It took four months, but I waited them out.

[adapted]

I had an onset of skittishness back in the summer that I posted about. Nothing I tried seemed to help. The fish -- 8 adult wilds in a 120 gallon tank -- looked fine and ate well, but they would panic a half dozen times a day. I tried more water changes, fewer water changes, added 20 cardinal tetras, made sure there was enough substrate to keep the bottom glass from showing, more subdued lighting, etc.. but no change.

I was about to pack it in because there isn't much pleasure in keeping fish that hide all day and intermittently break into wild stampedes. They were getting some injuries, nothing too bad, but it was miserable seeing them so out of sorts.


Then about 10 days ago, they decided that things were basically okay again. They came out hoping for food, they swim around normally. At least for now, things are fine.

The big lesson to take from this is the value of patience. After taking common sense steps to fix a problem, sometimes you just have to let things run their course.



http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t450/mcsadapted/P1040284_zps79f23793.jpg (http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/mcsadapted/media/P1040284_zps79f23793.jpg.html)

[Second Hand Pat]

And well worth the wait. They look awesome.

[jim LI]

nice looking discus..

[adapted]

Thanks Pat. They're pretty fish, but boy do they squabble. Each one of them seems to have divided their tankmates into two groups:

1 Fish I don't like.
2.Fish I REALLY don't like.

They almost never leave a mark, but there's non-stop glaring and waggling and mock charging. The funny thing is they never get anything settled. I just ignore them.. I think it's what they do for entertainment..

[Larry Bugg]

Definitely worth the wait. They are stunning. One of the big differences between wilds and domestics is how long they sometimes take to settle in. I have a tank of wilds that are very docile with each other and another tank that they are always showing some aggression. Like yours with no damage but charging and butting.

[jsullins]

They look great!

[OC Discus]

If you give up, let me know and I'll meet you 1/2 way and pick them up, tank and all.

Glad you hung in there.

[adapted]

Probably would have taken you up on that offer six weeks ago...

[Rudustin]

They are beautiful wilds. Good luck and glad you had the patience.

[Larry Grenier]

Fabulous fish! Glad they are finally settling down.

[YSS]

Congrats! Your fish look great.

[zergling]

Lovely fish!

[adapted]

Just to clarify, these fish had been fine for months, then for no obvious reason became skittish. They were getting daily 50% WC's and excellent food but in mid-August they decided they were scared of me and the slightest movement would set them off. That hasn't happened in two weeks or so now.

[OC Discus]

Miscommunication. Something unknown to you may have scared one of them. Maybe a flashback to when they were in the Amazon and someone reached in and picked them up.

[aovifo]

nice looking discus..
Just wonderful and great looking discus. When you are so pretty you have the prevelege to behave bad

[Rudustin]

Just to clarify, these fish had been fine for months, then for no obvious reason became skittish. They were getting daily 50% WC's and excellent food but in mid-August they decided they were scared of me and the slightest movement would set them off. That hasn't happened in two weeks or so now. I have Altum Floras. One set of them is incredibly jumpy still and I have had them for quite a while now. The other set are very friendly and come right to the front of the tank looking for food. Who know why! Once again your discus are stunningly beautiful. Rufus

[adapted]

Thanks for all the kind comments. Half the reason I enjoy them is their appearance. The other half is the challenge of figure out how to provide an optimal habitat for them. It isn't always easy. And it certainly isn't cheap, but I can't think of anything I have found more rewarding over time.

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t450/mcsadapted/blue_zps76f0632e.jpg (http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/mcsadapted/media/blue_zps76f0632e.jpg.html)