# my new blood parrots have been hiding for three days!



## meaghan (Mar 19, 2013)

Hello cichlid lovers,
Three days ago I purchased two blood parrots (roughly two inches in size) and when I first brought them home - for the first hour or so - they were swimming all over happy as can be, but now, they have been hiding for three days straight! They are coming out of hiding when no one is around as I can see them moving around when I first approach the aquarium but as soon as they see me they dart off back into hiding. I know this is normal behavior for even up to the first couple of months but my concern is that they are not coming out even for food! I tried leading them up to the top with my hand and they seem interested but still won't follow it up to the food. I have tried pellets, specifically for cichlids, as well as bloodworms, which I have heard they go crazy for, but with no success. I am starting to worry that they are going to starve! All of my water readings are totally normal and I am maintaining a consistent temp of 82 in my aquarium so I am at a loss as to why they are not eating. I'm sure when they are starving they will come for food but I really don't want it to get to that point. Any suggestions on how I can coax them up to the top are much appreciated. Btw, their names are baloo and scrappy pete...amazing, right!?


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Welcome to C-F! 



> All of my water readings are totally normal


Please tell me what you have tested and what the values are. Was this tank cycled before you added the fish?

My first guess is that they are suffering from ammonia poisoning- if your tank was not cycled. Stop feeding, do a large water change (*don't forget your dechlorinator*), and add 1TBS table salt per 10 gallons. If you don't have test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, bring a water sample in a very clean, soap-free jar to your local fish store.


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## meaghan (Mar 19, 2013)

I have tested the ammonia as recently as last night, which came back as 0. I have also tested the pH, which is on the high end at 8 but I heard it is better to maintain a consistent pH rather than to mess with it all the time so I have let it be. The tank was cycled for three weeks before adding my new friends. I have not tested for nitrite and nitrate on my own however I did bring a sample to my local Big Als before adding my blood parrots and everything was great and ready to go - I'm assuming they would have tested for this!? Is there something I can purchase to check for those two things myself? I have seen both strips as well as liquid drop testers, is either one better than the other? The ammonia and pH testers I have are both the liquid drops. Honestly, I'm not so worried about the hiding as I have heard this is very typical behavior for them when introduced to a new environment, I'm just concerned that they are not eating and I don't know how long they can go on for...if I were them, I'd be starving!


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Don't worry about them starving- they can go a month without food with little damage. A week is perfectly fine. Two weeks won't hurt them.

How did you cycle your tank? There is often some confusion about what that means- in this case we're talking about establishing the bacterial colonies that eat fish waste. Big Al's can't test whether you've populated your filter with enough beneficial bacteria for your new pets. I recommend always having good ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite tests on hand- they are always the first thing to check when you fish doesn't look right. The drop/tube test kits are better than the strip kind.

And yes, your fish could just be shy. Feed very lightly, once a day, until they are hungry enough to come out of hiding for food. Sit quietly in the dark near the tank and watch them after they've forgotten you are there: if they come out looking for food after you are "gone" then there's probably nothing amiss.

I had a fish that completely disappeared for 3 months... I was so shocked when I caught a glimpse of it that I dropped my soda can. It had managed to hide, eat, and grow the whole time I thought it had died.


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## meaghan (Mar 19, 2013)

Well that's good to know, I was staring to worry and it's only been three days lol.

To cycle my tank I added the recommend dose of Nutrifin cycle and have been doing partial water changes every week adding in the recommended amount. I also added Prime to get rid of all the bad stuff with each water change. I did that for three weeks before adding my fish. I believe I have cycled my tank properly...I hope I have. I did purchase a strip test yesterday (my local pet store didn't have the liquid kind for nitrite and nitrate) and checked everything. Everything is perfect as far as what parrots need, the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and hardness are great, except my pH is still a little high. I'm wondering if that is bothering them or if they really are just being shy. I do have pH down and have been adding it to try to adjust it gradually but with little success. I understand they thrive in a pH between 7.0 and 8.0 and mine is slightly above 8.

That's amazing about your fish! After three months I think I would have dropped the can too lol!


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

I'd skip the pH Down stuff... you are right about stable water quality being the most important.

While I haven't used it, the Nutrafin Cycle seems to have worked in your case (no ammonia). Your ammonia and nitrite are zero, right? I'd go ahead and add Cycle again into your filter next time you are doing a water change. Although, with nothing to eat (like fish poo) prior to your adding fish, the Nutrafin stuff wasn't doing any good until the day you added the fish. There are articles in the library about cycling that may help explain ... http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cycling.php and http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/f ... _cycle.php

So- to help with shyness. Keep the lights off, keep movement in front of the tank to a minimum, stand in front of the tank when you feed them...


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## meaghan (Mar 19, 2013)

Thank you for all of your good advice. I was able to feed them last night by holding a pellet under water and dropping it immediately in front of them. They went crazy for it so they must have been hungry lol. They are still hiding majority of the time but now that they are eating I'm not so concerned. I'm hoping that once they associate me with food they will start coming around more often.


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