why are my ember tetra hiding?

[plantnoobdude]

They eat fine (not when lights on) swim just fine when lights are off, in a group of 8. but as soon as lights turn on i forget i even have the little fish. they're great to watch in the morning though.
tank params
45l tank
10gh
0-2kh
6ph
two lights roughly 30 watts together
very heavily planted
eheim 2213
330lph skimmer
other livestock are crs, amano shrimp and otocincls
i'd like to introduce dither fish, but my first choice were endlers, but they may not appreciate the softwater. any suggestions on how to get them more active?

 

[MichaelJ]

Hi @plantnoobdude. In my experience, embers (like other small tetras) can be pretty skittish and shy when kept without more bold/active tank mates. If not for the shrimps, I would have suggested a (small) pair of dwarf cichlids - it might work though depending on the size of your shrimps. Maybe German Blues or Golden Rams - they stay pretty small and loves soft water. A small group of Rummy Nose Tetras might also be an option - they are kind of hyper active though (at least mine are)

Cheers,
Michael

 

[plantnoobdude]

@MichaelJ i was thinking about them, before my dwarf gourami started hiding( dwaf gourami iridovirus) and eventually died, they were quite active. i just made the connection between the two events. any smaller fish that are outgoing? my shrimp are quite small and i don't want to lose any

 

[Cait1]

I have Pseudomugil luminatus with cherry shrimp, and they are always out and about. They seem to encourage my Pygmy corys to come out, too. They are supposedly jumpers, however (I keep my water level low and have floating plants, so no problems with jumping yet).

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I have Pseudomugil luminatus with cherry shrimp, and they are always out and about.

any smaller fish that are outgoing?

I might try a small fish that lives <"high up in the water column"> as well. It would need to be a small fish because of the size of the tank. @Dr Mike Oxgreen used Hornwort (<"Ceratophyllum demersum">) as cover when he had micro-Rasbora.

cheers Darrel

 

[Driftless]

I would add a Floater like Red Root Floaters.

 

[plantnoobdude]

@Driftless hi, floaters are not an option as i have demanding plants, and need a lot of light at substrate. also, they wouldn't like the high flow (17-18X turnover)

 

[tam]

You might find this thread helpful: Why are my ember tetras so shy?

 

[Driftless]

@Driftless hi, floaters are not an option as i have demanding plants, and need a lot of light at substrate. also, they wouldn't like the high flow (17-18X turnover)

The high flow could be a problem, consider lowering the flow or turning off the filter for a brief time to see if they change their behavior.

 

[Driftless]

You might find this thread helpful: Why are my ember tetras so shy?

That's a good thread.

 

[plantnoobdude]

HI, @tam i do have high co2. yellow drop checker through out photo period. I will try aerate the tank a bit more at night.