Impaling Discus on driftwood?

[ESXiGuy]

Was considering adding some driftwood to my planted tank for beauty and providing more spots for my plecos to hide but I am having second thoughts with the Discus chasing each other around.

Is it a rational concern for a Discus to injure other Discus from chasing them around pointed branches? There's also the if I surprise them suddenly movements as well.

[LizStreithorst]

It has happened many times. Avoid pointy branches.

[Solid]

I have quite a bit of sharp branches in my tank. My discus do occasionally scratch themselves on the branches particularly when they were first introduced. It happens a lot less now because the discus are calmer and the wood has softened a bit. They have never really hurt themselves as the scratches ussually heal in 24 hours. I will warn that even light scratches can become an infection under poor conditions and what really scares me is if they scratch or lose an eye! My "do as I say not what I practice" reccomendation is If you are set on a natural looking tank try and find thicker smooth wood and cut off or sand down any parts that can scratch or stick them.

[Rudustin]

I have some fake drift wood in one of my tanks and it had a few sharper edges to it and the discus in that tank are young and tend to spook if I walk to fast into the room. They have scratched themselves and it does bother me and at some point tomorrow during water changes I plan to remove the piece from the tank. So, my recommendation is that you be careful about the drift wood because if there are sharp prongs on it the likely hood is that they may injure themselves. Rufus

[DiscusBR]

I have quite a bit of sharp branches in my tank. My discus do occasionally scratch themselves on the branches particularly when they were first introduced. It happens a lot less now because the discus are calmer and the wood has softened a bit. They have never really hurt themselves as the scratches ussually heal in 24 hours. I will warn that even light scratches can become an infection under poor conditions and what really scares me is if they scratch or lose an eye! My "do as I say not what I practice" reccomendation is If you are set on a natural looking tank try and find thicker smooth wood and cut off or sand down any parts that can scratch or stick them.

+1

[lksdrinker]

It seems that hobbyists often over think this kind of stuff....especially when dealing with discus (myself included). I'm sure wild discus often see driftwood and some of it can be pointy. Could it cause a problem? Sure! But so could a million other things that are used in the hobby. If the fish is spooked enough it could swim full speed into the side of the tank causing an injury. I say give it a try and watch your fish carefully. If it ends up being a problem then you can remove it later.

[navarro1950]

I have driftwood that I am going to add to my tank. I used a dremel with a course sanding tube and cut ALL the pointed and sharp edges down and now I have it soaking in a large trash can (plastic) until it is not floating and soft enough to put in my tank.

[DISCUS STU]

It has happened many times. Avoid pointy branches.

Good advice. I recently read a post about a Discus that died this way. It's probably a good idea to have a large tank in relation to the size of the driftwood and branches.

[Kyla]

discus, like any fish, can get spooked and bolt. they can also get in scraps and dash around the tank. they are large fish, and with sharp branches or decor in their tank they can easily scratch and injure themselves.

any hard decor can lead to injuries, so u have to weigh the risks. even an intake tube or heater guard would be hard enough to injure a fish if it's startled and slams into it. i would say you can definitely keep them in a tank with spidery wood, but sanding down any sharp edges is a really good idea.

i have a large smooth log in my tank, but my female who lays eggs on it every week has managed to somehow scratch herself on the slate BASE of the decor a few times now. here's a pic of the decor. im keeping it in the tank for now... but if i could shave down the slate edges somehow that would make me feel much better...

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/kylasfish/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrljxyqx1.jpg (http://s296.photobucket.com/user/kylasfish/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrljxyqx1.jpg.html)

[Kyla]

discus, like any fish, can get spooked and bolt. they can also get in scraps and dash around the tank. they are large fish, and with sharp branches or decor in their tank they can easily scratch and injure themselves.

any hard decor can lead to injuries, so u have to weigh the risks. even an intake tube or heater guard would be hard enough to injure a fish if it's startled and slams into it. i would say you can definitely keep them in a tank with spidery wood, but sanding down any sharp edges is a really good idea.

i have a large smooth log in my tank, but my female who lays eggs on it every week has managed to somehow scratch herself on the slate BASE of the decor a few times now. here's a pic of the decor. im keeping it in the tank for now... but if i could shave down the slate edges somehow that would make me feel much better...

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/kylasfish/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrljxyqx1.jpg (http://s296.photobucket.com/user/kylasfish/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrljxyqx1.jpg.html)

lol not sure how i accidentally linked "intake tube" to a look up in amazon... im still learning how to use the forum, sorry!

[DISCUS STU]

discus, like any fish, can get spooked and bolt. they can also get in scraps and dash around the tank. they are large fish, and with sharp branches or decor in their tank they can easily scratch and injure themselves.

any hard decor can lead to injuries, so u have to weigh the risks. even an intake tube or heater guard would be hard enough to injure a fish if it's startled and slams into it. i would say you can definitely keep them in a tank with spidery wood, but sanding down any sharp edges is a really good idea.

i have a large smooth log in my tank, but my female who lays eggs on it every week has managed to somehow scratch herself on the slate BASE of the decor a few times now. here's a pic of the decor. im keeping it in the tank for now... but if i could shave down the slate edges somehow that would make me feel much better...

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/kylasfish/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrljxyqx1.jpg (http://s296.photobucket.com/user/kylasfish/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrljxyqx1.jpg.html)

That's a really beautiful wild fish. I would call it a blue but others may have the more exact name.