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Hi everyone. I'm craig. I just got my first zebs last sunday. Four zebs that are approximately a year old. I am a little concerned over two things which maybe some folk on here can hopefully help me with. All four are hiding behind the same piece of slate in a quite small crevice. Since I have 2 breeding caves in the tank I thought two of them would have moved to the caves in the night but they are all still behind the slate. This causes me to wonder if they're even moving around at night. I am also wondering wheher they're getting food. I've only fed tetra primera so far. Would bloodworms, brineshrimp or blanched peas be ok for them at such a young age? I'm thinking of giving them something which might tempt them out more.

I was like you and wondering (a) where they were and (b) if they were eating. It seems that they only really start showing themsleves when they are adults, while they are still babies they hide away. But the most certainly do come out at night because I've sat and watched them in a very low light and to be honest they fly around the tank - they are very quick.

As for eating, so many people say they never see them eating. I know my babies are because the are pooping!!

As for diet, I can't advise as I'm new to Zebra keeping myself.

Angela

Hi
If you provide food they will eat but it will be in the dark
One thing I always say is a hiding zeb is a happy zeb so yours sound spot on.
As for diet crush the tetra prima down to a fine grain, do not feed them bloodworms it can cause choke ( I made this mistake many years ago)
any type of flake again crushed, brine shrimp frozen flake or pellet, cyclops, lobster eggs, prawns are all fine try to feed them on a nice mixed diet a little every day in rotation so that they don't become too hooked on one food type.

Hi
If you can't be bothered to rotate food types as this is a pain for me as I have other fish to feed and this is better for me I crush all dry food I have in quantities with a mortar and pestle cost me £5 in cooking shop works well as I have different size fry at the mo.
The other thing I tried was a pepper grinder you use at a table,but for me did not grind it fine enough for smaller zeb fry.
Then I alternate the,what I call wet food like frozen and fresh food.

Hope this helps.

Jerry

Thanks for the reassurance and tips guys. I feel a bit more at ease with them staying behind the slate now. I think I'm gonna hookup some bloodworm pellets, spirulina flake and frozen brineshrimp. Combine this with peas, prawns and zuchini every one in a while. Ive popped a little boiled zuchini in there tonight. Hopefully a little will be eaten when I wake up tomorrow. I've also started an infusoria culture as well. See how that goes down in about a weeks time.

Smaller zebras congregate, the smaller they are the more they keep together. They will gradually begin to form breakaway groups until eventually the males will try to claim caves and the gals will hide in background places and will often overnight in caves.

As for food, anything that gets soft is fine. Blood worms, as jo mentioned, are a nono unless you cut them into smaller pieces and feed mostly meaty foods.

your zebs are fine as there my babies there alot closer to 2 years old there the bigest juvi i had in the tank,there is mixed blood lines in there aswell as ive swaped juvi and 2 of the 1s you recived are from diffrent parents

hope all is well

Hiya and congratulations on your new zebs

All sounds perfectly normal, most of us have what appears to be empty tanks with zebs playing hide and seek with us