Firefish won't come out (it's been out and about for a while already)

[sandiegoryu]

Copied and pasted from nano-reefs.com for my own convenience:

Firefish just one day decided to not show up for the whole day. This was maybe 5 days ago. Did a water change but nothing new. I can see him where he is hiding and I took away the rock where he was hiding and he just sat there for a bit then swam into another hole.

I have no other fish mates in the 20 gallon tank. Only inhabitants are peppermint shrimp and cleaner shrimp. Also the normal hermit crabs.

I will test water tomorrow but it looks like the peppermint shrimp and cleaner shrimp are completely healthy.

I'm scared.. I had 2 clowns die of ich because of the absence of a quarantine tank... Now a firefish that will refuse to come out. It has no visible ailments that I can see. No white spots at all. I left the tank fishless for 2 months before I added this firefish.

Here's the cute little bugger.



Please help me save him! I will test water tomorrow!

Edit: And I also tried offering him food. Usually he goes up to the surface to eat the stuff there before it sinks. He of course also eats the sinking stuff. I also put food in his hole but he didn't even take a bite from what I could see... I've never had him hiding in his hole for that long. He usually only hid when he got startled. Otherwise he was out and about!


thanks!!!

[OceanBeach1502]

My firefish does this sometimes. They like to hide. Sometimes he will hide for a couple days and sometimes he will hide up to 6 days. He also doesnt eat while hiding. Just let him do his thang!

[coral diver]

Its a normal thing for them they will do that don't worry.

[sandiegoryu]

Oh sweet.

Lol. Sorry for the commotion! Kind of panicked cuz I tested for everything but nothing was wrong... I saw him moving from burrow to burrow today so that's a good sign :-D. Thanks!!!!!!

[OceanBeach1502]

I freaked out! The fist time he went missing was over 6 days! No eating...NOTHING! I thought he was for sure dead and then he just came out one morning...

[coral diver]

A few years ago with my original fishes my red coris didnt came out for 3 weeks yes 3 WEEKS i though he was gone and suddently there he was wrasses and goby tend to hide when intrduced to a new enviroment till they feel that its secure for them to come out

[sandiegoryu]

Well it's not the new environment problem. I have no idea if there even is a problem.

And I saw my firefish out and about today. He didn't eat pellet foods though. He ate them with gusto before this hiding problem.