i have a 55g with three rbp's. i would like to hear some of everyones ideas on how to get them to come out of hiding. they only come out when all of my lights are off and i can barely see them eat or swim around. all three of them hide in this fake tree stump all day. would it be a good idea to take it out for a couple weeks or what should i do.thanks for all your help
skeerty cat
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hey whats up chopper,i would take the tree stump out until they get use to not hiding.thats what i would do.im lucky i guess,i have 5 rbp and there not shy,esp. around feeding time they swim right up to the top of the tank. good luck with your fish!
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chances are they are young. Once the get to about 6" they start to mature mentally and begin to act "bold" the skittishness will go away some with time, the more time you spend in their view will help as well, low lighting in the tank helps too
red devils red's idea is a good one. My reds are very bold and they have no place to hide themselves from me (just two sword plants). I guess it helps that mine were in a pet store tank with no decorations and people having there faces pasted to the glass for 3 months before I got them. Nate's advice is great as well, when they get bigger they will get bolder. I have heard that some reds are always skittish though.
Joe
Joe
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I agree with the statements made. I use to have way too much driftwood in my tank and they would hide all the time. I removed most of the driftwood and they have become a little more active. Still have the problem that they like to go crazy sometimes when you approach the tank. Thanks for heater guards
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The less you have in your tank and having them more visible, the older and more mature they get, turning up the heat, and having more activities around the front of the tank would help them get used to you and less skittsh in time.
I have plenty of cover in my tank, and yet my reds are not skittish at all!
IMHO, the key is to have them get used to people around: place the tank in a high traffic area, and spend lots of time in front of your tank. Piranha's are very curious and inquisitive, and sooner or later they want to check you out from a closer range. You can also raise to water temp (about 82 degrees) to make them a bit more active and agressive, dimm the tank lights (p's don't like bright light, and actually, it's not very good to them either). I also heard that feeding p's live foods makes them bolder, but I cannot substantiate that... And the more p's there are in the shoal, the more secure they'll feel and the less skittish they will be.
I'm not saying that removing all tank decor will not help, but to me it's more like forcing them to become less shy, instead of letting them get used to their surroundings and humans at their own pace (with a minimum of stress). If they have enough places to hide, they will feel more comfortable, and will eventually show up and swim around freely more and more. The presence of hiding places gives them the opportunity to hide when they feel it's necessary (and a sense of security), and eventually they'll hide less and less.
IMHO, the key is to have them get used to people around: place the tank in a high traffic area, and spend lots of time in front of your tank. Piranha's are very curious and inquisitive, and sooner or later they want to check you out from a closer range. You can also raise to water temp (about 82 degrees) to make them a bit more active and agressive, dimm the tank lights (p's don't like bright light, and actually, it's not very good to them either). I also heard that feeding p's live foods makes them bolder, but I cannot substantiate that... And the more p's there are in the shoal, the more secure they'll feel and the less skittish they will be.
I'm not saying that removing all tank decor will not help, but to me it's more like forcing them to become less shy, instead of letting them get used to their surroundings and humans at their own pace (with a minimum of stress). If they have enough places to hide, they will feel more comfortable, and will eventually show up and swim around freely more and more. The presence of hiding places gives them the opportunity to hide when they feel it's necessary (and a sense of security), and eventually they'll hide less and less.
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judazzz is definately correct on this one ,lower light and spending more time around a tank gets them used to you ,also dont take out all the hiding places as they will need to feel safe and having no place to hide will stress them out,thier is no quick fix to this problem you will have to give it time they will have to feel secure in your presence before the loose the skittishness.
my p's always stay calm and never dart when i go near to the tank which i do slowly ,when my g/f goes towards the tank they go nuts so it is what they get used to well for my p's anyway.
at the moment my new piraya is hiding as he has only been in his new enviroment for a couple of days but i did make new hiding spots for him as i expected this when i re arranged my tank to add him but i am practising what i preach and he will be ok soon
my p's always stay calm and never dart when i go near to the tank which i do slowly ,when my g/f goes towards the tank they go nuts so it is what they get used to well for my p's anyway.
at the moment my new piraya is hiding as he has only been in his new enviroment for a couple of days but i did make new hiding spots for him as i expected this when i re arranged my tank to add him but i am practising what i preach and he will be ok soon
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