New setup has resulted in extremely petrified Discus - is this normal

My stats haven't changed. Food nutrition and lighting are all the same. I have added substrate and val plants but since that day my discus only come out of the corner to feed. Other than that, they huddle in a corner and only move around the tank when the lights are off.

Same water chemistry. 0/0/10ppm (A.N.N.)
Same filtration
same food variation

But they seem to dislike the changes I've made and for the past week have either been petrified or in some form of protest. When they do venture out, they act skittish.

I'm posting this here instead of the sickness/help section because I'm absolutely certain it's not a health issue, just behavioural.

Any advice?

Rolla, I changed my Aquascape up a few months ago and mine went from social butterflies to hiding behind center piece if dad (me) is around. Only one still acts normal and he's always been my big dumb happy dog type of discus. All water parameters the same (well... for winter... I'm dumb and donate my water or anything so I go straight from the tap... and about eight or nine months out of the year it is just fine but the other months like right now it's not as stable). They still come out and Gorge themselves on food as long as I step back and watch from distance pan coloration and breathing and water parameters are fine. But my former Aquascape was heavier on places to hide yet they did not and now I want to see more of an Island theme towards the Middle with branches coming up towards the side and it's less hiding places yet they feel the need to hide. I'm just waiting for the tap water to get a little better in the next month and then I'm just going to make them happy and hopefully horny so that they don't even think about who's in front of the glass, they want to see who's ready for love.

So don't freak out too much, at least you found someone else is going through the same thing

Elliot, why not try aging for a week and see if there is a difference? That way you would know one way or the other and proceed from there.

Liz, trust me... I'm with you... but my wife is another story. I did it in the past during the winter but she got sick of me using the spare guest bathroom upstairs for storing/aging water. The past two years during the winter time I have not aged my water and I can totally tell the difference on how my crew acts. We are actually getting our current house ready to sell and move into a little bit bigger house and I have told her that one of the requirements is that I can set up the way it needs to be... sump, plumbing, aging barrel/container, etc. She's agreed. I don't like how the fish are acting this winter though and I wanted to set an aging container upstairs like I used to but she's freaking out how about when people come to look at the house. The house isn't even on the market yet!

So I whole heartedly agree with you. I'm about ready to do it anyway because she never even looks in that bathroom. I can keep the door closed. I just have to change the water when she's not around so she doesn't see the tube going all the way down the stairs and up into the tank downstairs :antlers: Hell, I just got 3 new beauties from Kenny (and she loves them) so I might use that against her (guilt trip)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pastry

Rolla, I changed my Aquascape up a few months ago and mine went from social butterflies to hiding behind center piece if dad (me) is around. Only one still acts normal and he's always been my big dumb happy dog type of discus. All water parameters the same (well... for winter... I'm dumb and donate my water or anything so I go straight from the tap... and about eight or nine months out of the year it is just fine but the other months like right now it's not as stable). They still come out and Gorge themselves on food as long as I step back and watch from distance pan coloration and breathing and water parameters are fine. But my former Aquascape was heavier on places to hide yet they did not and now I want to see more of an Island theme towards the Middle with branches coming up towards the side and it's less hiding places yet they feel the need to hide. I'm just waiting for the tap water to get a little better in the next month and then I'm just going to make them happy and hopefully horny so that they don't even think about who's in front of the glass, they want to see who's ready for love.

So don't freak out too much, at least you found someone else is going through the same thing

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This was the definition of a comforting read lol

It's been over a week, 9 days to be exact. The only time they interacted was to feed so yesterday, I tried leaving the filter off (I stop all water movement while feeding) for 45 minutes. And low and behold... They came out from a quick spin around the tank. Went back to the corner and then ventured out again (a few minutes later) for a little longer. I almost jumped up and down for joy.

I had no idea that changing the tank would cause such skittishness. I couldn't figure out the cause and started thinking it was something specific but now I realize it's the change in it's entirety.

Yeah, but Liz is right... I need to age water (at least for another 4-6 weeks... once it warms up here in Charleston then my tap is usually fine... knocking on wood). Even if the water aging isn't the problem, Liz is still right because of process of elimination (is it tank set up? Is it new dw I introduced? Is it new Aquascape? Is it just the personality of my current group? etc). Just too many variables to confirm if the rescaping was the reason (or even sole reason). My gut tells me it was rescaping but my gut also says, "I'm not as positive as normal" ;)