Goldfish are the most common fishes that every aquarist loves to add to their aquarium. You can take care of your goldfish easily but not fulfilling their tank needs can affect your fish.
So do your goldfish require hiding spots in their tank? Is it normal for your fish to hide? How can you create hiding spots for your fish? Let’s discuss this below:
Goldfish require hiding places due to many unfavorable housing conditions in the tank. It is usual for goldfish to hide when stressed or paired with aggressive tankmates. Consider aquarium rocks, terra cotta pots, and aquarium ornaments to develop hiding spots for goldfish.
In the below article, we will discuss the reasons behind your goldfish hiding around the tank’s corner. In addition to this, we will also learn to develop hiding spots for your goldfish.
Contents
Do goldfish require hiding spots in the tank?
Goldfish require hiding spots in the tank as there are many circumstances in which they prefer to hide.
Providing hiding spots in the tank will develop a healthy environment in your goldfish aquarium.
Factors such as stress, aggressive tankmates, and overcrowded tank make your goldfish hide.
It will be advisable to provide hiding spots in the tank as it plays the role of stress buster for your goldfish.
Is it normal for your goldfish to hide?
Goldfish in the wild hide when they have predators swimming around them.
However, your fish does not have to undergo such issues in captivity. So, it is entirely normal for your goldfish to hide.
But, if you detect your fish hiding too much, it indicates some severe issue in the tank.
The below article will learn about the various issues behind your goldfish hiding in the tank.
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Hiding?
Why do goldfish hide?
Here are some common reasons behind your goldfish hiding in the tank:
- New in the aquarium
- Overcrowded tank
- Aggressive Tankmates
- Stress
- Inadequate Water Parameters
- Contaminated water
- Illness
- Currents
- Feeling lonely
New in the aquarium:
When you introduce your goldfish to the existing community tank, adjusting itself will take some time.
Your goldfish will prefer to hide in this period as it will not be comfortable with the tankmates.
However, once your fish gets familiar with the environment, it will stop hiding and interacting with the other tank mates.Â
Overcrowded Tank:
An overcrowded tank is the most common factor responsible for your goldfish hiding in the tank.
Goldfish are active swimmers and prefer to swim freely in the tank.
However, an overcrowded tank provides no room for your goldfish to swim freely, eventually leading to stress and making your fish hide in the tank.
Aggressive Tankmates:
Goldfish are peaceful fish that loves to interact with the other species in the tank.
However, placing your goldfish with an aggressive tankmate like betta will result in extreme aggression, making your fish hide in the tank.
Placing your goldfish with an aggressive tankmate can also lead to severe injury to your goldfish.
Also read: Are Goldfish Aggressive?
Stress:
Stress plays a vital role in making your goldfish hide around the corner of the tank.
Many factors like a contaminated tank or low-grade food can lead to stress in your goldfish, making your fish hide in the tank.
Therefore extreme stress can also lead to the passing away of your fish.
Also read: Are My Goldfish Stressed?
Inadequate Water Parameters:
Inadequate water parameters can also make your goldfish hide in the tank.
A sudden change in the water temperature can shock your goldfish, making them hide around the tank’s corner.
Therefore inadequate water parameters can also weaken the immune system, eventually leading to severe digestive issues in your goldfish.
Also read: Best PH Level For Goldfish?
Contaminated Water:
Contaminated water can also make your goldfish hide in the tank.
Poor quality water can lead to a drop in the oxygen level of the tank, making your goldfish gasp for air on the water’s surface.
It can further lead to extreme stress in your goldfish, making them hide in the tank.
Poor quality water can also lead to severe health issues like dropsy, eventually leading to the passing away of your goldfish.
Also read: Can Goldfish Survive In Dirty Water?
Illness:
If your goldfish suffers from any bacterial infection, they will prefer to hide.
A sick goldfish will try to separate itself from the crowd to protect itself by hiding around the tank’s corner.
Your goldfish showing lethargic behavior is a sign of illness.
Currents:
Strong currents from the water filter can also make your goldfish hide around the tank’s corner.
Strong currents from the water filter can make it challenging for your fish to swim freely in the tank.
Feeling lonely:
Goldfish can live alone without any tankmates.
However, if you purchase your goldfish from a store where they placed it with a group, it can feel lonely and hide around the corners in the tank.
Considering the above situations, we can say that your goldfish do require hiding spots in their tank.
In the article below, we will learn how to create hiding spots for your goldfish.
Also read: Can Goldfish Live Alone?
How to create hiding spots for your goldfish?
Here are the ways to develop hiding spots in your goldfish tank:
- Add lots of live aquatic plants to the tank.
- Add driftwood to your goldfish tank.
- Add aquarium rocks to your goldfish tank.
- Add aquarium ornaments to your goldfish tank.
- Add Terra Cotta pots.
Add lots of live aquatic plants:
Live aquatic plants in your tank can play the role of hiding spots for your goldfish.
Aquatic plants also help to keep the tank oxygenated.
It also helps prevent algae growth by using the nutrients produced by waste, fish leftovers, and organic debris.
The aquatic plants you can add to your goldfish tank are as follows:
- Java Fern
- Java Moss
- Anubias (Anubias Barteri)
- Anacharis Plant (Water Seeds)
- Cryptocoryne Plant
The above were some live aquatic plants you can add to their goldfish tank.
Also read: Do Goldfish Eat Plants?
Add Driftwood:
You can also use driftwood as a hiding spot for your goldfish. You can easily purchase driftwood from pet stores.
However, it will be advisable to soak driftwood for weeks before adding it to your goldfish tank.
Soaking driftwood will help eliminate the excess tannins making it safe for your goldfish tank.
Add Aquarium Rocks:
You can also use aquarium rocks to develop hiding spots in your goldfish tank.
Avoid collecting the rocks by yourself and placing them into your goldfish tank.
Instead, purchasing the rocks from the pet store would be advisable as they will be safe from all the chemicals.
However, ensure to rinse the aquarium rocks before adding them to your goldfish tank to eradicate any dirt in the rocks.Â
Add Aquarium Ornaments:
You can also use aquarium ornaments to develop hiding spots in your goldfish tank.
You can consider pipe ornaments to provide good hiding spots for your goldfish and make your tank look attractive.
However, it will be advisable not to add ornaments that have sharp edges or corners as they can cause injury to your goldfish.
Always ensure to add tank-friendly ornaments.
You can add many other aquarium ornaments to your goldfish like ceramic ornaments, tanks, ships, caves, and statutes.
Add Terra Cotta Pots:
You can also add terra cotta pots to develop hiding spots in your goldfish tank.
However, it will be advisable to consider the following guidelines before placing terra cotta pots in your goldfish tank.
- Do not use painted pots as they can contain harmful chemicals, contaminating your tank’s water.
- Do not use old pots from your backyard, as it has been exposed to fertilizers, bug spray, and other toxic chemicals that can affect your goldfish’s health.
- Always remove the bottom of the base while adding terra cot pots to your goldfish tank to prevent your fish from getting stuck while swimming through the drainage holes.
How to prevent your goldfish from hiding?
Here are the ways to prevent your goldfish from hiding:
- Provide adequate water Parameters
- Avoid placing aggressive tankmates in the tank.
- Provide good water qualityÂ
- Avoid overcrowding
Provide Adequate Water Parameters:
You should always provide adequate water parameters to your goldfish to prevent your fish from hiding.
| Particulars | Goldfish |
|---|---|
| Water Temperature | 68-74°F |
| Water Ph Level | 7.5 |
- The ideal water temperature of your goldfish tank should be 68-74°F.
- Goldfish performs best at the pH level of 7.5.
Also read: What Is The Ideal Temperature For Goldfish?
Avoid placing aggressive tankmates in the tank:
You should avoid placing aggressive tankmates in your goldfish tank to prevent your fish from hiding.
Aggressive tankmates can also lead to extreme injury to your goldfish.
The best tankmates for your goldfish are:
- Guppy Fish
- Rosy Barbs
- Giant Danios
- Snails
- Zebra Danios
Also read: Can Goldfish Live With Guppy?
Provide Good Quality Water:
You should provide good quality water to your goldfish to prevent it from hiding.
Contaminated water can lead to significant health issues like constipation in your goldfish.
Avoid Overcrowding:
You should avoid overcrowding your tank to prevent your goldfish from hiding around the tank’s corner.
Let us understand how many goldfish you can keep in a 10-gallon tank.
| Types Of Goldfish | Minimum Size | Maximum Size | In A 10-Gallon Tank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comet Goldfish | 2 inches(5.08cm) | 12 inches(30.48cm) | 1-2 small goldfish |
| Shubunkin Goldfish | 9 inches(22.86cm) | 18 inches(45.72cm) | 1 small goldfish |
| Common Goldfish | 4 inches(10.16cm) | 14 inches(35.56cm) | 1-2 small goldfish |
| Sarasa Goldfish | 4 inches(10.16cm) | 14 inches(35.56cm) | 1-2 small goldfish |
| Fantail Goldfish | 6 inches(15.24cm) | 8 inches(20.32cm) | 1-2 small goldfish |
Also read: How Many Goldfish Can You Keep In A 10-Gallon Tank?
Also read: Can Goldfish Live In A Bowl?
Conclusion:
- You should provide hiding spots for your goldfish to develop a healthy environment in the tank.
- It is usual for your goldfish to hide in the tank’s corner.
- An overcrowded tank, aggressive tankmates, and stress are some factors responsible for your goldfish hiding in the tank’s corner.
- You can use aquarium rocks, driftwood, and aquarium ornaments to develop hiding spots for your goldfish.
- You can prevent your goldfish from hiding by avoiding aggressive tankmates and by providing adequate water parameters and good water conditions to your goldfish.
Reference: NCBI