jewels hiding below driftwood !!!

[itz_kml]

i just set up my new tank and put in two small jewel cichlids. my tank has a piece of drift wood and some plants. the jewels are simply hiding under the drift wood and are not ready to come out. please tell me are the fishes getting used to their new home or is there something wrong ? there are no other fishes in the tank.

[jbeining75]

Give them time. Almost all cichlids you put in tanks are going to run for cover until they build up some territory and get the tank under their control. They will pout for a few days. Just leave the lights off and feed them some ffrozen foods like beefheart or bloodworms to get them going. They should be fine though.

[itz_kml]

Thank you so much.
I was of the same opinion as i had come across the same situation when i had oscars in my tank but they were quite good within a day. the jewels seem to be taking a bit longer. lets see.. thanks again.

[itz_kml]

hey the jewels have started moving around but what i am seeing is one of them is getting beaten around by the other and it swims with its face tilted downwards..something like a forward slash / also, its caudal fin is not spread out and looks like a paint brush dipped in water. its eating the food properly though.

i am wondering wheather its due to the assault from the other jewel or its some kind of an ailment. please help.:c11:

[Ark6ie]

id say its from being picked on by the other jewel. how big is your tank again? i have a few jewels myself and there is always a dominant one in the group (even within the fry group that i have). i added a smaller jewel to try and partner up with my dominant female (unfortunately lost her mate for some reason a few months ago). she picked on it alot, but now about a month later they seem to be tolerating each other. not sure if they are actually a pair though i think it may be another female lol. but ill keep trying :)

if i were you id try and wait and see if they do eventually get along or depending on your tank size maybe add one or two more to spread the aggression out between more than just one fish.
good luck, if you have any problems just come back and ask. :11:

[itz_kml]

i think u were right. i saw the kill today morning. i was planning to bring in more jewels but it was too late. My tank is not very big its probably 10 gallon tank. the jewels are very small.. about an inch or so. m gonna get two more this weekend. :(
thanks a lot for ur reply..

[Ark6ie]

sorry to hear bout that. im not sure if getting more for that size tank is actually a good idea. 10 gallons isnt very big and there isnt much space for the fish to hide from any aggression. my pair (yes they paired up!!!! i can see some eggs in under the driftwood cave ) are in my divided 3 ft tank and there is plenty of hiding places but there is still alot of bickering going on in there. id suggest maybe a bigger tank if at all possible, jewels do need the extra space as do most cichlids. good luck though and keep me updated :19:

[itz_kml]

hey arkie congratulations to your fishes :19:
Hmnnn.. I did not plan well for my tank size. :c11: