Tropical Fish Forums

[kamaruh]

hi all I'm new here and I'm new to discus.. I fel inloved with discus thats why I tried raising 4 of them in my 5ft planted tank and its been a week and a half since I bought them.. they seem so shy and seldom comeout from hiding.. what do I need to do? about their pecking order is it normal that my cobalt blue always pecking on my royal torq which is smaller than him?


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we need to learn everyday to grow

[Topper]

Ten days is not a long time for Discus to get used to new surroundings.

[kamaruh]

yes sir I'm using undergravel and tried to inovate some drilled pbc pipes underneath since my tank is lowtech. I used some starter fishes for 2 weeks and another week with my discus. I forgot I took that pic the 1st day when I bought the discus so ill be posting new pics soon.
I got more questions if I may..
-is liquid iron safe for discus? because I wanted to supplement some for my red colored plants.
-if imma add more discus how many would I need to add that would be safer from bullying?

anyways thanks for the reply
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we need to learn everyday to grow

[Topper]

You may run into some issues with the undergravel filter (as I have in the past) and your Discus. I am not informed as to the quality of available Discus stock in the Philippines, but as a general rule Discus (especially immature fish) need excellent water conditions. A secondary filter (HOB, canister or in-tank) might be a good way to go to ensure good water quality. Undergravel filters are not the most efficient and can be problematic when you are performing maintenance. I would even go as far as to recommend water changes twice a week with Discus using only an undergravel filter.

The amount of fish you have should be fine. If the bullying continues for more than another week with the dimmed lighting, you can create breaks in the tank (tall plants, vertical driftwood, etc.) that will help to establish temporary territories. If the aggression still persists, it may be your water. Substandard water causes a lot of stress on the fish and they can become quite agitated.

I don't know enough about dosing liquid ferts to comment on the iron supplement's effects on your fish.

A three week old tank with four Discus introduced at the same time is going to be a tough effort for you to keep the water quality where it needs to be. Daily testing and frequent water changes are going to be necessary. Please keep us informed as to the status of the fish and ask as many questions as you can think of.
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You're gonna need a bigger boat...

[kamaruh]

thanks and I will definitely do... I miss looking at the 4 discus together when I just put em in the tank but now my royal torq always hiding in a driftwood and when he comes out the cobalt chases him...anyways heres a more updated photo of my tank:






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we need to learn everyday to grow

[SoS]

What's a good discus Dither fish?

Danio's?
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150 Gallon (567.811768 liters) community tank, 50 Gallon African Tank, 7 reef tanks, 6 FOLR, 28 freshwater tanks

[diademhill]

Danios are bit bit whizzy for Discus.
I've always used pristellas, cardinals or rummynoses.

[Topper]

Pristellas are excellent dither fish for Discus. In a group of six to ten they become a little less shy.
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You're gonna need a bigger boat...

[kamaruh]

can't find pristellas here in my city so I used cardinals and some danios^^.. what kind of snail eating fish suitable with discus as tankmates? and I put 2 glass catfish with my discus they seem peaceful and unique
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we need to learn everyday to grow

[diademhill]

You don't need any more dither fish - the small fish you have already will filfil that role.
Glass catfish are OK with Discus BUT your tank is not yet ready for more fish, it is already fully stocked and glass catfish are a shoaling species.