Hiding Fish

[jinners]

hi all

thanks to everyone's help and advice, i've finally got my tank up and ready

i have a sailfin tang, tomatoe clown and a mandarin...

just got a trigger and a doctor fish.

BUT just while after i added the new occupants, the doctor fish disappeared, followed by the trigger.

and they are STILL not out yet~ is this normal?what should i do?just sit and wait...or something?

[Tanzy]

Playful fish!

They are just playing hide and seek with you.

How big is the tank and how long have they been gone?

[jinners]

got a 2 feet tank

i suppose they have to be hidin in the liverocks

been in there for nearly two hours already

hope its all fine

[Tanzy]

Actually there shouldn't be any problems with missing fish in a 2 feet tank. Have you tried searching with a torch light? Switch off your tank lighting and it might help them acclimatise better with less stress.

[jinners]

yeah

i've just switched off the lights....

give them time to get acclimatised

i kinda know where the trigger might be, cause i saw him go in and out of a "hole" a couple of times....

shall try searching with a torch light....

if not...is there any way to lure them out?

[Tanzy]

Don't bother luring them out. They are more comfortable in hiding then in the open. Let them be.

[wsiong]

Doctor fish may no last long. I bought 2 and on the second day they went into hiding..now, they are gone.

Read somewhere here that they are not lasting.

[Achilles Tang]

I strongly urge you reefers not to purchase any more cleaner fish. They are one of the 'impossible to keep' species for marine aquariums.

Their diet is still largely unknown, and not just the parasites they pick from other fish.

They rarely last more than a week, 4 at most. Even those who seem to be eating frozen brine or mysis shrimps will die eventually.

Their disappearances from reefs have devastating effect due to other reef fishes not visiting those reefs and perpetuating life there.

Leave them in the sea where they belong and the LFS will not supply these very short-lived fishes for the marine aquarium trade.

There are other cleaner/doctor species like cleaner shrimps etc.

[B|uEc@rpEt]

Yup....stay away from doc fishies...they r better left in the wild...though I do koe of someone who had kept his alive for over a year...such cases r rare...

I had lost my beautiful hawaiian cleaner and a couple of normal cleaners despite paying so much attention to their survival n needs.

Told myself then I will only try them again when I have a tank of at least 10 feet...

Hmmm.....

<_<

[bawater]

jinners, 2 hours not a long time- give them a day to get used to the surroundings- trigger will take a few days to recognise that u & food have a link.

cleaner's....well everyone has said it. They dun last, at first i thought it was me, tried 3 times & still couldn't live more than 5 mths. Totally striked off my list.

Getting & Feeding live them daphnias not an easy job.

AT...i think its kinda working cause dun really see cleaner's on a regular basis anymore(unlike pac marine punggol days)- now hardly ever see them.

(they dun even last in LFS tanks)

[Achilles Tang]

Hey Blue... I doubt it will survive in a 10ft tank either.

It's not how big the tank is... it's supplying its dietary needs.

[kelstorm]

Hey Blue... I doubt it will survive in a 10ft tank either.

It's not how big the tank is... it's supplying its dietary needs.

yah lionel.. i agree.. go for cleaner shrimps.. one of your fav wat..

[Norvin Ng]

Definitely go for the cleaner shrimps. Spare the doc fishes!!!!

My two skunk shrimps are doing a great job keeping my fishes clear of ick (was hit by ick a few weeks back).

[B|uEc@rpEt]

Yup...I have 4 cleaner shrimps liao...

Will go buy another kilo of it? u koe i am such a shrimp person...have most of the diff types available.

In btw...I was kiddin' on the 10 feet thingy...why would I wan a Doc when i can settle for a mermaid in a tank of that size?

Then again...maybe I will try them when i have a tank of at least 20 feet