My texas cichlid hides all day. its only him and a shark/catfish. not aggresive. and a placo. all he does is hide behind a piece of slate. any ideas???

Does it's tank stay lit?

I normally turn the light in the eveining and turn it off when i go to bed. should the light be on or off?

Both Fish need a period of darkness so they can sleep. I've seen behavior similar to what you described, in fish that were kept in tanks that were always lit, so I was trying to rule that out first.

try getting some "dither fish." if the texas sees a bunch of fish swimming around (like tinfoil barbs or bala sharks... many choices), it'll feel like it's safe to come out. if it sees no fish swimming around, it may think that all the fish (even though there are none) are hiding from something dangerous. Give the light idea a try, but if that doesn't work, try getting some large schooling fish, or more cichlids (all about the size of tank).

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~Daniel

the grass was greener on the other side, but when your a fish.... not good.....
Spanish words of the day!

1. HERPES - Me and my fren ordered pizza. I got mine piece and she got herpes.
2. WHEELCHAIR - We only have one enchalada left, but don't worry, wheelchair.
3. BRIEF - Maria fart in my car and it stinkie so bad I could not brief.

(this is just a joke, no offense intended! enjoy)

A bunch of foot long fish (Balas , if they live that long) wouldn't be the best idea. My suggestion would be Giant Danios or Buenos Aires tetras, maybe silver dollars. Ideally something large enough and fast enough (and cheap) that it can avoid being killed .

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