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View Full Version : Questions about Discus Social Behavior



CammieTime
04-01-2009, 12:32 PM
A) I would like to know how smart and social discus are. Specifically, if I remove the biggest fish from a group of 7, leaving 6 smaller fish, what does that do to the social make-up of these 6 fish? Do they miss the bigger one, are they confused, do they understand what happened, or do they just re-establish another pecking order? Does it not have any affect?

B) Similarly, if you remove a fish to a hospital tank and he is by himself, is he "lonely"? My largest discus got hex and I moved him to the hospital tank, which is about a foot from the 75 gallon the other 6 discus are in. When the 6 discus swim around on the side of the 75 gal. next to the hospital tank, the fish with hex in the hospital tank swims up and down as close to the other fish as he can get, as if he wants to be part of the group - he can obviously see them in the other tank. My question is how deep his this connection? Do the fish really miss each other or are they simply reacting to changes in their external environment?

I am still trying to figure out just how smart discus are and how they socially interact.

Don Trinko
04-01-2009, 02:18 PM
A; they will establish a new pecking order when you add or subtract fish. It may end up the same as before depending on the size and personality of the new fish. The bigest fish is not always #1.
B; Yes 1 fish in qt/sick tank would realy like company. Unless the disease is very contagious or deadly I try to treat the whole tank.
All of this IMO; Don T.