Discus Panic and are going to hurt themselves?!

[Chrispowell]

Hi all,

I have 5 discus in my tank and they have been in there about 8 months. They are all approx 5 inches and about 18 months old.

They are not nervy and spend most of the day up against the glass pleading for food!! The problem I have is if I break the water line with my hand to trim some plants or dare put a net in the tank they go mental! They thrash around the tank and sometimes into the glass, now this worries me as I want to move a breeding pair into their own setup but am worried I will kill them if i try to get them in a net!

Does anyone else have/ overcome this problem??

All help appreciated!!

[Nick Klimkowski]

I will show them the net or my hand before i place it into the tank, that way they dont get caught off guard also i also i slowly put the net into the tank and dont rush it in. Hope that helps.

[Rudustin]

Leave the net in the tank for at least an hour before attempting to move them. They will still be wary but it will not seem like such a sudden intrusion. With plants it is going to be difficult anyway. You might like to feed them their favorite food very near the net. Good luck.

[aquadon2222]

How big is your tank? Discus are social and find comfort in numbers. When I had my tank understocked they did the same thing. Now that I have more fish, when I start messing around in the tank they just huddle together tightly in the corner and wait for me to finish.