help... my discus is easy to get stress.dont know why

[andychika]

Hi, forum members

I need some helps

I got discus two months ago. I have moved them to new fish tank 3weeks.

Everytime I saw them and tried to feed some food to them. they are stress out and run away very fast.

nd sometimes crashed with fish tank... However, when I went away, they

feel relax and ate food.. Is it somethings wrong with me? confused?

I dont know why....

Please give me some advice

cheers

andy

[goodoo]

Do they have any cover . Shadows freak them out and the higher the stand the better most stands are not high enough imo. All fish need cover I know most people here keep there discus with no plants and really well to, but they need some kind of cover driftwood or soaked in water wood is good. And if they dont have cover they need safety in numbers lots of discus. 12 in a 4x2x2 would work. Im ranting but I dont have a big enough tank so I dont have alot of discus. one day soon I will . Also to grow them up beautifull you can only really do it in a bare tank. so catch 20 I suppose.

[Merrilyn]

Check your water parameters Andy.

Fish unhappy with their water quality will often become skitish.

Goodoo is right, shadows will often freak them out too. Is there a window shining light onto the tank. Also, think about the lighting in your tank. Discus are prey fish, in other words, other fish eat them. In the wild, a discus swimming around in a brightly lit area of the river is likely to be eaten by a bigger fish. Sticking close to cover in the more shaded areas of the river is much safer.

Although there are no big predators in your tank and your fish are quite safe from being eaten, they don't know that. They can see right into your room, and will regard that as part of their "tank", so if they see a big shadow coming for them, it could well be a giant fish looking for a meal, so they run and hide.

If you look at from their point of view, it makes perfect sense. With training, we make them realize that when we approach the tank, we're not going to cause them any harm, and we are the bearer of good things, like food :P

Give them some time to settle, check your water, and make sure they have something to hide behind in the tank, and turn your lighting down a little.

[andychika]

many thanks for Merrilyn and Goodoo


Ur advice is great. I got a small window just behind the tank. There is a shining light onto the tank as well. Do u think should I get something to cover the back of the tank. I got 10 discus in my 3ft tank. They always stay together nd hiding behind in a plant draft (the only one I hav in da tank)

I will do some water change now and PH is around 6.6 now. Tempreture is 30. My filter is aqua one 700.

I dont real hav a light top of my tank. I just put them in my bath room. everytime I go to feed them nd I will turn on the light on bath room. Coz my bath room is quite big, even big them my living room. So I just set up my tank there. Please tell me is it a good choice or not

Thank you for advicing

Regards,

Andy

[goodoo]

My hospital/quarintine tank is in my kitchen and when I got my last two discus they would lie on there sides when I went in the room. This was when the tank was bare and the sides were not covered I covered the sides and put some silk plants there. they were better. I also have problems with shadows over the tank. I find 60% of discus take around 2 weeks to a month to settle. Hang in there they will be eating out of your hand soon.