Weird behavior or normal?

[Chill]

So our tank recently got Ich and all our fishes died so we’re looking into branching out from gold fish and trying a cichlid. Our friend has a tank with 3 parrot cichlids and they always look like they’re dead like They rest on plants and don’t move.

The people who got the fish said they were told the fish store Medicates the fish so they act normal in the store so people buy them and that this not moving is their normal behavior. They said they sometimes see them swimming around but only when the fish can’t tell their looking and that as soon as the fish sees them they stop moving.

Is this normal behavior? Do cichlids not move around much? Do the pet stores medicate them to act normal? I don’t want to get a fish and it never move

 

[libertybelle]

Oh dear; yeah please don’t take advice from people with fish who act like that! No a cichlid looking dead all the time and not moving is very much not normal.

 

[Skai]

...... O_O I have never heard of that in my life. I would not listen to a word these people say about fish if I were you. I can't even think of what substance would result in that fantasy active fish behavior...

 

[Chill]

Thanks! I thought it sounded strange lol

I tried looking it up online a couldn’t find anything about them acting weird like that or the medication stuff. I’ve always thought those fish looked cool maybe I’ll start researching on how to keep them