How to help the super senstive discus?

[happyniu]

I have a 4" discus that's super sensitive. every time i turn on the light it freaks out and start swimming like crazy.. sometimes it will swim into the glass and hurt itself.. needless to say that he/she makes every one else nervese.. including me!! i put a blankt over the tank so that it can't see the people walking around the tank. but i can't see my fish any more either.. kinds defeats th purpose of have a show tank...

what can i do to ease its anxioty??

[mikel]

Hi Hapy: I would do several things, but note that I am not very experienced. Given that discus are relative shy and sensitive to begin with...

1) Try not to provide too bright a lighting for the whole tank.
2) what's your water readings? Is it neutral or slightly acidic?
3) How many discus are in your tank? How big is the tank? At least five is best. Where is he/she on the discus hierarchy? Top or bottom member?
4) If bare bottom, you might try some clay pots with plastic plants (ykes!) to give him some place to hide (and still relative ease in care, since you cannot kill plastic plants). The reverse psychology is that if you provide hiding places, he/she will be assured and more confident.
5) make sure your water change regiment is as good as possible. No such thing as too often. Like a more experience member noted...it's all in the water for discus!!!!!

Good luck to you. mike

[happyniu]

i have a 100 gal with 15 2"-4" discus in there. mostly 2". i also have drift wood and plants in here. i haven't tested the water yet.. but i should do that!! they hide behide the wood around the bottom. not all of them hide though.. only one of my discus do that and i am pretty sure he/she is healthy. just shy~~
thanks mike~

[geleen]

i have a 100 gal with 15 2"-4" discus in there. mostly 2". i also have drift wood and plants in here. i haven't tested the water yet.. but i should do that!! they hide behide the wood around the bottom. not all of them hide though.. only one of my discus do that and i am pretty sure he/she is healthy. just shy~~
thanks mike~

In addition to daily water changes with aged water I have had good success with purigen in the filter.
I would remove all plants and wood and go bare bottom until they have grown to 4-5 "
J

[mikel]

I agree with J. But if you realy want a planted tank, then you wiill have to work even harder to make sure the water is as clean as possible. Even small traces of nitrates will stunt a growing discus, and so it cannot be overly stated here.

If only one of your fish is "shy", then I think you will be ok. I know that we all care and love our precious fish, but they have their own way of doing things. Discus are aggressive to each other, and highly competitive. There will always be one runt that is the punching bag of the group...and it looks like your little guy is that fish.

The only thing for you to do is to make sure to get im some food so that he doesnt fall too far behind in growth. mike

[barrowkwan]

same situation here. all my 4" discus are so stressed and swimming crazy whenever someone walk by ( even walk very slowly ). Two weeks ago, I bought 4 1.5" blue diamond and they are not that crazy at all. They like to beg for food. within a week, one of the 4" discus follow the little blue diamond to come to me for food. What I learn

1. Discus really need to be in a large group to suffer from this shy/stress situation especially in new enviornment ( so the 4 blue diamond probably make the other feel more safe )
2. Need patient, patient, patient.. like other said, do the usual stuff like water change, watch them as much as you can.... they will get used to you soon.
3. Train them like the dolphin in the sea world :D after I got the 4 blue diamond, I will feed them one little cube of bloodworm whenever I watch them and after I do water change etc.. they make them think I am not coming to attack them but give them what they always wants "FOOD"!!! if they do jump like the dolphin, I think I will give them 2 little cube of bloodworm LOL

hope this help...

[happyniu]

thank you guys for your help~~ my smaller guys started to come out and for food now when i walk by, but as soon as the "big mamas" starts to freak out, they all run for their lifes... so sad to watch them bomp their heads on the glass. and he bigger they are , the more sensitive they are. i just can't turn on the light at all or they will hurt themselves...

i will pay more attention and hope for the best~ thank you guys.

by the way, does adding salt work at all or i shouldn't do that....
if i do add salt, do i need to do daily water changes or not??

[mikel]

Salt (aquarium salt, not iodined salt) is ok for general treatment of exterior. It also stimulate slime buildup and help with gill functions. But I would not use salt as a regular regiment. Keep your water readings excellent, and keep up the water changes....make sure the water is 84 F and that's all you can do. mike

[Autumn Wind]

I had the same problem with my juvies I'm growing out and I bought some long fake silk plants and hung them upside down on both ends of the tank. It helped considerably giving them a hiding place to feel more secure and they now have fun playing in the long trailing plants. And since they ahng they don't get in they way when I clean the tank. They have all learned now when I come to turn the light on they will all tuck themselves under the plants until their eyes adjust to the light. They are so smart :D

[happyniu]

I took out a piece of drift wood yesterday and they seems to be doing better... maybe because they are running out of place to hide??

should i keep my light on during the day to let them get used to it? i took out one of the light the tank hood too so its not that bright....

i attached some pictures.. it's a 100 gal tank. the pictures was taken before they went coo coo which is not that long ago...

[Autumn Wind]

Do you have your lights on a timer? I see your tank is in the corner of the room and if you turn on the room light first and then walk over and turn the tank lights on it might be the shadowy figure of you coming toward them that freaks them out.
just thought of that