Moving back the harassed fish

[Koma]

I started a discus tank about six months ago...500 liters with 15 discus purchased from a same breeder they were about 6cm in size at the time. They were all from the same breeder, not all were the same size since some were a month older then others. After they all settled down they started establishing who is who in the tank. Not anything too violent just some hits here and there. After about 3 months the packing order was clear and some fish lagged behind in development. To be exact there were two fish that grew little, only to about 8cm while the rest were about 14-15. The biggest fish at the time (and still) and most violent one was the big blue diamond about 18cm in size and he really gave those two a hard time. he was hitting them so much that they started to turn sideways. One of those two eventually died...other one was in bad shape as well. I decided to scoop it up and move it to my 180l (planted tank - small 5cm clown loaches x4 and 10neon tetras, o yeah bristlenose pleco about 6cm as well)tank.
The fish was bad for the first 2 or 3 days, but started eating eventually, and got much better. The fish is now about 12 cm eating like a pig and really seems to enjoy his/her home.
My dilemma here is...do I move the fish back and disturb the status quo in both tanks, or leave everything as it is and perhaps....I don't know get him some new tank mates.
I would really appreciate your advice here, I don't want to disturb my 500l tank, but also 1 discus alone just looks sad...I have no idea...please help
Any ideas? Can I perhaps add more size appropriate fish to 180?

[Koma]

Is this the right place to post this kind of issue? The problem I have is not urgent, but I would really appreciate the advice of some more experienced discus keepers.

[Filip]

Hi neighbour and welcome you to Simply discus forum .
You got a very tricky problem here Koma and I'm not really sure what would be the best option .
I would try to put back the small discus once again in your main tank , and take the bully out for a 2-3 weeks in a separate tank to see if that can help the aggression issues you are facing .Maybe the weak fish have gotten better in a meanwhile and maybe he will be able to resist the attacks from the bully .
If that does not help then I guess you will have no choice than to leave the beaten one in your planted tank .

On the other hand I'm really surprised how did the aggression from the bully become so strong espetialy towards the 2 discus in a big batch with 15 discus and a 500l tank .
i suspect they might had been weak or had some health issues right from the start since they were the only 2 bullied so hard.

[Filip]

Is this the right place to post this kind of issue? The problem I have is not urgent, but I would really appreciate the advice of some more experienced discus keepers.

General discus discussion might have been more appropriate section to post this , but begginers section also does the job , so don't worry about it Koma .

P.S. I would really like to see a thread about your aquarium and discus with full info and pics included in ours Tanks journal section Koma , so please share them with us here .

[Koma]

Thank you Filip!

Maybe the weak fish have gotten better in a meanwhile and maybe he will be able to resist the attacks from the bully .

The weak fish did get better, appetite returned she started growing again, almost doubled in size and the color has never been better. The bully didn't only attack those two, but they seem to took it the hardest he is still bumping everyone in the tank when they get too close (they usually avoid the guy its almost like he claimed half of the tank and whoever ventures close gets slapped). The bully is not always like it he charges and stops close to the fish and turns around but if the other fish doesn't move it gets chased around.

nd take the bully out for a 2-3 weeks in a separate tank

I'm limited to those two tanks so I can only rotate them :/ I have 120l but its empty and I'm not sure I can do anything about cycling atm...

P.S. I would really like to see a thread about your aquarium and discus with full info and pics included in ours Tanks journal section Koma , so please share them with us here .

I will post photos of everything, but I cant promise if its going to be today or in a week I have a really hectic work schedule of late...
I uploaded few to album when I had the time and among them is one that perfectly depicts the situation in the tank. The bully is not in the photo, all the other fish are behind the driftwood trying to avoid him. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/album....hmentid=106947

[Filip]

I would rotate /Swap the bully with the other discus in your planted tank for a couple of weeks to month to see if the "penitentiary" could shake his confidence a bit .

I had a similar crazy discus that made my whole discus tank look empty and dull from discus hiding . After a couple of unsuccesfull shots with him left in a solitary tank I finnaly give up and gave him away .
The discus interactions and activity in my tank was perfect after his moving .

And don't worry about your tank intro. Koma .
If you have and whenever you have time , feel free to introduce your tank and discus in a thread .

[Koma]

Thanks again for the quick reply! I will try rotating the two and then returning the bully after couple of weeks, hopefully it helps, because I don't think I can give him away :/ I'll let you know if it worked or not.
P.S. I was passing through Macedonia just the other week, stopped at Mrzenci...THE BEST LAM PERIOD!!!

[Dhavalsp]

Koma, i would refrain from all the transferring...why mess with things when they are going well...you are lucky to have a planted tank that acts as a back up...with 15 in (500l)125G...you may feel the need to move 2-3 discus out of your 500l tank..they can go straight to your planted tank....

personally, i would not mess with what you have..the fact that the single guy is growing and getting better can be taken as an indication that he/she likes it that way..

Filip, you are quite a daredevil...trying psychological techniques on your biggest (bully generally is)...

[Filip]

Thanks again for the quick reply! I will try rotating the two and then returning the bully after couple of weeks, hopefully it helps, because I don't think I can give him away :/ I'll let you know if it worked or not.
P.S. I was passing through Macedonia just the other week, stopped at Mrzenci...THE BEST LAM PERIOD!!!

I agree with you on that one Koma .
Mrzenci village restaurant surely is the hell on earth for lambs but heaven for all the gourmets and hedonists

Dhavals advice's are also sound and good . 16 discus might be a hassle for a 500 l tank for the long run .

And please send us your feedback on results whatever you decide to do with your bully discus .

[Koma]

Thank you both, I'll leave things as they are for some more time hopefully aggression stops in the main tank, or at least there is less of it... And yea I agree its a bit too small for that many but I bought them small and didn't really expect everyone (except the one that died) to survive...I'll move few as soon as I find the time.
And so the planted tank becomes a discus one hahaha

I'll keep you updated

[Dhavalsp]

Thank you both, I'll leave things as they are for some more time hopefully aggression stops in the main tank, or at least there is less of it... And yea I agree its a bit too small for that many but I bought them small and didn't really expect everyone (except the one that died) to survive...I'll move few as soon as I find the time.
And so the planted tank becomes a discus one hahaha

I'll keep you updated

+1...good luck. keep us posted. looking forward to some pics.