thekeem
11-09-2008, 04:46 PM
Hi all :) new to the forums
My name's keem and I am (very) new to the discus keeping hobby. I have a 90G planted community tank whose residents were evacuated to make for a discus tank.
I have 3 discus, 2 are unidentified (im assuming both males) who are about 3.5 inches in height bought a week apart from the same store, they always lived together in peace, ate together, swam together, etc. Recently, however, one of them is getting increasingly territorial and physically violent.
At first, i didn't make much of it, thinking it normal behaviour. Now, while both these fish appear healthy, one is constantly terrified. He hides in the back and is instantly terrorised if he ever tries to come out to the front of the tank. He barely eats, just mows over the bloodworms seeming interested but rarely going for it for fear of the alpha male.
I got worried, and I went out to buy the alpha a woman to appease him (I like how im under the thumb of a fish the size of a tea biscuit). She is a bit smaller than the other 2, and im fairly certain she's a female but its too young to tell (honestly the only thing im able to gauge this on in juveniles is the shape of the back of the dorsal fin, and whether or not it has a tangent on it). The antagonist still continues his reign of terror and occassionally i see nips in the other 2's fins which is pretty infuriating.
Sometimes when hes chasing them i feel like i just wanna stick my hand in there and agitate to see how he likes it :P
Anyway, Sorry for this being so long, i wanted to be as detailed as i could so you guys could help me. Are there any methods for cutting down on aggression? it's a huge tank they're only 3 fish. Should i feed the bloodworms by hand like i do with my angels? I want my fish to be less like predators and more like timid, moon-faced simpletons.
My name's keem and I am (very) new to the discus keeping hobby. I have a 90G planted community tank whose residents were evacuated to make for a discus tank.
I have 3 discus, 2 are unidentified (im assuming both males) who are about 3.5 inches in height bought a week apart from the same store, they always lived together in peace, ate together, swam together, etc. Recently, however, one of them is getting increasingly territorial and physically violent.
At first, i didn't make much of it, thinking it normal behaviour. Now, while both these fish appear healthy, one is constantly terrified. He hides in the back and is instantly terrorised if he ever tries to come out to the front of the tank. He barely eats, just mows over the bloodworms seeming interested but rarely going for it for fear of the alpha male.
I got worried, and I went out to buy the alpha a woman to appease him (I like how im under the thumb of a fish the size of a tea biscuit). She is a bit smaller than the other 2, and im fairly certain she's a female but its too young to tell (honestly the only thing im able to gauge this on in juveniles is the shape of the back of the dorsal fin, and whether or not it has a tangent on it). The antagonist still continues his reign of terror and occassionally i see nips in the other 2's fins which is pretty infuriating.
Sometimes when hes chasing them i feel like i just wanna stick my hand in there and agitate to see how he likes it :P
Anyway, Sorry for this being so long, i wanted to be as detailed as i could so you guys could help me. Are there any methods for cutting down on aggression? it's a huge tank they're only 3 fish. Should i feed the bloodworms by hand like i do with my angels? I want my fish to be less like predators and more like timid, moon-faced simpletons.