Fish won't come out!

[explosivoooo]

I have a small 20g reef tank that is about 3-4 months old now. I have two Firefish and one Pigmy Angelfish and they are both very pretty to look at, but the problem is that they don't come out in front of the tank where i can see them.
I installed a mirror on the wall behind my tank and I can sorta see them through holes in the live rock, but I'd really like to see them swimming in the front of the tank and occasionally going to the back.
I see tanks all the time that have fish swimming in plain view all the time and aren't very startled when people get close to the tank, but my tank is the exact opposite.
Any ideas of coaxing them out to the front of the tank where I can marvel at them, short of pushing all the live rock back so there's no room back there for them to swim?

 

[meowzer]

firefish are skiddish fish to begin with.....and you really don;t have room for anything else

 

[explosivoooo]

I'm not concerned about the number of fish, I just want to be able to see my fish.

 

[meowzer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by explosivoooo http:///forum/thread/386752/fish-won-t-come-out#post_3398790
I'm not concerned about the number of fish, I just want to be able to see my fish.
Then take the ones you have back and get different ones....

 

[flower]

How do you have your rock set up? Most people pile the rock on the back wall and leave space in front so that's where the fish swim. Angels and firefish like the rocks, it's where they feel safe. If you have too much rock they won't come out because they are very happy deep inside the fortress. (when it comes to rock, it is a natural filter so it really isn't too much rock, but just too much for the fish to want to be elswhere)
Angels love alage, and an algae sheet might entice him out front to nibble. Put a clip on both sides of the tank and attach it to the front. Try one to start and leave it there for 24 hours undisturbed so the fish will get used to it being there. keep replacing it and eventually the fish will nip and eat at it. Once the angelfish finds food out front he will go in and out of the rocks all day checking on his nibble spot.

 

[explosivoooo]

Thank you for the helpful comment! What would you suggest, for a tank this size, in terms of interesting fish that I'll be able to see?
I mostly want to see a variety of fish interacting with the ecosystem rather than just a bunch of colorful,flashy fish to make the tank more pretty.

 

[meowzer]

You could get a few clown gobies, maybe a jawfish (do you have sand?) a smaller basslet....