red jewel cichlids

Question
Hello, I set up an aquarium for my office, it is already seasoned. I put 2 red jewels in it because they are very pretty, problem is they wont swim around and are scared of any movements within 1 foot away. They run to the cave. The pH in the tank is 8.1 and the water is very hard. I did some research and this is a little high for this type of fish. I'm thinking about returning them to the store for some yellow labs. Are the fish acting normal in these conditions?  Am I over-reacting ? They look healthy and are eating well,,,,they are just boring and scared.   thanks Donna
PS the tank size is 30 gal

Answer
Dear Donna,
Sounds like your two new Jewel cichlids are showing typical behavior that is common with newly added cichlids. Nearly every time a new cichlid is added to an aquarium. They usually are unsure of their surroundings and aren't quite use to their new enviroment.

The fact that they look healthy and are eating well are all goods signs that they just need that extra time to get adjusted to their new tank. Make sure they have plenty of hiding places and cover to make them feel more hidden and hopefully feel like it's safer to come out.

Unfortunately sometimes cichlids don't feel a tank is safe to swim about in if they do not see any other fish swimming around. Dither fish may be best in this case. Dither fish are any bold and schooling species that cichlids see as a "safe signal" that the aquarium doesn't have any "cichlid eating monsters" out there.
Some dither fish you might want to try are Tiger barbs, rosy barbs, or Black skirt tetras.

But otherwise, your Jewels may just need more time.

I really hope this helps!

Best wishes,
Karen~