Why do all my discuses always hide at the corner of the tank?

[vincentliu89]

Hi guys, i have 9 discuses in my 55 gallon tank. They all about 2-4" big. Its been a week since i got them. They always hide together like a huddle in the bottom of the tank. WHY!!!
my water is excellent. Amm 0, Nitr 0, Nitrate <5
I have a stocked AC110 and 70 filter running.
Temp is 86
ph is 6.5
Light is on 8 hrs a day.

should i add some other different kinds of fishes in there to let them know this tank is okay and nothing to be afraid of? Like some rams and tetras.

Heres some pics

http://i33.tinypic.com/2eob6v7.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/15hs1l.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/4in3bc.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/zmxtew.jpg

[William Palumbo]

Try putting more plants in there. Not too many as it will make them hide as well. The addition of Tetras can help...but any fish to be put in there needs to be quarantined first. Feed them some FBW...that most fish can't resist and they will soon be up front begging for it...Bill

[cyang]

I agree with Bill.

1. Try some to lure them with some foods they can't resist.

2. Since you've only had them a week, they could still be getting used to their environment.

[vincentliu89]

Okay i will try, will one cube of hikari FBW be too much for 9 discues and 3 rams?

[William Palumbo]

NO!

[vincentliu89]

Then how much?!

[MostlyDiscus]

patience young padawhan. Lower you temp by two degrees. warmer water makes them jumpy. Put on a hugh pair of glasses and stair at them for a bit(my fish hate that) let them know how good they have it when your not hawking them. :D.... Really,,,, just give them time to get used to their new surroundings. Keep the water stable ie PH. dont feed for a day or two. Your water will improve better that way. Water is more important than food at this point. Chill. Relax. Watch them.

[Gordon C. Snelling]

Patience is the key here. I have had my Heckle for nearly a year now. and for almost that entire year they spent their time in pretty much one corner of the tank. It is only within the last month or so that they are coming and cruising the entire tank on a regular basis. They will be out when they are good and ready, however I do agree perhaps a dither or two and some "decoration" in the tank wont hurt.

[Eddie]

A few of those guys look a little dark? Have they always been that dark? I didn't even realize there were 2 behind the crew, they were so dark. :o

Eddie

[vincentliu89]

yea they get real dark sometimes, i dont kno wwhy

[Eddie]

How are they during feeding? What do you feed them?

[Apistomaster]

That is quite a few discus for what looks to be a new set up.
I would feed them live black worms once a day to help them begin eating well and reduce the chances of pollution. A couple piece of wood for cover and some floating plants for areas of shade.
That many discus will need at least a 75 gal tank in a couple of months; 100+ would be better.
The 10 gal minimum per fish rule works best when you begin with that even when your fish are still as small as yours.
More experienced Discus keepers may be able to do more with less but they know how to compensate for a heavy bio-load. First time Discus keepers should allow plenty of room for their fish so there is some margin for their inevitable errors.