4th discus isolated?

[sleepers]

Hi all. I currently have 4 juvenile discus in a 55 gallon tank... I see a distinct pecking order, but one of them seems to be so far down it is outright isolated. I hides a lot, spend most of its time away from the group. I imagine it has been bullied a bit, though I haven't seen any of them be too agressive at all. It doesn't look sick, but will this produce problems in the long run?

[leanne31]

How long hav you had the discus together in the same tank if its not long maybe the one hiding is just a little timid then the others and needs more time to settle in.

[sleepers]

They've all been together since the start (and together at my LFS)...

Sometimes they swim top-to-bottom, with the timid one hanging out almost on the substrate, the next smallest above him/her/ then the next and so on...

Is that normal?

[Merrilyn]

All perfectly normal sleepers. Although discus do like to school, we must remember that they are cichlids and as such, there will always be a pecking order. One will always be at the top of the order, and one will always be the lowest rank.

Not a lot you can do, except to make sure all the fish are getting a chance to feed. Perhaps put food in two different places in the tank at the same time, so the timid one doesn't have to push in with the others to get something to eat.