The beautiful coloration on the firefish goby has caused it to increase in popularity recently due to a number of photographs of the fish going viral on social media within various fish keeping groups.
Although there are some online sources that say that the firefish goby is a beginner friendly fish, we usually wouldn’t recommend it unless you have some prior experience within the fish keeping hobby but due to the sudden spike in popularity, there are a large number of beginners adding the firefish goby to their tanks.
That has caused a correlating spike in questions about caring for a firefish goby to be asked by the community too as they end up having problems with their fish.
One thing that we have seen people asking about is why their firefish goby is hiding and although this may seem like there is something wrong with the fish, it can actually be totally normal for the species.
Is It Normal For A Firefish Goby To Hide?
Before we get into the reasons why your firefish goby may be hiding, its important to know that it can actually be quite normal for a firefish goby to spend a majority of its time hiding away.
The firefish goby isn’t a very active swimmer and instead prefers to stay in one spot within the aquarium which is why you will often see them hiding away in caves, rocks or even plants.
If your firefish goby is healthy and happy, then there shouldn’t be any need to worry about why it is hiding as it is just its natural behavior.
It’s not uncommon for a firefish goby to go off and hide in its tank, sometimes for days at a time just because it feels like hiding.
Why Is My Firefish Goby Hiding?
There are a number of potential problems that can happen in your tank that will cause your firefish goby to hide more often than usual and we have listed them below:-
- It’s New To The Tank!
- Stress Or Anxiety!
- Disease!
- Infection!
- Unsuitable Water Parameters!
- Aggression From Tank Mates!
- Problems With Waterflow In The Tank!
It is common for people new to the fish keeping hobby to have multiple problems in their aquarium tank at the same time from the list below.
This can compound with each other as well as your firefish gobies natural instinct to hide resulting in the fish hiding almost indefinitely.
Its New To The Tank!
If your firefish goby is new to the tank, then it will likely spend a lot of time hiding as it gets used to its new surroundings.
This is normal behavior and you shouldn’t be too worried about it as long as the fish is eating and doesn’t appear to be in any distress.
If you are concerned, then we would recommend observing the fish for a few days to see if it starts to come out more often as it gets more comfortable in the tank.
Stress Or Anxiety!
One of the most common reasons why your firefish goby may be hiding is due to stress or anxiety caused by its environment.
There are a number of things that can cause stress or anxiety in fish such as unsuitable water parameters, aggression from tank mates or even problems with the water flow in the tank.
If your firefish goby is stressed or anxious, then it will often try to hide away from whatever is causing the problem in order to feel safe.
Disease!
If your firefish goby is hiding and also showing other signs of illness such as a loss of appetite, lethargy or abnormal swimming behavior, then it is possible that the fish is suffering from a disease.
There are a number of diseases that can affect fish and some of them can be quite serious so we would recommend taking the fish to your local aquarium store or vet for a diagnosis.
Infection!
If your firefish goby has an infection, then it will often try to hide away from the other fish in the tank in order to avoid being attacked.
Infections can be caused by a number of things such as injuries, disease or even parasites and they can be quite serious if left untreated.
If you think that your firefish goby has an infection, then we would recommend taking it to your local aquarium store or vet for a diagnosis and treatment.
Unsuitable Water Parameters!
If the water parameters in your tank arent suitable for your firefish goby, then it will often try to hide away in order to avoid the stress or anxiety that this can cause.
There are a number of things that can affect the water parameters in your tank such as overfeeding, poor filtration or even using tap water instead of RO/DI water.
If you think that the water parameters in your tank arent suitable for your firefish goby, then we would recommend taking a water sample to your local aquarium store or vet for testing.
Aggression From Tank Mates!
If your firefish goby is being bullied or harassed by its tank mates, then it will often try to hide away in order to avoid the aggression.
Aggression can be caused by a number of things such as competition for food or even territorial disputes.
If you think that your firefish goby is being bullied or harassed by its tank mates, then we would recommend removing the aggressor fish from the tank.
Problems With Waterflow In The Tank!
If the water flow in your tank isn’t suitable for your firefish goby, then it will often try to hide away in order to avoid the stress or anxiety that this can cause.
There are a number of things that can affect the water flow in your tank such as using too much aeration, having an unsuitable filter or even having too many plants in the tank.
If you think that the water flow in your tank isn’t suitable for your firefish goby, then we would recommend adjusting the flow or removing some of the plants from the tank.
