New Red Eye Tetras are always hiding.

[gfink]

I added 5 red eye tetras to my tank last Saturday, so its been about 7 days. They are supposed to be good fish for a community tank, but they are always hiding behind my plants and rocks. I don't even see them until I feed them.

The other fish are compatible, and there doesn't seem to be any harrassment going on. In fact, all of my other fish use the entire tank, even swimming through the area where the red eyes are always hiding.

Oh well, I hope they relax and come out.

FYI...ammonia, nitrites, nitrates are 0. pH 6.8-7.0 Temp is 76°F.

 

[TankGirl]

I agree there seems to be no reason for them to be hiding, because usually when tetras hide in a group there is some sort of aggression. You might consider adding 2-3 more, and see if that gives the group some more confidence.

If the tank is cycled there ought to be some nitrate showing up, unless you have strong lighting and heavy planting.

 

[gfink]

Well, let me elaborate...
I did a partial water change last week. My aquarium pharmaceuticals test kit doesn't have a high degree of resolution for nitrates. The color card goes from 0 to 5 to 10 ppm etc... I am reading essentially zero, and I change some water around 5 ppm to bring it back down again.

 

[tetrin]

try not to switch on the tank-lights for a day...might help them get more comfy...
they do like plant cover but are not as shy as in ur tank...u could go by TG's advice and add a few more...
maybe the big bully is standing by the tank all the time?

 

[FawnN]

Could it be that they feel a little intimated by the danios? I would try adding maybe 2-3 more to see if that makes them feel more comfortable.

 

[Toirtis]

You could add a couple more, but I suspect that once they settle in and grow a bit (they get a lot larger than most people realise), they will be at the front of the tank regularly.

 

[gfink]

Could it be that they feel a little intimated by the danios? I would try adding maybe 2-3 more to see if that makes them feel more comfortable.

I thought about that, but I don't think so for the following reasons:
1) They are the same size or bigger than the danios right now.
2) The danios swim in and out of the areas where they are hiding, and they do not scatter or anything. They just seem to avoid the open water in the front of the tank.

They will probably toughen up. I'll give them a few more days.

 

[FawnN]

In my experience, my danios would always pick at my frogs, to the point where I had to move my frogs out.

They are not aggressive, but can get annoying, even when they're in a school.