Goldfish do not like to hide. However, they prefer to have a hiding place to rest and safeguard themselves from any threat. Goldfish usually hide when they feel threatened, are stressed, are suffering from illness, due to excessive current, overcrowding, or any environmental change.
Goldfish in the home aquarium do not usually hide as they feel safe compared to in the wild. Let us now understand the factors that make goldfish hide. But first, let us understand…
Do Goldfish Need A Hiding Place?
Every creature needs a place where it can feel safe and secure. The same applies to goldfish as well.
Many times, your goldfish will feel comfortable if they are given a hiding place. They can rest peacefully at such a place.
Giving hiding places to your goldfish can also reduce their stress sometimes.
Any goldfish that is timid will be more than happy to stay safe and out of sight from other aggressive tank mates.
Also, if any of your goldfish is stressed due to sickness, it can relax in the hiding place.
You can provide hiding places to your goldfish by having plants, aquarium rocks, caves, and ornaments in your aquarium.
Once your goldfish feels safe or recovers from sickness, it will start interacting with its other tank mates and will swim freely in the aquarium.
Is It Normal For Goldfish To Hide?
It is a fun and stress buster for many aquarists to watch their little ones swim all around the aquarium.
Goldfish are beautiful pets that you can watch and enjoy. However, if your goldfish start to hide more often, it is concerning.
In the wild, goldfish hide when they feel scared or threatened by predators.
They hide to save themselves and increase their chances of survival in the wild.
However, in a home aquarium, there is no fear of lurking predators.
So, it is not normal if your goldfish is hiding and not indulging in its day-to-day activities.
If your goldfish is hiding most of the time, it is a clear indication that something is bothering them.
You need to understand the reason for such behavior and take appropriate steps to make your goldfish feel comfortable and secure in their habitat.
Let us now understand the various reasons that make your goldfish hide and how you can make them comfortable in the aquarium.
Why Goldfish Hide? What Steps Can Be Taken To Prevent Goldfish From Hiding?
There are many reasons for your goldfish to hide. Let’s discuss them one-by-one.
- New In The Tank: If you introduce a new goldfish to your existing community tank, it will hide as it is not comfortable with its other tank mates. Your tank is a new habitat for the newly introduced goldfish. So, it will take some time to adjust itself. Within a few days, it will get familiarized with the new environment, feel secure, and start interacting with its tank mates. Steps to prevent this: You don’t have to worry too much in such a case. Your new goldfish will get accustomed to its new environment within a few days.
- Overcrowding: Overcrowding is another reason for your goldfish to hide. Goldfish need ample space to swim. If you have a small aquarium and too many goldfish, space will be minimal. So, goldfish can become aggressive due to territorial issues. The timid goldfish will then start hiding as they won’t be able to cope with their other aggressive tank mates. Steps to prevent this: You can either go for a large tank or switch some fish to the new tank. This will result in ample space for all your goldfish to live in harmony with each other.
- Strong Current: Goldfish thrive in slow-moving water bodies such as ponds, lakes, and rivers. If the current in the aquarium is high due to a strong filter, your goldfish will start hiding as it will find it challenging to swim freely. Steps to prevent this: You can opt for a low current filter or adjust the aquarium current. This will ensure that the current is distributed evenly, and your goldfish will not face strong current in any one part of the aquarium.
- Illness: Illness is one of the primary reasons for your goldfish to hide. If your goldfish is sick, it will hide to protect itself. Also, a sick fish is not much active and will separate itself from the crowd. It will resort to hiding places to take some rest. Steps to prevent this: You can check the health of your goldfish that is hiding. You can then treat it so that the other fish in the aquarium do not get infected. Alternatively, you can remove your sick goldfish and quarantine it in another tank so that it gets the required attention and care from you.
- Threat: If your goldfish is feeling threatened, it will hide. This threat might not necessarily be from the tank mates. Sometimes, loud noise or someone continuously moving around the tank can make your goldfish feel threatened. Steps to prevent this: You can place your aquarium in a quiet place. You can also make sure that you move slowly around the tank so that your goldfish will not perceive your movement as a threat. After a while, your goldfish will get comfortable with your movements, and it will not get affected.
- Unfavorable Water Conditions: This is another reason for your goldfish to hide. If the water conditions are not favorable, it will result in sickness or stress in your goldfish, and it will start hiding. The factors to be looked into for this are sudden changes in water temperature, dirty water, and pH changes. Steps to prevent this: Once you identify the changes and stabilize your tank, your goldfish will once again feel relaxed and stop hiding.
- Stress: Stress is another primary factor for your goldfish to hide. Your goldfish can feel stressed if it is sick, bullied, the tank is overcrowded, or due to any unfavorable conditions in their habitat. Steps to prevent this: You can reduce your goldfish’s stress by providing favorable conditions to them so that they can grow and live a healthy life.
- Feeling Lonely: Goldfish can live alone without any company. However, if you have bought the goldfish from a pet store where they were kept in a group, it may be a concern. Your goldfish will feel lonely in their new environment and may resort to hiding. Steps to prevent this: You can keep your goldfish in a group. Goldfish always benefit from companionship and interaction with their tank mates.
Related Questions
Why do goldfish hide in the corner? Goldfish hide in the corner if there are any environmental changes. This includes a change in the water temperature, pH level, chemicals, or an increase in the water’s nitrates. Once the environment stabilizes at its optimum conditions, goldfish will stop hiding and will once again swim freely.
Do goldfish hide when they are dying? Goldfish do hide when they are dying. It is because they become sick or are suffering from some illness. Due to sickness, goldfish become stressed and start hiding. If you find your goldfish hiding due to illness, it is better to quarantine them in a separate tank for treatment.