10 days and they're still especially skittish...

[Jetlander]

Hello, all. First time post here and I have a question. I have 3 discus that I purchased 10 days ago and they readily come out if they don't see anyone in the room. However, the minute they detect anyone entering, all three go crashing around the tank looking for somewhere to hid. Other than their skittishness, there are no other outward signs of stress or disease.

They generally hang out behind a medium sized piece of driftwood until they think the coast is clear, and then they all come back out, either to cruise around or scavage the food I just added. It is a 75 gallon planted community tank with about 2 dozen tetras. Honestly I was hoping the tetras (who are always cruising around no matter what) would create a more secure feeling for the discus. My water parameters are as follows:

pH - 7.6 (city tap) always rock solid and never changes even with water changes
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 5-10 ppm

All of these numbers are rock solid and never change. I complete a 20% water change everyday and 50% once a week.

Any ideas on how long this behaviour will last? Would a couple more discus add to their sense of security?

Thanks in advance

[discuspaul]

Welcome to the forum.

At times it can take up to as much as 2 to 3 weeks or so before discus become quite comfortable with new surroundings - so be patient but continue with your normal activity around the tank.
Over time, you may well experience some undesirable pecking order aggression problems with just 3 fish. They should be kept in a group of minimum 5, preferably more.
But when you add more, ensure you do a proper quarantine to avoid any cross-contamination, even if you get more discus from the same source as the existing three.

Do you have any pics yet ?
Best of luck to you.

[mkng07]

Your parameters look good, from my experience, I would consider this normal behavior. Took my 3" discus almost two weeks before they started to act normal. That doesn't mean they acted normal after two weeks completely but they just weren't trying as hard to hide. You didn't mention the size of your discus but generally, the smaller the discus, the longer it takes them to acclimate from my experience. The adults generally seem to take the shipping process better than the smaller fish but that rule is not true for all fish. Its like people, some adults get air sick all the time flying in a plane but some people never do.

Just keep doing what your doing and give them some time :)

[Rudustin]

What temperature are you keep in the tank?

[Jetlander]

It is at 83 degrees. One particular discus is the worst and because he bolts, they all bolt. Should I remove the driftwood in an attempt to open up the tank and remove the hiding spots? Often times they crash into it, and have even knocked off a several scales. I'm afraid they'll become prone to infection due to the stress and minor injuries. Additionally, my thought process is that if they can't hide all the time they'll invariably become desensitized quicker. Thoughts?

[Phillydubs]

I would totally Recomend upping the # of the group ..

[Ryan]

Three discus is too few discus, IMO, especially if they're small, and in a tank that large.