Help, Cichlids Staying At Bottom

[lakesRbetter]

Hey everyone, im new to the forum and new to keeping african cichlids. I have a question that i hope has a simple solution. I have 5 african cichlids in my tank and they are always just sitting at the bottom of the tank and hiding next to the plants, they dont really swim around. Do i need to add some more hiding spots? I have a bubble curtain going in the back but i unplugged that and it didnt have any effect. Any ideas? thanks in advance.

 

[backtotropical]

African cichlids generally dont have much plant cover in their natural habitat. Sounds like that could be the problem. They prefer tanks full of slate or something similar so they have lots of hiding places. How old is your tank? Which cichlids do you have? What are your water parameters (PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate)? How often do you perform water changes and how much water do you change?

 

[*Fishkies*]

Have you cycled your tank?
Do you have water stats avaliable that you could post?
How large is your tank?

 

[Straydum]

you look scary? lol.

 

[Davidtq]

African lake cichlids like nothing more than to have lots of caves in which they can hide when they feel threatened without nice secure caves to hide in they can become quite nervous and shy, as with many fish they become braver when they know they have more places to retreat to. The more places you give them to hide completely the more you will see them and the happier they will be.

Of course tank water problems can also make them feel "off" as well.

 

[BigC]

What species of African cichlids do you have. (to assertain their biotope conditions)

 

[dthoffsett]

Also, what size tank do you have them in?