How Do I Get My New Fish To Stop Hiding?

I recently added a new fish to my tank with 3 guppys. The first night I had him he would not eat,(I know this is "normal" but its never happened to me) Now he is hiding inside a castle in the tank, I lifted it up and hes fine but he will not come out. How do I get him to be more active and eat?


Info: I did a 25% water change yesterday, I normally do a 25% every week.
I feed my fish twice a day, I switch up between the flakes and pellets, and I feed them a dried blood worm normally once a day.
I test my water one a week using the API test strips, and I took a bottle to my local pet store and everything was fine.
The temperature is at 79F, like it always is.

 

How long has he been in the tank? by the looks of things you don't have much decor and he may be feeling vulnerable, try adding a few more hiding spaces or plants.

 

How long has he been in the tank? by the looks of things you don't have much decor and he may be feeling vulnerable, try adding a few more hiding spaces or plants.

It hasn't even been 24 hours yet. I won't be able to get any decor until tomorrow, do you think its needed right away?

 

What kind of fish did you add? Some species can take longer than others to adjust.

 

It’s probably because he’s new, if he doesn’t stop hiding within a week then he may have a problem. But it’s normal with fish to hide when they are first added, wouldn’t be concerned.

 

What kind of fish did you add? Some species can take longer than others to adjust.

He's a sword tail, full grown.

 

It’s probably because he’s new, if he doesn’t stop hiding within a week then he may have a problem. But it’s normal with fish to hide when they are first added, wouldn’t be concerned.

He just came out but, should I try feeding him?

 

You can, I usually feed something “yummy” like bloodworms when a fish first comes home. Sometimes it helps them warm up quicker.

 

You can, I usually feed something “yummy” like bloodworms when a fish first comes home. Sometimes it helps them warm up quicker.

I tried bloodworms but he saw it and acted like it wasn't even food I want him to be happy but it seems like he hates me.

 

He just came out but, should I try feeding him?

Nah, he will eat eventually. I wouldn’t be so concerned. You just may cause water quality issues or overfeeding for the guppies. Fish can do quite well without eating for up to 2 weeks or more. The best thing to do is change nothing in the feeding schedule.

 

I normally keep my tank lights off for 24 hours to allow the fish to settle in a bit, its normal for fish to not want to eat for a day or two after being added so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

My suggestion, which seems counter-intuitive is put WAY more stuff in your tank. The decoration is fine but he has no other cover. Put in a bunch of plants!! Fake is fine, real is preferable, but trust me, if he feels like he has more places to hide, he will be more comfortable coming out. Have you had a chance to add the rest of the decor?

 

I agree with above posts, add more decor, fake or real plants and he'll feel more safe coming out. I've had some fish take a week or more to truly settle in. Not only is he trying to adjust to a new space he's trying to adjust to your water parameters which are probably different from where he came from. It can take time for new fish to feel comfortable.

 

I normally keep my tank lights off for 24 hours to allow the fish to settle in a bit, its normal for fish to not want to eat for a day or two after being added so I wouldn't worry about it.

Thank You!!! I turned the light off as soon as I saw your post and now he's out swimming around with the others!!! Let's just hope he eats next

 

Yeah he was probably looking for some sun glasses in that castle so he could adjust to that gravel. New fish take time to adjust he’ll be fine.

 

Yeah he was probably looking for some sun glasses in that castle so he could adjust to that gravel. New fish take time to adjust he’ll be fine.

Awww do you not like my gravel?

 

Hey Charlotte - don’t you worry. Some people call it “clown puke” - it’s not for everyone. I personally don’t care for it myself but my style isn’t for everyone either. Just because some people wouldn’t use it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

It is pretty bright and happy!

 

No not at all. Love that gravel. Clown puke lol. How he doing? Adjusted?

 

Love that castle ornament! Looks quite cool. But yes, I'd probably add some more ornaments. My glofish did the same exact thing at first with the light. Except at that point, I had no ornaments with big enough holes for them to hide, so they stuck near the bottom and didn't eat at all when the light was on. When it was off, it was literally and metaphorically like a switch was flipped! Anyways, here's my tank now after I got advice to add more structure to my tank on this very forum. My glofish down fight NEARLY as much and everything is much more relaxed in the tank. The water was cloudy then because of this white fungus outbreak that I've since fixed. Other than that good luck with him and have fun!