Question: Aggressive behavior by an alpha juvie !

[discuspaul]

Hi All,
I'm new to simplydiscus & hope someone can help !

Am maintaining 6 juvenile discus in a 55 gal. growout tank.
Fish sizes are 2.75" to approx. 4.0"
The largest one has grown more quickly than the others & has recently taken to bullying all of the others incessantly - throughout the tank - except @ feeding times, when he is too busy feeding his own face to bother the others.
(This does not appear in any way to be "territorial" - cause it's the whole tank.)
While there doesn't appear to be any serious damage being done, it's no doubt quite stressful to the others, who do have to "hide out" from time to time, to get some respite from the constant barrage.

I know that, while this type of behavior is quite normal for discus, this fish's pecking order antics seem to have gone beyond the norm, and is very irritating for me, as well as for the other juvies.
Anyone have any suggestions on altering this behavior ?
I have been informed that permanent removal of the bully will likely just result in another taking his/her place in the pecking order, although it may not be quite as bad as this.
Temporary removal for a period of time may be another option, but I'm told on fairly good authority, I believe, that this seldom works, if the situation is serious. Besides, I don't have another spare tank to accomplish this.
I could return the fish to the seller & exchange, but that may be just going from one problem to another similar problem, as in the first comment above.
I really don't want to consider a tank divider, as it is a planted "show" tank,
and I don't wish to spoil the overall appearance.
Any thoughts for me ?
discuspaul

[Discus master]

Well you could buy one of those floating tanks or hang on this side tanks that has slots in it so water flow thru it from the main tank you could try that for a bit to see how it goes,

I actually just had to get rid of a reall pretty snow white who was bullying so bad it was injurying other fish and I tried everything I could think of seperate tank making him the new commer isolation scare him with a net at feeding seperat him in the main tank I mean everything went thru this for two weeks and decided that I am not risking 6 other fish becuase of one even though his shape was near perfect I mean that so I had to do the un thinkable and well get ri of him I ll say

so now there is another king but no where near as agresive as this guy was I mean he is the boss but very laid back and does not hrt the others and he lets every one eat so I think I made a good call, if all else fails you may have to think of the un thinkable and think to your self is one fish worth it for the othes sake even if you love the fish as I did

[John_Nicholson]

What you are seeing is 100% normal. You really can't change nature. The only thing that helps is more fish.

-john