Cardinals hiding for more than 1 month

[winston77]

Update. Now the cardinals are starting to move forth. But...

What I did was remove all the background plants as they are infected with algae. So the cardinals had to move to the middle as those plants (mosses, echii-red diamonds) are algae-free though.

So it seems like problem not solved after all

[zenscape]

Your cardinals are eating and i think it is fine.

Just want to share with you my experience. I bought 50 jumbo cardinals afew months back and had also encountered the same problem as yours. My situation was worst as the cardinals were not eating for a month plus and were just hovering at the rear top left side of the tank. I thought i was going to lose them but could not solve the problem. The tank was mature and water condition was fine. Then one day i realised and felt by bare hand that the temperature of the top half of the tank was slightly warmer than the bottom due to lighting sets. I was using a chiller, cold water/air condenses. After some thinking, i installed a small power pump to drive water flow to the top from bottom to even out the temp of the whole tank, depth wise. They have been swimming around and eating fine since then.

Small thing like temperature different in the tank may cause stress to the fish.

[hii]

my cardinal only coming out in the morning when they saw me and when I feed all of them swim like hungry ghost eating the frozen worms.

after that they all start to hide under bogwood covered with windelov, java, willow and etc.... and most of the time the tank look empty except plants bubbling ..

I think my next scaping will be rock concept with short foreground plant only than can see all the cardinal swim.

[lEddyl]

for my case, it's due to water current. switch from rainbar to lily pipe. now all swim in front. 30 in a 3ft tank.

[winston77]

my cardinal only coming out in the morning when they saw me and when I feed all of them swim like hungry ghost eating the frozen worms.

after that they all start to hide under bogwood covered with windelov, java, willow and etc.... and most of the time the tank look empty except plants bubbling ..

I think my next scaping will be rock concept with short foreground plant only than can see all the cardinal swim.

Oooh! That's a nasty move to get them expose ya!

[winston77]

My cardinals are also the jumbo type from Gan 3 months back.

My temperature in water is constantly maintain by an AC fan, and with T5HO light, I cannot even feel the heat from the tube.

But can feel that the 2x39W light is too strong though. Perhaps that is the reason for them to hide inbetween plants. Every little thing counts, and moving a step a time to observed their behaviour.

[freezze]

i been keeping cardinal for more than a year.. i still hardly see them swim around the tank.. thy prefer to hid under the plants.. even when i feed them they also stay hidden... until you walk away from the tank..

[hii]

my experience same like you. After light off period can see they start to swim out ... headache.

Initially they show whole day during light off/on. (my photo for ADA submission show it)

After 1st caught of 1 neon tetra, they start to run everyway when I stand near.

After 2nd caught of 1 more neon tetra they start to hide under plants and only morning when feeding time than all swim out fighting for worm.

After 3rd caught of 1 extra neon tetra than every morning feeding time they rather stay hidden and even i sit far away from the tank to watch them eating but they still remain hidden. Only when i walk away for more than 10mins than saw the worm have gone.

What happen if I did again? think they stop eating or I may have to feed during light off only.

I think they scare cause I did caught 3 neon tetra before which I suspect got disease during feeding time, than from that moment they always hide from me.

[winston77]

Neons??? I thought we are focusing on cardinals?

I always mingle around with the plants and layout in the tank, initally they are scared, but after 10 mins, they are back to their usual style... swimming in the midground area.

[freezze]

Neons??? I thought we are focusing on cardinals?

I always mingle around with the plants and layout in the tank, initally they are scared, but after 10 mins, they are back to their usual style... swimming in the midground area.

good for you... maybe mine are just a pack of scary cat.. i mean fish

[hii]

Neons??? I thought we are focusing on cardinals?

I always mingle around with the plants and layout in the tank, initally they are scared, but after 10 mins, they are back to their usual style... swimming in the midground area.

I mixed 3 neons left over from previous tank into cardinal group.