# Fish Always Hiding In Corner Please Help!



## rcs0926 (Jun 14, 2013)

That's really odd. Do you have any fish that are bullying the others? It doesn't sound like it, but that's what often causes fish to hide out in corners.


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## Fishmommy (Feb 16, 2013)

This is a long shot, but any chance you have stray voltage?


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Hey rcs0926 

None of the fish are being bullied, its like there all sticking together, its also odd how I never see any fish swimming above the half way level of my tank, it seems like there scared, I do have a branch in my aquarium going top to bottom so maybe they feel the surface is close to shore which could mean danger... or they have some kind of disease :s

Hey Fishmommy I'm not sure how I would find out if I have a stray voltage? I know I don't get electrocuted when I put my hands in lol.


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## Fishmommy (Feb 16, 2013)

You can google it...theres a youtube video on how


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## RainSong (Jun 30, 2011)

Just a thought ... Do you have decent water movement? I briefly turned off my powerhead because my plants were bending over and the fish started to act sluggish and stayed out of sight. As soon as I turned on the powerhead they came right back out.


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Interesting read and videos, I will have to take a look into it more and most likely test my tank, looks like I'm have to buy a voltage meter.

Hey RainSong

I upgraded my filter to a fluval u3 a while back for more water movement for my plants, It gives a gentle sway to all my plants and goes around my tank in a circle motion, my filter has 3 output options so I could try a different setting and see. I don't think they need more movement as the fish use to be fine when I had my fluval u2.


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## Psycofc1 (Feb 28, 2013)

Do they happen to be crowding where your heater is? I know some fish get sluggish the colder the water is.


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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

what are your water parameters? fine can mean different things to different people. 

can you post a photo or two of the fish so we can see them? also a tank photo might help.

are they gasping, or discolored?

you said you swicthed filters, how long ago was that?


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Cheers for the replies, 

The fish are not crowding near the heater, they are crowding the opposite side of the tank, just before the filter. 

I have attached some pictures below of the corner where all the fish spend most the day, and also have done some readings this morning which are below.

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm 
Nitrate: 40-30ppm 
PH 8 

I got the filter a few months back, as I wanted to add more flow to my tank for the plants etc, I have changed the setting yesterday so the flow is coming from the top spray bar instead, and nothing has changed.

I changed to pressurized CO2 a few months back and soon later I thought my fish were gasping, but not at the surface, then after keeping a air pump running 24-7 nothing changed, I then looked on youtube at rasbora espei and it seems they are consistently opening there mouth so I guess I just never witnessed it before or became paranoid, so I gathered this is there natural behaviour although I didn't notice it before, apart from that all fish look healthy. 

Here are the pics of my tank and the "corner"





































My tank does not look very nice since I've done so many changes and a large trim etc, but I've added and removed a lot, I still have the Liana root to remove and see what happens, as maybe they feel close to shore land?

Also to add the fish seem to come out of the corner for a good 5-10 mins but some will always remain and the others will return back to the corner, but this can change from every hour or once every few hours, I have also monitored that around 7pm till 9pm "lights out" with in those 2 hours the fish seem to act normal and all fish are out exploring and swimming as normal which is odd.

I also found a cheap voltage meter downstairs yesterday after ordering one, and its reading 12v in my tank, but the minimum it can read is 12v, and it reads 12v in my girlfriends ebi tank, so I don't think its a stray voltage even though I have some, which I read everyone has a little unless they ground there tanks. 

Hope this information helps, I also can't understand why no fish swim above the half way mark in my tank, and at night they will be spotted all over. The espei use to be seen at the middle top of my tank all day long swimming around. 

I have also yesterday ordered some floating water lettuce, to maybe add a more safe feel, I thought it could be worth a try.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

Well, you don't really have much plant growth above the half way mark. I have found that my fish won't come up and out into the open unless they have stuff around them. They feel exposed and will hide. You will probably need to rescape your tank to get them out more. Take away their hiding places, but make them comfortable where you want them.

Look at my tank below, see how the fish are still low, but all very visible and in the open? That was by design. This is my 4th layout with these fish, and somewhat designed to keep them visible. They rarely swim above the middle branch that sticks out into the tank, but I still see them all the time. What I did was fill up the back areas with plants and such, created some height above them, and then left an open swimming area for them out front, but there are still rocks and plants to give them cover. 

I took away the hiding places, but then made them comfortable in the area I wanted them to hang out. They could hide in the back right corner, but they don't because the open area in front actually offers them better cover. It's worked out great. They are far less skittish, more colorful, and more interactive than ever before.


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## GoKingsGo (Jul 15, 2013)

I have 8 cherry barbs, and they tend to hang out in the bottom back right corner as well, under the in hood filter output. I assume they prefer the current of the water as every once in a while, they will all swim up to the top of the tank through the current. If I go to that corner, they retreat under the leaves of the sword. My parameters are perfect, no bullying at all as I only have 4 otos and a BN Pleco in the tank with them (who never comes out when the lights are on), and it is 30 gallons. Plenty of hiding space and room to swim, they just seem to prefer this most of the time. However, the last hour and a half prior to the lights going off (lights are on a timer), they tend to swim all over the tank. 

I guess if I get frustrated with not seeing them all the time, I could move some plants or decor in that area, or put something on the output to change the direction of the flow. But they all seem pretty content and healthy, so doesn't bug me.


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Hey AnotherHobby

Thanks for the info,

My tank does look very poor right now, and quite embarrassing.. everything has changed dramatically just to try and solve this problem, it use to be a huge jungle scape but now my poor plants look really sorry for them self's  I think I've lost quite a few as-well since I changed the layout of everything, my 3 Hygrophila's seem to be dead =\ and my wisteria use to need trimming each week... but things are starting to slowly grow again and a lot slower since I stopped my CO2, and EI dosing. 

I like your tank and the concept so I think I should give that a try, I'm just concerned if I put all the plants close to each other they might get tangled up and strangle each other? or the roots etc? 

I also keep a close eye out for bits of driftwood like yours in your tank but can never find anything like it, the only place I can find anything close is driftwood on ebay and its called "umatran Driftwood" 

I will most likely switch my CO2 back on after my w/c on Sunday and start Ei dosing again to get the plants growing again, I just feel even when my plants were really growing the fish still seemed to hide, but maybe the layout is the issue.

Cheers for the reply GoKingsGo

Its good to know our fish have something in common lol, it just annoys me as I use to see them and I don't like sitting down looking over at a empty tank but when its a hour or 2 before lights out like you mentioned your self the tank has fish swimming all over the place, and obviously this didn't always use to be the issue, but it puts my mind at rest a bit to know I'm not alone, I hate thinking there could be something not right.


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## blesser13 (Dec 6, 2010)

When you turn your light off, does they come out and swim around?


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Hey blesser13

My lights are on a timer 12 till 9, and when the lights go out they do come out but like said above they do come out hour or 2 before lights off and swim around.

Then later on all find there own spots to sleep which are anywhere from bottom of the tank to the top of the tank.


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## blesser13 (Dec 6, 2010)

So now if I understand you got no more plants? But my main question does they eat? If yes, you could get floating plants, They could really help, also when turning the light on try to fed some frozen shrimps.


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Cheers for the quick reply, 

I do still have plants, the pictures of my tank in this topic are from this morning. 

The fish do eat, its the only time they come to the surface, I did feed them some frozen daphnia yesterday and I've run out of frozen bloodworm, I also did purchase some live brine shrimp a week back which were all gone next morning, which was a disappointment, I hoped the live food would of encouraged them out a bit more but they didn't live for more than 24 hours lol.


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## blesser13 (Dec 6, 2010)

I will probably do a water change, no co2, and also don't put any hands in your tank for a while that can stress them a lot and also be the reason of no improvement. Sometimes being to worried, like changing/removing the plants will not help. They are eating which is good. Try that for atleast 2 weeks, just water changes weekly and feeding 2 times per day.


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## GoKingsGo (Jul 15, 2013)

Jafooli said:


> Hey AnotherHobby
> 
> ... 2 before lights out like you mentioned your self the tank has fish swimming all over the place, and obviously this didn't always use to be the issue, .


Agree. When they first went in, the were all over the place. A lot of it was the 4 males chasing the 4 females though. Maybe they paired off and settled down. Now that they are married, they just want to sit on the couch and hang out.


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## jbig (Jul 13, 2012)

the amount of maintenance/changes you've been making may be stressing the fish out. constantly changing their environment is probably wreaking havoc on their brains


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

I don't know if this might help but fish love garlic. I always add 2 drops to my frozen cubes and they all go nuts. Now because of it every time I walk by the tank they all gather at the front and start going nuts trying to get my attention.


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Cheers for all the replies,

I will also do some research on the garlic, I've read it also has a lot of benefits so could be worth a try, looks like I've got lots of new ideas to try out which is good, as the main reason for this topic was to give me more ideas and hopefully solve this mystery. 

I don't think I've been stressing the fish out to much, the only maintenance I do is a 50% w/c every Sunday, and since this problem started every Sunday I have changed/removed one thing to give it a week to take effect, so apart from the major re-scape I cant see much has changed dramatically. Yesterday I did change the flow to the top output. However maybe they are stressed, so I could change something and give it 2 weeks instead but I felt one change a week was more than adequate.


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## daylily (Nov 11, 2012)

This isn't any help, but I have a group of Chilis that hang out in one corner too. Mine hang out in the top 4" in about a square foot of my tank. There is a little over a dozen of them. The tank is medium planted, with one corner having plants going to the surface, and other plants going half way up, and others just a couple inches, and areas where there are no plants. They seem to hang out over top of the plants that are half way up the tank. I have red root floaters, water lettuce and another plant, Nymphoides sp. ''Taiwan'' that covers a lot of the surface. I have two HOB filters, and thought maybe they caused to much current for them, tried different positions for the filters and when that didn't matter, tried putting a little bit of mesh in front to break it up, but they still hang out in that one part. I do have 4 CPDs that zip all over and up and down through the plants and I wonder if they try to stay out of their way.

Still, they seem happy enough, always eating, pecking around in the plants, come right up to my fingers at feeding time. I feed NLS small fish formula and also alternate with frozen daphnia and baby shrimp a few times a week and seem to love it all, have good, bright color.

I have not changed any plants around for 3 months or so, I do low tech so no CO2, and not much plant trimming. I have LED lights, and with the floater and the Taiwan, there is cover from the lights. My numbers are good - have had zero deaths. I do 40-50% w/c every week to 10 days, ferts the day after that. Excel at half strength every 5-6 days. They are in a quiet room, no kids etc to disturb the tank. Just me once in a while.

I am getting a few more pygmy cory to add to my little group, am thinking maybe if they start swimming around more, that will help draw out the Chili Rasbora. When I got the Cory the store only had 4, and they stay under the plants most of the time. Hoping adding more will bring them out. If that does not help the Chili Rasbora, I think I am going to stop worrying about them. At least the CPDs are out where I can see them - so how bad can the tank be if the CPDs are always out?


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Hey daylily

Thanks for the post...I guess every one's fish act slightly different, and its good to know I'm not alone, a few people have said the same thing now so maybe its just something that varies from tank to tank, I will try everyone's ideas to see if anything makes a difference but at least I can enjoy my tank again rather than worrying something's wrong. 

My main problem was how my rasbora espei use to be out in the open and now obviously are always in the corner and it seems the other fish like to copy/follow, but at least they do come out every so often. 

I agree with you about the CPD's they seem to explore and come out the most and seem very playful fish, its just a shame that mine are so small so they yet to stand out compared to my other fish, I should ideally purchase more. 

I will also take inspiration from "AnotherHobby's" aqua scape, and hopefully be able to use it to benefit my tank. 

I would also like to add I received a digital voltage meter from ebay but even after reading articles and watching videos on youtube I still cant quite understand how to get it to work as I'm not sure how to get a reading from uk sockets, how ever my other voltage meter with a minium reading of 12v read 12v so from what I read that's nothing to be concerned about. 

If anyone else does have anything to add including other ideas I can try or even if you have experienced the same kind of thing as others have said it would be interesting to know.


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## steven p (Jun 22, 2012)

Some times, adding a group of "fearless" fish like guppies or gold barbs will help shy fish come out more often. Theory is, the fish see other fish out cruising and must think there is no danger...


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## Jafooli (Feb 9, 2013)

Thanks for the tip, 

Thinking about it the problem could of started around the time I took my Molly back to the fish shop and then a few weeks later I sadly lost my Ram, I then also sold my pleco to make more room and decided to go down the route of adding more small fish such as rummy noses and celestial pearl danios and some oto's. My theory was the more small fish the more my tank would look interesting rather than just watching a single molly, I would be able to watch a shoal of fish instead, but I was also so concentrated on my plants I never really monitored my rasbora's behavior until one day I noticed it.

My tank is near full capacity so I cant really add to there numbers that much, but was considering of removing my 3 khuli loaches and adding a small amount of ember tetras but now am thinking it could be a better approach to add more rasbora espei's and celestial pearl danio's, I've also noticed a massive improvement with my rummy-noses just from making it 5 to 8, so maybe safety in numbers could also work lol seeing as I don't have to much room to add a big fish, and guppy's always seem to end up being bully's in my tank lol.


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