Sucker on Discus

[nono]

Today I encountered something really unusual, my sucker was sucking on my discus! Its like the suckers you see sucking on sharks in the sea. LOL, the discus was a little frightened when it happened. But she didnt go wacko fending the sucker off. She swam around like a little puppy trying to get something of its back. Interesting..

[Merrilyn]

Unfortunately once a sucker has a taste for discus slime, they go after them all the time, including during the night, when your discus is trying to sleep.

They cause no end of stress for your discus, and can actually cause real damage to the skin.

You really need to decide if you want to keep discus or catfish, because they can't both stay in the same tank.

[nono]

Oh, I really didnt know. I thought they live well together, and so what the aquarium people told me. They have suckers in their tanks with discuses. They do do well in cleaning up the bottom. But if that persist i will remove the sucker.

[samir]

But if that persist i will remove the sucker.

there are no ifs and buts here. see you soon in the illness or emergency sections....

[taksan]

There's a "sucker" born every minute it seems ....

[ILLUSN]

get rid of it!
no sucking catfish is worth a discus.

[taksan]

get rid of it!
no sucking catfish is worth a discus.

Ummmmmm errrrrrr ..... you might want to rethink that Mr !

[MCF]

Bushy Noes Pleco or loaches with Discus?? If not, what is a good clean up crew?? Thanks!

[mistakes r crucial]

A rag and your right arm if you're right handed.
MAC

[MCF]

If you can't answer my question seriously, don't answer at all....I don't think a rag is going to clean up stuff under rocks and wood and lying on the substrate.....do you reach into your tank every day with a rag and wipe your rocks and wood and substrate!?!?

[mistakes r crucial]

That was a serious answer and yes I do clean Discus tanks out with a rag but not every day, once a week will do fine to get rid of any slime on the sides of the tank. You obviously don't know me but I am not in the habit of being a smart ass, sorry if you took it that way.
MAC

[ILLUSN]

Try otto's as clean up crew but you'll need few of them, again it has happened that they too attack discus, but VERY RARELY, for scavengers try coolie loaches, dwarf loaches, or corys

[ILLUSN]

ILLUSN wrote:
get rid of it!
no sucking catfish is worth a discus.


Ummmmmm errrrrrr ..... you might want to rethink that Mr !

Fair call, if had any nice super rare L numbers theyd be in their own biotype correct tank and not in with discus :)

[lesley]

I think once they start you need to remove - will your LFS swap a fish?

I have had plecos, bristlenose with my discus for years, and never had a problem. I have a BB tank but with lots and lots of driftwood so there is lots of algae for the them to suck on. If you want to keep them with your discus will will need to provide algae for them, otherwise they will have no choice but to go for the discus.

HTH a little.

[apistodiscus]

Usually only a sick discus will allow a pleco to latch onto it. So you might want to have a look at your discus rather than the pleco.
I've kept plecos with discus for years and never seen something like it.

Should you decide to change your clean up crew, go for Corydoras strebai and L134, bristlenoses are also OK and none of these species grows to the size of a fully grown pleco. And you can also breed all three species if you wanted to.

Coolie loaches can't handle the high temperatures over an extended period of time.

[Robdog]

Coolie loaches can't handle the high temperatures over an extended period of time.

Wrong. 3 years and counting at 30 degrees 8-)

[apistodiscus]

Delighted to be proved wrong on this account. What species of coolies do you keep? I'm not over the moon about them but some of my club members were thinking of keeping a few with discus.

[Robdog]

I've got some of the ones with the yellow and black stripes. They are fantastic little scavengers. Hardly see them during the day and hardly at night for that matter. I only see them every other week but they are there! :lol:
Cute little faces too. :wink:

[apistodiscus]

I've got some of the ones with the yellow and black stripes. They are fantastic little scavengers. Hardly see them during the day and hardly at night for that matter. I only see them every other week but they are there! :lol:
Cute little faces too. :wink:

That basically excludes only 2 species that are entirely brown

[Greggy]

My 'clean up crew' consists of the following:

3x BN
5x SAE
4x Kuhli (Coolie) Loach
2x Sterbai Corys

The guys that do the most cleaning would be the SAE's followed by the Kuhli Loaches. My two Sterbai Cory's are not really that healthy... personally I think they are the most fragile fish in my tank.

I've not had any problems with the BN's attaching to the Discus, but then again they have plenty of other food options inside my heavily planted 6x2x2

I would keep away from standard Pleco's, chinese algae eaters and false SAE's plus I've had no luck with Loaches other than the Kuhlie's who I think are wonderful. Red tailed sharks and their cousins are also a no no when it comes to a Discus community tank.

Good luck!

Regards,

Greggy

[Robdog]

...and by Kuhli's I mean these guys.
http://www.livefish.com.au/images/kuhli_striped.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/356094357_a0baa5e492.jpg
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/resolveuid/ebf7abf0933aca4215ba35628d2faead/image_preview

[Merrilyn]

Awsome pics Mr. Dog. :P

[ILLUSN]

Excellent pics mate! how cute are their faces! best scavengers i've ever had in a discus tank!

[Robdog]

Not my pics by the way. Wish they were!
I love these guys. They will definitely be an inclusion in my next tank.

[scott bowler]

hey dogs they are awesome you can find them in the lakes at jindabine some d&*#head fisher men thought they would be great bait . there is a real prob in summer up there with them hehe so freebes

[ILLUSN]

guess I'm going to jindabine this summer, anybody else want some while I'm down there?

[Andy123]

IME...
Once my discus got sick and the only way I relised it was because the clown loaches had started eating off the side of the discus. I thought this was odd and did a more thorough check-over of the tank and realised the discus was sick.
I did some research and found when the discus are sick (or breeding) they release a milk/slim from there skin.(They do this regually anyway but alot more when in the above situations).
Mayby your discus is sick.

[Andy123]

i emphasis the MAYBY...this may not be true though it is just what happened to me(well my fish). I suggest check to see if he is healthy. Hope this helps