New discus sudden problem

[F8VRT-HBY]

Hello everyone!!
Im new to discus and 5 days ago i introduced 5 young discus (3" or so) to my fully cycled discus show tank. I have done a lot of research and the tank is in good shape right now. I bought the discus from a breeder who lives somewhat close to me and he had the same ph, hardness, etc as i did so this was a comferting (I can't spell, damn dislexia) to me.

On the first few days two of the five would always eat, and the other two would eat little bits but very skidishly. and one of them is very scared (he is the smallest)

Today they have been extremely skidish. everytime i go near the tank the go and hide and wont come out. in the past i was useing a turkey baster to feed them(so i could control where the food went). today i havent even had the chance to do that they keep hiding and won't come out for 45 min and then they jsut hide rite away when i get close.

One last thing, i tested the water and everyting is normal (pH 7.2 same as breeder, ammonia 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 5 ppm) i am going to do a water change tonight.

Any ideas for tommarow that should help them eat or any tips, like leaving a little food in there for them ( my cory cats 4 and sword tails 2) might get it first, and its messy.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, Thank you!Sorrry for the long post

[bio new]

Hi,

How big is your tank for that 5 discus? They need time to acclimitise with the new environment. Once they have acclimitised, they should start eating. At the moment, do your daily water change. If you can do at least 50%, would be very ideal. You must not panic. Do not add any medicine to the water. Add some table salt to the water will certainly help.

Since you're nearby to your supplier. I suggest, if you can, speak to him and ask his daily routine to his discus. The food he gives and others. If possible get some water from his tank and add it to yours.

Maybe the above could help. Be patient, grasshopper!

I'll leave other matters to the gurus here.

CHEERS!

[Cosmo]

Hopefully it was a NEW turkey baster, and not one that had been used and run thru the dishmachine ?? Trace amounts of detergents could be a very big problem, not necessarily what your problem is, but.... Could be they just need to acclimate to their new environment.

When I get new arrivals I always put a small amount of non iodized (aquarium) salt in the water (1tbls/10gal)... seems to sooth them somewhat. for the next two days replace what you remove with water changes, and then if all is well, simply keep diluting the water with fresh unsalted water with following water changes..

If you have bright lights on your aquarium that they're not used to, this could also contribute to the behavior, you might let them sit in ambient room light for a few days while they adjust too..

hth

good luck with your new children :)

Jim

[Howie_W]

New arrivals should always be placed in quarantine for a minimum of 6 weeks before being introduced to other fish.

When you have a moment, please check out the quarantine discussion at the top of the Disease and Medication section; http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=21044

What size is your tank and what temperature is it set at?

Placing new fish in a bare bottom quarantine tank allows you time to observe the fish, check for any health problems, and make sure they are eating and digesting properly. By placing them directly into your community tank, they are forced to compete with you existing fish for food, and also have plenty of places to hide, and also avoid getting into a regular eating routine.



Howie

[F8VRT-HBY]

Hello again,
Well i have a 55 gallon tank. I already use aquarium salt in tht recommended dose, I do not and will not do 50% daily water changes, i will do 50% twice a week. The breeder said it is un-neccesary to do 50% daily changes, specialy when the fish come from blackwater....

I did not quarentine the fish because my quaratine tank is only a 10 gallon and the breeder said my discus would be better off in the show tank.

I didn't think about the fact that the bare bottom tank would get them on a routine, that is an excellent idea.

Hum, yeah i got home tonight and all of them were out and about(ohh they looked soo good too :) ) but i got close and they took off again :(

well i will do another water change..... im almost at the point of strating to remove decorations peice by peice real slowly so i dont stress the fish too much. but i would hate to do this, my tank looks awsome and im happy with it, but it would look real bad with dead discus so i dunno what i should do...

Thanks for the support so far, i realy appreciate it

[Eddie]

you don't have to change the water in your tank ever if you don't want to but the quality and size of your fish will reflect. If you notice, the majority of the people on this forum who change atleast 50% of thier tank water daily, have the most gorgeous fish. the fish do come from blackwaters but unless you've got some wild caught discus from the rivers of South America, domestic discus are born and raised in home grown tanks.

[F8VRT-HBY]

you don't have to change the water in your tank ever if you don't want to but the quality and size of your fish will reflect. If you notice, the majority of the people on this forum who change atleast 50% of thier tank water daily, have the most gorgeous fish. the fish do come from blackwaters but unless you've got some wild caught discus from the rivers of South America, domestic discus are born and raised in home grown tanks.
Please, im asking for help not a preaching session, my dads company has expert chemists and i have had them test different water samples from different time periods in MY tank and THEY said it is not necessary to do daily 50% water changes as well as my breeder. If you don't agree with my methods thats fine.
I am here for advice not to be ridiculed. Please help me and dont get offened that i don't do daily water changes.

[Terrybo]

It is unusual for young discus to be skittish if they did not have to be shipped. How did the discus act in the breeder's tank? Did they rush up to the glass when you and the breeder initially approached? Also, I have purchased discus that were raised in a bare bottom tank that became very nervous when put in a planted tank. (They took a little over a week to get comfortable).

The reason most people keep harping on water changes is that water quality is usually the primary reason discus act shy. It seems that there is something that inhibits young discus that is not measured in our water tests. My adult discus in a 75 gallon planted tank that has been up and running for 10 years do okay with a 40-50% water change every 6 or 7 days. (I do change the water more often whenever I have the time). This tank has a wet-dry filter, which in my opinion is better than power filters if you are not doing frequent water changes. On the other hand, my bare bottom tank of young discus (about 3") start to act a unhappy - darker, more easily startled, if I do not do large water changes AT LEAST every other day. (I feed them 3 or 4 times a day and every scrap gets devoured).

Hope your discus are used to their new surroundings by now and greeting you happily when you approach!

Terry

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Please, im asking for help not a preaching session, my dads company has expert chemists and i have had them test different water samples from different time periods in MY tank and THEY said it is not necessary to do daily 50% water changes as well as my breeder. If you don't agree with my methods thats fine.
I am here for advice not to be ridiculed. Please help me and dont get offened that i don't do daily water changes.
Don't get offended with people's advice. This is what works for most. I myself do 50% 2x a day in my juvenile tanks.

Your dad's expert chemist cannot test for high bio-load or other things that can't be tested in the water.

It's usually a water quality problem when my fish don't rush up to beg for food everytime I enter the room.
The first line of defense is water change.

It could also be the number of fish you have in relative to your tank. Try moving them in a smaller tank and you'll see a difference in their attitude. Juvies usually feel more comportable in numbers higher than 6.

Good luck to you and welcome

dan

[F8VRT-HBY]

Thanks for the help so far!! Yeah i have basicly changed my whole mind frame on the discus, I want the best health for my little guys, i love me!!
Im transforming the tank to a barebottom and i have my water vat up and running, these little guys are ganna start getting only the cleanest water now :D (not that it wasn't clean before, besides what is hiding in the evil gravel :mad: ) Im excited to have a BB tank now :D Thanks agiain, i can't say enough how much i appreciate the help, im on other forums and they don't even compare to this one :bandana:

[aggie_67]

In any forumn, even Simplydiscus, there are all kinds of people with all kinds of advise, some times even contradicting each other. I began as a newbie over one year ago and feel I know a little about some of the people, their good points and their weak ones. My suggestion to you is to pick one person you trust and follow their advise. Listen to the others, remember. and develope your own beliefs.

Who do you pick? I have followed Carol's advise since day 1, and she has never let me down. Always listen to Cary and trust Cary's advise, but don't hear from him too often.

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Becareful taking advice from someone new to hobby thinking they know everyone and everything about keeping discus.:D

[Eddie]

Sorry F, if I offended you. I was only giving you info from what I've learned from this site, numerous books, and my experience. I am fairly new to the hobby. I kept discus several years ago and alot has changed since then and I'm no expert by any means. The one thing that I have learned to be the most important part of keeping discus is the quality of water they need. I wasn't trying to slam you on your WC practices. I probably could have worded my post a bit different. I really am sorry. :o

A handshake,
Eddie