of nature.


I wanted to reinforce what Tim said since you've posted about feding
high-protein foods again. Mbuna are herbivores and get bloated and die
if fed high protein foods. Don't feed krill, bloodworms or brine
shrimp. Even the Tetra-Min crisps aren't intended for these fish. To
keep them healthy, feed algae-based foods or specialty foods made for
specifically for mbuna.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__

Just bought my first Mbuna's (Yellow Labs) for my new tank yesterday and LFS
suggested Spirulina Cichlid Sticks, Daphinia, krill, brine shrimp and
cucumber which kind of ties in with the research that I did. He told me to
totally avoid any bloodworms etc.

Now confused......

Gill Passman wrote:
"Elaine T" wrote in message
m...

Samuel Warren wrote:

Okay, I added 6 Black Neon Tetras and sure enough the cichlids came out

from

hiding. So the dither fish idea worked.

I also started to feed the cichlids some Tetra-Min "Crisps", they seem

to

enjoy that very much. I have krill, dry blood worms, algae tablets,

flake

food, frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp and some frozen Veggies

from

feeding my community tank, so I think I should be able to vary their

diet.

The cichlids are still too small to consume the Tetras, but if they

should

ever do that is the way of nature.



I wanted to reinforce what Tim said since you've posted about feding
high-protein foods again. Mbuna are herbivores and get bloated and die
if fed high protein foods. Don't feed krill, bloodworms or brine
shrimp. Even the Tetra-Min crisps aren't intended for these fish. To
keep them healthy, feed algae-based foods or specialty foods made for
specifically for mbuna.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__


Just bought my first Mbuna's (Yellow Labs) for my new tank yesterday and LFS
suggested Spirulina Cichlid Sticks, Daphinia, krill, brine shrimp and
cucumber which kind of ties in with the research that I did. He told me to
totally avoid any bloodworms etc.

Now confused......


Yellow labs IF you're talking about Labidochromis caeruleus are a little
different from rock dwelling mbuna. They're omnivorous open-water fish
from Lake Malawi with a more flexible diet and les susceptibility to
Malawi bloat. There was another thread on labs here a while back, and
if kept alone, they do best on a pretty even mix of spirulina and
protein foods. Your Powder blue mbuna (Pseudotropheus socolofi?) are
the ones I talking about being herbivorous and susceptible to bloat.

For this mix of fish, my understanding is that you will still need to
feed mostly algae based and vegetable foods. Maybe someone who's kept
this combination of fish can suggest how often to offer the higher
protein foods because I've only kept tanks with the strongly herbivorous
mbuna and never fed anything like krill. My best guess would be only a
couple times a week.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__