A Bully at the Feeding Cone...what to do?

[CammieTime]

I have two discus that are always together, but when I put frozen brine shrimp into the feeding cone, one of them chases the other one away. They love the shrimp, but the poor blue diamond isn't getting a whole lot to eat as he is always chased away.

I put pellets in the tank, they sink promptly, and the blue diamond will eat them off the gravel bottom, but not always. They seem to be so scared when I feed flake food that they hardly eat any.

So, is there anything I can do about the bully at the feeding cone? I don't want my pretty blue diamond to starve. If I don't use the feeding cone the brine shrimp go everywhere and muck up the tank, and the two discus are black and scared in the back...they won't eat it that way...they love the cone.

Help!

[Harriett]

Well, 2 discus alone, unless they are a pair, will always result in a bully and a victom, so you need to understand that these cichlids need to be in a group to disperse aggression. If you intend to just keep the 2 inthere, you can try getting another feed cone and put it at the opposite end of the tank. The bully can't be at both, though it can still drive the other one away just by stressing it out.
That's all I can think of, given your set up. The victom is unlikely to thrive.
Best regards
Harriett

[ShinShin]

Or, just get rid of the cone. I see no need for one, really.

Mat

[Harriett]

Feed cones can be useful, depending on the filtration of the tank. I started using one when I had a wet/dry on the big planted tank. Without the cone, the food immediately headed to the overflow and was out of the tank before the discus had eaten most of it...problem and dirty filter. Even when I changed filter types to canisters a few years later, I found that keeping the feed cone was useful: it kept the food in one area. The 'ground crew' were better able to get to missed or dropped food and I made certain not to plant below that space so there was a clear area below it. Keeps the tank cleaner. One thing I always do is burn several larger holes in the cone in the lowest inch of it so I can feed pretty much everything from it--pellet or FBW, etc. When I have had bully problems I just added another cone set up for a bit, though these things tend to work themselves out pecking order wise in this tank. In Qt or grow outs I don't bother with it, I just throw the food in as Mat has suggested.
Best regards
Harriett