is it necessary?

[Tex]

I am new to Discus and i was wondering, is it necessary for them to have a place to hide? I have 7 discus in a 90 gallon tank, with nothing in the tank but a sponge filter.

Tex

[CARY_GLdiscus]

Hi Tex,
If You give it to them They will hide.

I add nothing but a sponge + a heater to All my tanks.
But another good thing to do would be to paint your sides back and bottom with a light colored latex exterior home depot
paint.

After that They should Thrive ;D ;D ;D

hth

Cary Gld!

[Tex]

yep, i do have the back and bottom painted. Should I consider painting the sides

[Carol_Roberts]

Nothing but filters and heaters in my tanks too. No paint on the walls or back either. Healthy fish get used to my tanks in a two weeks or less.

[chirohorn]

Don't paint the sides if you want to look in from there! Some folks do it if they have adult tanks side by side - that way the breeders aren't stressed out by other fish.

[FrankLuvsDiscus]

:D I have my bottom and back and 1 side covered with background instead of paint and there alot more comfortable. Discus hate shadows and sudden movement so the less they can see of that the better.

I do have some decoration in my tank...... its BB but i have some driftwood in there for visual appeal ...... they hide behind it only when my hands are in the tank cleaning the sides and vacuuming during a w/c but as soon as my hands are out of there and my w/c is done they come right back out in the open...... its a matter of them getting used to a routine.


Uh, i have read and IMO discus become more brave the less oppurtunity you give them to hide.... so i guess the point is if you have no decor in the tank for them to hide the more you'll see them and the less skittish they'll be.


Hmmmm, its got me thinking ...
Franko

[Tristanyyz]

My general opinion is that its good to have things for them to hide behind, not that they should use it to hide behind, but i think it gives them a sense of security knowing that they could hide...it adds a comfort zone. I personally find a completely bare tank a little sterile. My wilds love my plants in terra cotta planters, and the driftwood.

Part of the pleasure is also seeing how agile the wilds are compared with the domestics...the wilds even tho they are all bigger than my domestics move in and out of very small areas...fun to watch, i threw away my television ;D

[FrankLuvsDiscus]

;D That's cool Tristan... I agree with the comfort zone
???Oh also i would like to place tera cota pots with plants in them too. What kinda plants would be best for this?

[Tristanyyz]

Frank...they are very cool...the fish play in them, sleep in them, hang out in them...this is my favorite plant...echinodorus palaefolius var. latifolius...

The trick is to feed on demand. Train them to beg for food. A hungry fish is a healthy fish. Hungry fish don't hide regardless how many hiding places are available. We tend to over feed our fish. When I see all the new wild discus come to greet me the instant they see my shadow in Oliver's hatchery. You will expect the wild will be hiding and bouncing around the tank when approach. No, not in Oliver's hatchery. His technique is that they are Cichlids. So treat them like Cichlids. Not discus.
Tristan: Did you artificially remove the central bar of that heckel? You shouldn't have read Ching Ming's technique. Bring the Bar back. He's looking good. or she. who Cares?
Jimmy.

[Willie]

Tex;

I agree with Cary. If fish have decorations, they hide behind them. If they don't have decorations, then they get used to staying out in the open. This tank has sponge filters and a heater.

Willie

[Tristanyyz]

The instant that i enter the room, the discus follow me from the corner of the tank, around to the centre where they eat. They are always hungry...in my little tank aswell, the little ones are always circling, looking for food.

I completely oppose removing stripes artificially, as i indicated in my response in that posting...the stripe on the Madeira comes and goes as it suits him/her. ;D