Water Movement Question

[714pedro]

guys hope i can get some of your inputs..
few days back i got a pair around 7-8cm in size, due to limited space in my house, i can only put them in a 15gal BB tank, w/ a HOB filter( 5-20gals) capacity, airstone, heater and no other tankmates, it seems they always stay in a corner, and when i feed them, they will wait for the food to flow their way before eating them, which we know will not always happen, what i suspect is too much movement of water, and i'm planning to replace the HOB with a sponge filter.
from your experience guys do think its a case of over movement of the water in the tank thats keeping the discus from swimming around?
and if i will replace the HOB with the sponge filter, can i put the sponge filter and take out the HOB ? or just let the 2 filters run for a few days before taking out the HOB?
how long should i let the 2 filters run together before taking out the HOB?

thanks guys

[plark]

Well first off, your going to hear this MANY times from other people as well, You tank is to small. Second--- Is the tank in a room with lots of traffic? If so that could be the reason for hiding. Also sometimes discus will be shy for a few days then will start to get brave and come out more. I doubt it's the HOB filter, I'm using a HOB+2 Large sponges in my tank and works very well. Also how new is your tank?

[rickztahone]

what is the tank footprint? an HOB can create too much turbulence in such a small tank. also, if you switch to a sponge filter, it will need to be cycled and it would take a few weeks for that to happen. if you were to just take the HOB out and do the sponge filter you will need to do daily WC's to keep the bio-cycle under control. discus take a while to adapt to a new environment. do you have any pics?

[mikel]

I think you can keep these two in a small 15 gallon, with diligent 50% at least water changes, and cleaning everyday, for just a short while. They will not be happy, simply because the 15 gallon is too cramped for two adult discus ( you say a pair, so I assume they are adults). You do know that a 30 gallon isnt much bigger in terms of footprint to your 15...and it's alot more comfortable for your fish. They will naturally be afraid for a week or two in a new environment.

I moved my new pair of Bds to my new 40 regular and it still took them two weeks to start swimming and eating aggressively. Now they lay eggs every 7 days on the dot. I have since used a plastic grate to carve out 1/3 of that tank for a single Blue snakeskin who is just too aggressive to be in with anyone....all three are happy in that one tank (with the divider), and the BD pair continues to lay eggs every week. By the way, a typical HOB for a 20 gallon is quite small and not all that powerful. I doubt that your discus pair really mind it...it's the new environment and the cramped condition, I suspect. Get a bigger tank!:) Best mike

[tcyiu]

What you described is EXACTLY the same behaviour I see with juvenile fish I put into my 10 gallon hospital tank. I see it with one fish. I see it with two fish.

But when they are back with the school, they act normally. So I suspect that they are just very nervous because they are not in a school.

BTW, unless these two fish are truly a "pair" meaning having bred before etc., one will likely kill the other. This is not a certainty, but very likely. Discus need a school to sort out the pecking order thing and to spread out the aggression.

At 7-8cm, they are juveniles, and cannot possibly have "paired" off. Unfortunately, you'll learn as I did that raising discus requires a little more than your average tropical fish.

Tim

[714pedro]

sorry guys cant visit this site due to work schedules...
thanks for all the comments,
i have attach 2 pics, 1 is the 2 juvies and the other is the tank they are in right now.. sorry for poor quality images..
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e219/714pedro/th_DSCN6447.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e219/714pedro/?action=view&current=DSCN6447.jpg)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e219/714pedro/th_DSCN6448.jpg (http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e219/714pedro/?action=view&current=DSCN6448.jpg)

yup, i do around 30-40% WC everyday and just a while ago the have eaten some FBW, hope everything will be fine for the coming days and i'm considering of buying a bigger tank, if i could find a perfect space..

again thank you all

[rickztahone]

that looks like a sufficient setup to me

[714pedro]

@rickztahone.. thanks, the only drawback is, it is set up besides our dinning table, due to limited space, and theres always traffic especially eating time for us, but on the bright side i get to watch them swim when i'm eating..now my problem is getting them to eat flake foods and pellets, it seems they only eat FBW.. and do you think i should put background on the tank, as you will notice the back of the aquarium is mirror??
thanks

[zamboniMan]

I would put a background on it if I were you. I might even go so far as to cover the sides only leaving the front open. This will cut down on the amount of movement the discus can see happening around them.

I also wouldn't worry about the HOB. I use them and find that they work quite well if you keep them clean.

Good Luck!

[tcyiu]

i have attach 2 pics, 1 is the 2 juvies and the other is the tank they are in right now..

WOW. NICE. Nice and clean setup. and nice looking fish too.

I would do as zamboniman suggested and cover at least one side. The fact that they are seeing a lot of traffic is good. They will get acclimated to that instead of running for cover as soon as someone even looks in their direction.

Tim

[714pedro]

thanks guys..
will consider your suggestions..