Fish that stay in hiding -- what fish do you never see?

[Treecop]

I got my first shipment of tangs for my new 180 a few days back, and of them the Blue Eye Kole Tang hasn't strayed from his cave other than maybe to grab a couple floating pieces of food. If I look from the right angle I can see him swimming a bit so I know he's alive. But he's staying in his cave, whether it's bullying from the other tangs (got a mean purple), stress from all the shipping, or he's just happy and fed enough in there that he doesn't want to go out. Maybe he'll venture out eventually.

What fish in your tank do you never see out and about?

Yellow Watchman Gobie, comes out to eat but vanishes anytime someone comes near the tank.

 

[CMMorgan]

Moved the fishy fam into the big house finally... Took all day to fing the YWG's new cave. The sleeper goby is MIA. I have looked high and low. It was very stressed and thin. Not sure why be sure I've seen it eat. Hoping it was not too weak to survive a transfer across the room

 

[Squidward]

I used to have a Randall's goby. He went missing as soon as I got it. He appeared like 6 months later and surprised the heck out of me. He was inside a cave all this time. He paired up with a pistol shrimp too. It was so cool. I will have to get one again some day.

 

[Tchung23]

Yasha goby comes out only to eat. She’s such a cool looking fish. I wish she would come out more often. Was thinking of adding a male to see if she will come out more.

 

[ClownWrangler]

Azure damsels when there's a clown in the tank. It's like cat and mouse.

 

[najer]

In theory I might have three circus gobies, Priolepis nocturna, last sighting was about six months ago.

 

[jazzfisher]

My Yasha Hase Gobies

 

[AlgaeBarn]

My bristle tooth tang. As soon as he makes eye contact with me accidently I don't see him for weeks ;Woot

 

[Anchor]

Hmmm.. I have a few tanks.. My most cryptic fish is my 6 line wrasse and even it swims around the rocks hunting. I have my Docile tank with YWG, possum wrasse, Tail-spot blennie, Neon goby, Rainford goby and a BG Chromis.. All of them are out and about when I walk into the room.. the YWG is paired with a pistol shrimp and fortunately, the cave faces the front of the tank. Everyone says hello when they see me and are all over the tank at feeding time.

I have a Randall's assessor that does hang up in a corner.. but a wrasse keeps him moving. Should move it to the docile tank... if I can catch it.

I have a Solor wrasse that I named Fat Bastidge... sits under the feeding ring and chases everyone away from it.. very active.. first to get food .. always..

I do have an urchin I have to search for does that count?

 

[Dave1993]

That fish would be my Midas blenny! Such a shame because it's a beautiful fish with a great swimming style and loads of personality...when it's not tucked away in it's little cave...watching. Always watching.

Very surprising my midas blenny is constantly out only goes in his hole when he gets scared or to sleep 1 of my most active fish . . . Got a blue cheek goby 4 days ago have not seen him since

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Very surprising my midas blenny is constantly out only goes in his hole when he gets scared or to sleep 1 of my most active fish . . . Got a blue cheek goby 4 days ago have not seen him since

I've had her for just over 9 months now, never any signs of aggression toward her, but she prefers a tiny little cave that points toward the back of the tank. She has three "houses" but the back one is where she spends most of her time and if you grab a flashlight you might be lucky enough to see her little muppet face sticking out. I sometimes call her "The Streak" because every once in a while she might come darting out, give a wiggle for the audience, and then go zooming back behind the rock. Now feeding time is another story, then we can get a great show! Then back into hiding, watching the back glass for whatever it is that blennies watch for.

 

[ellismac]

I got my first shipment of tangs for my new 180 a few days back, and of them the Blue Eye Kole Tang hasn't strayed from his cave other than maybe to grab a couple floating pieces of food. If I look from the right angle I can see him swimming a bit so I know he's alive. But he's staying in his cave, whether it's bullying from the other tangs (got a mean purple), stress from all the shipping, or he's just happy and fed enough in there that he doesn't want to go out. Maybe he'll venture out eventually.

What fish in your tank do you never see out and about?

My red head Solon fairy wrasse found himself a nice little cave and only comes out to eat. Sometimes he’ll get bold and do a hot lap around the tank but that’s about it

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

My Neon Dottyback, you have to stand back from the Aquarium to see him. He doesn’t have a preferred hiding spot that I can tell. Swims in and out of the rock crevices, also it has tunneled under the rock. Also I have a Deer Cowrie, I might see, once in two months. I have a Female Emerald Crab, I haven’t seen in ages. I think it’s still alive, due to the minimal Bubble Algae Growth. My Male Emerald had to be moved to my overflow chamber.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

My fire gobies are total introverts and my mated mandarin goby pair. The only time I see the mandarins is when they spawn just before the lights go out or when they're looking for left over brine shrimp from the other fish...Sucks because they are the prettiest fish I have....

 

[Rockit]

Cross eye soldierfish
We put him in one night.... he was looking great after acclimation.
Didn't see him for almost a year. Started seeing little flashes of red at feeding time. Took us about two months to see him enough that we remembered him.
He's shy but seen daily now.

 

[Tchung23]

My fire gobies are total introverts and my mated mandarin goby pair. The only time I see the mandarins is when they spawn just before the lights go out or when they're looking for left over brine shrimp from the other fish...Sucks because they are the prettiest fish I have....

Was worried about my Helfrichi always hiding be he is always out. Must be cause I really don’t have any other fish that might scare them.
I have a tiny lemonpeel angle, 2 mandarins, 2 pearly head jawfish and a yasha

 

[leeatmg]

Royal Gramma for sure. From time to time, I have one. In between...you never know until a rare sighting around feeding time.

 

[ASIN28]

My blue star leopard wrasse whom hasn’t come out of the sand for about 6 months now. I just assume he’s a goner but I’ll keep hope cause I heard some stories of people having them pop out of the sand after extended period of time

 

[Jesterrace]

Currently I don't have any fish that really hide but my Pajama Cardinalfish is a bit more reclusive in the tank during the day but very active at night. I used to have a Purple Firefish that was basically useless since I never saw it and had a Scissortail Dartfish that ended up hiding half the time. After they passed on I swore off of Dartfish. Some folks like cryptic fish but as far as I am concerned a fish that spends most of it's time hiding is nothing more than an unwanted source of nitrates for me.

 

[Ulrich Von Lich]

I have a Flagtail Pipefish that is little over an inch long and I don't see him for weeks at a time. Wife and I have a on going competition to see who will find him next.