Aquarium fish often hide – what does this mean

Aquarium fish are neither reclusive nor introverted. And yet they hide from time to time: in plants, decorations, or even behind a filter. Bottom fish love to burrow into the ground, mimic snags and stones. So they rest, hide from their neighbors – and this is normal. You should be wary if the fish spend most of their time in hiding.

If the fish is constantly hiding, this is a signal that she is uncomfortable and stressed.

Let’s analyze the five main reasons why fish are hiding, and how to help a tailed pet.

• Adaptation

Fish sometimes hide until they get used to a new home. In this case, nothing special needs to be done – time will help. For reliability, check that the conditions of keeping are suitable for all your fish.

• Aggressive neighbors

Aquarium fish can hide to escape predators. Or because they are uncomfortable with harmless but too active neighbors. This happens if the inhabitants of the aquarium are chosen incorrectly or the aquarium is too small. How to avoid these mistakes, our aquarists explain in detail in the discussions about and. At a minimum, resettle the fish and get a more spacious aquarium.

• External stressors

Too bright lights, loud noise, inappropriate air and water temperatures, children banging on the aquarium, and a cat looking for opportunities to “fish” can make the fish doubt their safety and settle in the shelter for a long time. To avoid problems, select, cover it with a special lid and give home instruction on what can and cannot be done near the aquarium.

• disease

The fish takes refuge in a quiet place when she is unwell. It is important for the owner to know and have at hand the contact of a trusted aquarist who can be consulted.

• Poor water quality

Fish can die quickly if the concentration of nitrite, nitrate and ammonia in the water increases. In this case, fish from the middle layers of the water can sink closer to the bottom and press the fins to the body. They are in a depressed state and practically do not move.

To save aquarium inhabitants, you need to change up to 30% of the water in the aquarium as soon as possible, test the water for NH4, NO2, NO3 and bring the indicators back to normal. How to properly replace water and check its performance, read the article “”.

We hope that you will be able to eliminate the cause of the discomfort of the fish, and they will begin to swim beautifully throughout the aquarium to your delight!