bullying

[skoom]

I now have 6 discus... they vary in size with

2x 1.5-2'' (in a separate 2' tank currently)
2x 3+''
2x 4''

others in 4'.

i intend to bring all fish together.

I was just wondering with 6 fish in there would there be little or no bullying? otherwise will the small fish be deprived of food? hence not grow?

i appreciate not all fish are the same (in personality) but what is the general consensus?

so it's possible to bring up the little ones with the main school?


thanks for your opinions.

skoom

[Merrilyn]

If you follow what the commercial breeders do, they all keep the different sizes separate to maximise growth. They will separate the larger sizes in a single spawn to allow the smaller ones to catch up.

[skoom]

i see...

but that would mean i need more tanks...
i don't think i have enough fish at the moment...they'll fight anyway right if i separated them.

hmmm....


at the moment the big ones fight with each other and the little ones fight with each other...

i was thinking if i brought them together then there might be less fighting once the ranks have been established.

what should i be looking out for if i do bring them together?

[Merrilyn]

Try them all in the four foot tank together and see how it goes. But I have to say, that I think the little ones will do better on their own till they grow a bit bigger. When you feed, drop the food in at two places at the same time so they all have a chance to get to the food.

[chris]

I recently upgraded tanks from a 3 foot to 5 foot,
In the 3 foot tank I had four big discus 2 of them used beat up one of them, but he had a good personality, he loved to eat and they couldnt stop him.
Then I put them in the 5 foot tank I put 5 little ones in there first for about 2 weeks then I introduced the big ones, Its so different in there now, everyone has chilled out, the little ones dont get picked on, this is good, although one of the little blue diamonds wont eat, he will only hand feed, he does look a little scared around feeding time. But there is no fighting.
be interesting if two of em pair up, then its all different :roll:

[Merrilyn]

Yes Chris - I've experienced that too. The larger the tank, the less aggression. I have way too many fish of all sizes in an 8 foot tank at the moment, and there is no aggression at all.

[Trebs]

In my experience, discus of different sizes tend to be less agressive to each other than when they are all of comparable size. As always it depends on the individual fish. In this case though there will probably be less aggression with all the fish in 1 larger tank rather than smaller groups in smaller tanks.

As always ensure you don't break any quarantine rules when putting them together.

[AdelaideAnt]

lol...ever heard of the wooden spoon technique?

[wyldchyld01]

just had to say that you don't want to forget the small amount of aggression when the fish re-affirm the hierachy in the school, otherwise i think you'd be fine putting them together

maybe feed a little more if you find one missing out, but i don't think you'd find that happening

brenton

[skoom]

things seem to be cruising along...the little ones are getting food, but only at the end.

otherwise they are just hiding behind the sponge filter...maybe i'll give them another week to settle in.

thanks.

[skoom]

i have now decided to open up another tank for the small fish. i.e. 2-2.5''.

i only have a spare 2foot tank. do you think it is possible to keep 3x 2-2.5'' fish in there for a while until they are big enough to be placed in the bigger tank.

at the moment there is one fish that misses out food or is just hiding.

so the question is three x small fish in 2foot tank.. possible?

thanks for reply

[Merrilyn]

Yes, absolutely possible in a 2 foot cycled tank. Just remember to do more frequent waterchanges than usual and you should be fine. You can feed them as often as you like, so long as they go to bed in clean water.

One little trick I use to get juveniles to eat a bit more, is to feed dry food first, and then about 10 minutes later, feed a small quantity of food you know they really love, like worms or beefheart mix. Little and often is the trick here.

[skoom]

thanks ladyred.

one other question.... my four foot at the moment is barebottom and without a background. The fish all prefer to hang/hide around the driftwood....maybe maybe not have settled in...but it's been about a month since they were put in. i was thinking will a background make them feel more secure? light or dark? thanks.

[Merrilyn]

A background always makes them feel more secure, and light blue or green look fantastic, depending on the colour of the fish. I have a 5 foot display tank of all red fish with a black background and a few red silk plants - awesome.

[skoom]

thanks for tip.

i'll consider either blue or black...depends what they have in stock.

i think my tank is 20'' so need to get the extra tall bkgd.

thanks again