Hello from Netherlands

Hi everyone,
I'm from the Netherlands and started keeping discus since saturday. :)
I'm 39 now and thank you for this informative website.

I hope to learn a lot from you all.

Since I’m here i like to ask some questions if you don't mind.

Saturday i bought 6 stendker discus 10 to 12cm. 4/4.5 inches.
I have read here that new fish need time to settle. Here is what I have experience with my fish so far.

First evening: Fish is inside my 90 gallon tank and water is 86f.
They start to hide the first hour or so then started to come out. I throw a stendkare beef heart and they start to attack it like crazy. The cobalt didn't look very interested but ate some though.
Next morning. Same situation but cobalt didn’t eat any more. Others did. Through the day they hide time to time and eating behavior didn’t seems to change. Last meal of the day was same situation.
This morning I noticed that a light twig with Anubis on it has fallen down last night. They sleep under a blue light. After feeding this morning I can see now the second discus is not eating eighter. A blue diamond.
I do a 30-40% water change a day and the tank is 1 year old. New filter I placed is 4 weeks old with my old bio media in it. To start up things. I also add benofetional bacteria after every water change. To make sure the overload don’t go crazy.

Do I need to worry? It’s 2 and half days now that they are in my tank. I got 6 coydoras 5 harlequins 1 big angle and one small one. No one is attacking any other. I did change the gravel to sand 9 days ago and did a big water change after it. Other fish did/do absolutely fine. Discus are coming out when I turn the light off more often. And I think after the water change too. It looks like it at least . So what do you guys think. Oh and the tank has some plant in the left corner with some twigs in it. Enough hiding places that they love to use it seems. No2-3-4 are all 0 al the time. Ph around 7.6.
thanks.

Funny thing is, when i get near the glas with my head they all come to see me. Asking for food when i rise my hand. Dimond blue just ate some flakes of the sand. Here is a picture of them to get a better view. Don't mind the dirty glass lol. it's clean now.
Attachment 132327

Update:
Cobalt has started to eat as well. Well kind of. He doesn't like me near the tank it seems. When i walk away he starts to eat.

When new I don’t feed the first day and leave the light off. This gives them a chance to calm down and the time off from food makes them hungry. It will take time. Some don’t eat for more than 2 weeks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Iminit

When new I don’t feed the first day and leave the light off. This gives them a chance to calm down and the time off from food makes them hungry. It will take time. Some don’t eat for more than 2 weeks.

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Thanks. I'll keep that in mind for the next discus.

So they are all got used to me. Well except the other day seeing me with a black jacket. They where running for their dear life. I see now the best way to feed them all and feed them well is by hand feeding. Holding the stendker good heart till it's finished works best. I keep it toward the cobalt and he feeds well. Everybody eats well like this. Biting my hand time to time tho :love:
I feed them 3 time a day and once dry food. Not all of them like the dry food. I also ordered the hikari viber bites. See how that goes. I need them to eat that in case I'm on a vacation and automatic feeder taking over.

Hey Tinzo,

Welcome to Simply Discus! Congrats on the new discus and hope they are awesome for you! There could be many reasons why one or two may not be eating while the rest of the group is. Main thing is to keep up with the water change regimen, feeding schedule, and ensuring you have good clean water for them to thrive. Smart idea to switch to a sand substrate by the way! Much easier on the discus vs dirt or gravel options. Anyways, continue monitoring and watching their behaviors. Should any turn dark, stay in corners or at the surface, and continue to not eat, then concern will be warranted. Since it's been less than a week, continue to monitor the discus from afar and let them make themselves at home.

I tell my friends that have gotten into discus and fish keeping, that when you have new fish you need to give them some room. It's like being a waiter at a restaurant. It's okay to ensure the guests have plenty of liquids and their food comes out on time and tastes delicious, but no need to hover over the table and creep them out. haha That's my little analogy since one of my buddies is a waiter. haha

Good luck and keep us up to date!

Phil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phil4Discus

Hey Tinzo,

Welcome to Simply Discus! Congrats on the new discus and hope they are awesome for you! There could be many reasons why one or two may not be eating while the rest of the group is. Main thing is to keep up with the water change regimen, feeding schedule, and ensuring you have good clean water for them to thrive. Smart idea to switch to a sand substrate by the way! Much easier on the discus vs dirt or gravel options. Anyways, continue monitoring and watching their behaviors. Should any turn dark, stay in corners or at the surface, and continue to not eat, then concern will be warranted. Since it's been less than a week, continue to monitor the discus from afar and let them make themselves at home.

I tell my friends that have gotten into discus and fish keeping, that when you have new fish you need to give them some room. It's like being a waiter at a restaurant. It's okay to ensure the guests have plenty of liquids and their food comes out on time and tastes delicious, but no need to hover over the table and creep them out. haha That's my little analogy since one of my buddies is a waiter. haha

Good luck and keep us up to date!

Phil

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Thank you very much Phil. They love the stendker heart but not all of them like dry food. I feed them 3 times a day the heart by hand so everyone gets a bite or two and one time a day hikari vibra bites or tropical discus gran. The prefer the last one more it seems. Water changes is every Saturday and Wednesdays about 30 to 50% i can do both doesn't bother me. It's just longer waiting till tank is more empty. I test the water every other day. NO2 is zero all the time but no3 stays at 25ppm. I just bought some seachem matrix to lower that too. But i swear they have gone bigger in 2 weeks. Or it's just my imagination XD