Freaked out Discus!

[RichardP]

Hey guys,

Well ive had my 9 juvinile discus for about 2 weeks now in the 74x24x24 (6ft) tank and they seemed fine the first day.

Now they are all scared and when i put my hand up to feed them the jolt off to the corner and group up.

Even when i walk into the room and walk up to about 4 metres away from the tank they freak out aswell!.

Im not sure but is it because my tank is low and when i walk up its scary to them because i look big or in a higher position because.

I can sit on the floor and atch them for a while then they become normal, but any sudden movement and they freak out.

what do i do!

cheers
Richard

[Tristanyyz]

Nice sized tank, your discus will love you for it!

As long as you are doing daily water changes of 30% or more, with 24 airiated, and heated water, they should be happy.

It takes Discus some time to settle in. As long as they are not gasping for air at the surface of the tank, or turning dark in colour, you should be ok.

Go out and buy an accurate 3 digit, digital thermometer, incase you have to raise the heat, and add salt. This cures lots of things. The maximum I would raise the temperature is 33-34C MAXIMUM.

My wilds used to get scared and dash around a bit, this is normal. They used to get freaked out when I changed my bedsheets, as my 150 gallon tank is at the foot of my bed. They dont even notice now.
Regards,
Michael

[bernie82]

Hi Richard. Here's some suggestions to make them more comfortable.
Cover the back and sides of the tank with nice background foil. Cover the bottom with something the fish can't see through. They don't seem to like going to the bottom and seeing a void. I guess they feel bottom should be the bottom.
Your tank is at least 200 gallons or more. They have been raised by the breeder in much smaller tanks. They are probably intimadated by their enormous new home.
I have noticed that fish are happiest at eye level with their caretakers.
I think changing 30% of the water daily is a bit extreme for tank of that size with only 9 fish in it unless the fish weigh about 5 pounds each. (just kidding).
Check the water temperture, the ammonia level, nitrates, and nitrates.
Hopefully you tank is bare bottom. Make sure your water is free of chloramines (call the local water company to find out). If they are adding choramine, use Amquil by Kordon. Using aged water is better than straight tap. There may be some chlorine in your water that's making them uncomfortable.
Keep the tank light off for a few weeks and see if that helps. They may have been raised without overhead tank lighting.
Good luck and may your fish prosper and multiply.
Bernie.

[DarkDiscus]

Shadows would be the simple answer - make sure you are not passing between any windows and your tank or a bright external light and the tank. The fish do get used to this, but early on shadows freak them out.

Vibrations also make for nervous fish. Al has a story about how his fish in the tank near his water pump used to freak out - the vibrations of the pump coming on made the fish nervous.

Bacteria in the water or fluctuating water conditions also make for nervous fish. How have your water changes been going.

I found, thanks also to Al's advice, that leaving the lights on 24 hrs a day really helped a lot in making my fish calmer and more active.


John

[RichardP]

Hey Guys,

Yeah thanks for the help.

Micheal: well im only doing 20% w/c's every two days and siphoning gunk left after feeding.

Bernie: I was thinking of maybe sticking in some blue background for them would that help?. Also i have the foam sheet at the bottom of the tank is that ok or too bright for them?, and yes my tank is BB. Well not much i can do about the height of the tank i guess hey?
Im pretty sure my tank water is free of chlorine and chloramines because i used Prime to get rid of all of that including ammonia and im using aged water for water changes. Also ill try leaving the light on 24/7

John: Yeah it could be the shadows that are scaring them but im sure theres no vibrations or anything to do with the water.

Well ill try the methods you guys told me and see which works best, just hope they dont get stressed too much.

[bernie82]

When these guys leave the light on 24 -7, I'm pretty sure they don't mean the light fixture on top of the tank. I think they mean a light on in the room where the tank is. Maybe the breeder who raised these fish never used a direct light that sits on top of the tank. Any background is fine. I'd consider background on the sides as well.

[DarkDiscus]

Actually I do leave my tank lights on 24 hours a day. I personally prefer to put a few squares of aluminum foil under the light to keep the light intensity down, but many don't even do that.

I tried just keeping the room light on and found that created shadows when I moved through the room which didn't help any.

I would strongly suggest more than a 20% w/c every 2 days if you can manage it. Even in a nice big tank juvie fish will eat A LOT of food and make a lot of waste. I'd feel comfortable with 33% a day, if you can manage it.

Take care,

John

[RichardP]

Hey Dark,

What do u mean put the foil under the light? do you mean just get the silver allimuinium foil and put it inder the aquarium light?

cheers
Richard

[April]

hi Richard. glad you got your fish. only other suggestion i can suggest it....make sure your ph isnt sliding. if it is it can cause them to become skittish.
also...i bet its cause their in a big tank. i would go to a hardware store and get the lighting plastic grid stuff and make a divider. put them in half or a third. you still get teh benefit of lots of nice clean water but their confined for now in a smaller area. they will feel way more secure. id bet your skittishness will change. then feed them tiny bits at a time so they get used to coming up for food.
i was told to use foam or something between the tank and the divider stuff to fit tight. cant remember what they call that stuff. looks like icecube trays. goes on the flourescent ligths in the ceilings.

[Very Fishy]

Sometimes it is just a matter of being patient and it just takes time (many weeks) for them to settle in. I thought my discus would never stop freaking when I approached the tank. It went on for many weeks. I have had them 6 months now and for the most part they are now friendly when I approach. Every once in a while they still go nuts though.

[DarkDiscus]

Richard,

Yeah, I put the foil between the strip light and the glass cover. It dims the lighting just a bit.

Fishy,

I agree, young fish especially can take a while to settle in, but since he mentioned the fish were initially not timid, it seems there may very well be another cause.


John

[RichardP]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the help.

I think ill just put in the foil and let them fit into the tank by times goes.

Last night i sat on a chair and fed them bits of Colorbits, they ran off to the other side then slowly came back to the food and went up top to the tank as if they were asking for more. I put my arm up slowly but then they just run off again.

cheers
Richard

[RyanH]

As long as your water parameters are normal, this is probably just normal adjustment behavior. My juveniles did this for a couple of months and now whenever they see me they shoot for the glass and beg for food. It just takes time for them to get to know you. My fish used to hide for the rest of the afternoon whenever I did water changes as well. Now they come out and peck at the tube as I syphon out their waste. Be patient, move slowly around the tank for awhile, do your water changes, and check your water parameters often. It will not be long before your fish recognize you as their food source.

hth! -Ryan

[RichardP]

Thanks for the tip ryan!

Well ive taken off the tank light to see if it will change anything.

ill tell u guys how it goes.

Richard