Hi from Perth

[aj1128]

Hi all,

New to keeping discus but have had other fish ranging from tetras to ghost knives and peacock eels.

Decided that I need to join up to get specific and quality advice rather than just drifting through old discussion.

I have dived right in to discus love them and their wide varieties. I have 3 adults and 9 juveniles in my current tanks.

Hope to get to know everyone well and keep my discus happy with good advice.

[Hollowman]

Welcome to the forum. It looks like you have already dived right in. Often the first mistake if you haven't read or prepared to keep them first. What tank size and water change regime do you have.

[aj1128]

I did some heavy research on them before i actually went and bought them because i knew they were quite sensitive and difficult to look after properly.

When I got them the guys at the shop gave me a list of instructions on how to with discus water changes, feeding, water quality etc. did a heap of reading before we got them and preped the tanks with low aggression tank mates and the like.

I have them split over a 250L and 200L tanks with weekly to biweekly water changes being fed tropical fish flakes (actually for their tankmates which they eat anyway), spectrum discus formula (which is softened in tank water before feeding), blood worms and brine shrimp.

[Hollowman]

I did some heavy research on them before i actually went and bought them because i knew they were quite sensitive and difficult to look after properly.

When I got them the guys at the shop gave me a list of instructions on how to with discus water changes, feeding, water quality etc. did a heap of reading before we got them and preped the tanks with low aggression tank mates and the like.

I have them split over a 250L and 200L tanks with weekly to biweekly water changes being fed tropical fish flakes (actually for their tankmates which they eat anyway), spectrum discus formula (which is softened in tank water before feeding), blood worms and brine shrimp.

Can we see photos of them, specially the juvies

[aj1128]

I can't seem to get good shots of them always blurry.

I do have a question relating to aggression between adults. 2 red turquoise have i am assuming paired off cause they always swim around together. But the larger one seems to be bullying the 3rd adult (a orange pigeon blood) , he sits at the back of the tank, eats very little and is very submissive. He started to look stressed and was showing symptoms of gill flukes (but didnt discolour) so i moved him to a hospital tank. Within about 20 mins (before i even medicated) he perked right up, and returned to normal.

I then put him with the large majority of juveniles (6 of them) and same thing started happening. Although he would come out when the lights were off.

Is he just way way down the pecking order so is stressed cause he's constantly picked on? And if so should i just completely separate him, give him away or will things improve?

[Hollowman]

There is always a pecking order, but just a shame when you see it happening. I would have thought that being in with the juvies it would be better. Nothing much you can do really apart from feed in a different place to the rest of them so at least it feeds. PB's don't have the ability to change colour when stressed, you just have to watch and see how they are acting. Worst case is to remove it.

[aj1128]

Oh so they won't generally discolour when ill or stressed like other discus?

He has started breathing heavily again and now occasionally has a fin clamped but not for long. Loss of appetite too. He only clamps his fin when near the bottom of the tank and is a bit lethargic unless another discus comes near him. But still swims about normally when the lights go off.

One of my juvenile brown discus is also breathing heavily but mostly when he sees me, but i think its cause he knows he's going to get fed cause he's an utter pig and has doubled in size in 2 weeks. So I'm assuming he's fine.

Also the orange pigeon has some peck marks on his body. He's looking unhappy could he actually be sick, or am i being over anxious and paranoid? None of the others in either tank are behaving the same way as he is.

[Hollowman]

Maybe photos of your setup might help. It seems it is probably quite stressed with nowhere to hide. What temperature are you holding in the tank?

[aj1128]

I'm about to isolate him again in the hospital tank over the weekend and see how he goes.

The temp holds steady at 30-31 celsius.

Theres quite a few plants and logs but the prime hiding place is a cave inhabited by a ghost knife. So he mightnot have enough hiding places.