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dcarmau
Thu Jul 13, 2006, 01:22 PM
Hi guys, I've had one discus (Blue Turq) in this tank for about 3 weeks. he's about 18 months old now, and has unfortunately been stunted (he's maybe 3" long). He also seems hyper-aggressive. Disco Stu's his name, and I've just introduced a couple of small (1") Discus to the tank (I bought them at the same time to try and prevent bullying).

In his old tank (a 3') he had 2 (Discus) tank mates, a blue ghost and a Red Cover, (and some tetras etc) Which were foolishly introduced one at a time. the Blue ghost was first, and was relegated to the corner of the tank, constantly. and the Red Cover was left alone by and large, but picked on every now and then. The Blue ghost died as a result of bullying, while the Red Cover died as a result of bad water params and moving tanks.

the new tank is a 6' x 18" x 14" tank. The new tankmates are a Blue Diamond and a Snakeskin, both of which have been chased to corners of the tank by Stu and are basically being kept there. I changed all the gravel in the tank about a week ago, which included changing the position of just about everything in the tank.

How long should I wait before becoming really concerned? and what should I do when I get to the point of having to do something? (I should mention I have a wire partition I can put in the tank which we've used when Kribs breed.)

are some fish interminably bad-tempered? and if they are, what's the solution?

thanks guys, pics of the fish are attached

I'm concerned about this turn of events

Robdog
Thu Jul 13, 2006, 02:29 PM
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong as I'm hardly a qualified discus ID'er but are you sure that Curio is a snakeskin?

As for the aggression, I don't know really other than to say that they have worked out their own pecking order. You might try removing the bully and letting the others settle in before re-introducing the bully. If that doesn't work just remove the barrier for the kribs and it'll soon be put into place when the kribs spawn! :lol: Nobody will be safe then

Merrilyn
Fri Jul 14, 2006, 04:46 AM
Looks like Disco Stu has decided the tank is his own private territory and is going to get rid of all newcomers.

Time to introduce that wire barrier and keep Stu on his own, at least until the little guys gain some size and confidence. Constant bullying from a larger fish will cause stress and a drop in growth rate, and as you discovered, sometimes even death, so step in now to prevent further problems.

P.S. Your little guy "Curio" is a turquoise (9 bars), not a snakeskin (14 bars). Cute fish. :P