Discus are shy

[Keasbeynights]

I've had my discus for a month, and they are still really scared of me. They Hide behind a piece of driftwood anytime I come near the tank. One of the discus is a little more bold and doesn't mind me until I make sudden movements or come to close.

Any ideas as to how I should remedy this problem?

Should I remove the driftwood?

[lazygod]

tht happened to my tank too. i got the discus couple month ago, n they r still shy. anyone can help ? amonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate below 10 i change water everyother day, 50 %. they stil eat a lot n growing fast, just got scared easily. i tried to tape backgrounds all around, n they seems fine w/ it. seems like they r scared of large object to approach too close.

[DiscusChris]

I had this problem once before. As long as your water parameters are fine and your tank isnt in a high traffic area, this should work.

I was told by an old friend on simply that the worst thing I could ever do was "sneak around" the tank. Youve gotta move and act as if they are not there at all. I dont mean smack on the tank, or do jumping jacks beside it, just walk and move at a normal pace.

Make them get used to you, dont get used to them ;)

[White Worm]

Time is what is needed. Go about your business as normal. They will adapt. When you go to the tank, bring their favorite food like some live foods. They will soon know you as the food god.

[fishyj]

I have the same problem. I was just told to give them time. They are afraid of the lights when they come on even though they were in a tank that had lights on. They do get scared of me when I aproach the tank too. There are a few braver ones so I guess its only a matter of time.

[doc3toes]

i have been through this. pull out anything they can hide behind (wood, plants, rocks etc). before you know it they will be begging you for food, makes cleaning easier too. few months down the road you can add them back in. thats my opinion.

[poconogal]

As long as your water is fine, don't worry they'll come around. Every time you approach the tank put a tiny bit of food in and they will soon realize that you are the FOOD dispenser and they won't be hiding behind your driftwood anymore. Also, make sure that you are not back lit when you approach the tank. If your tank is in a location where you have a source of light behind you all they'll see is a large dark shadow approaching and that will frighten them. Another thing is that they many times are sensitive to the color clothing someone is wearing. Dark colors can spook them. Mine used to get terrified if I wore black or navy, etc.

Sometimes they'll also be skittish if they are in need of a water change.

[Keasbeynights]

As long as your water is fine, don't worry they'll come around. Every time you approach the tank put a tiny bit of food in and they will soon realize that you are the FOOD dispenser and they won't be hiding behind your driftwood anymore. Also, make sure that you are not back lit when you approach the tank. If your tank is in a location where you have a source of light behind you all they'll see is a large dark shadow approaching and that will frighten them. Another thing is that they many times are sensitive to the color clothing someone is wearing. Dark colors can spook them. Mine used to get terrified if I wore black or navy, etc.

Sometimes they'll also be skittish if they are in need of a water change.

That makes a lot of sense. They are on a wall and the light is behind me when I approach them. Now that you mention it if the light is off in my room, they aren't as scared, but still scared none the less. I'm going to try and remove the driftwood and see what happens. Thanks for all the advise guys!

[JFlo]

I have had this same problem with mine. They are in a low traffic basement. What I did was keep a lamp on around the corner when I shut all the lights off for the night. It provides a bit of light but not enough to keep the nocturnals inside. I also got fifty rummy nose. Within 24 hours of them being in the tank everyone is out front and loving life. They are the best investment I have made in a while. They bring out the best in my discus .... and are a ton of fun to watch.

Sunrise is where I got mine and they are simply AWESOME :D

[lazygod]

As long as your water is fine, don't worry they'll come around. Every time you approach the tank put a tiny bit of food in and they will soon realize that you are the FOOD dispenser and they won't be hiding behind your driftwood anymore. Also, make sure that you are not back lit when you approach the tank. If your tank is in a location where you have a source of light behind you all they'll see is a large dark shadow approaching and that will frighten them. Another thing is that they many times are sensitive to the color clothing someone is wearing. Dark colors can spook them. Mine used to get terrified if I wore black or navy, etc.

Sometimes they'll also be skittish if they are in need of a water change.

yeah, i noticed tht they r more sensitive to darker color. i've never aged my water be4 w/c, n i know a few breeder around my area dont do tht too. but recently i started to aged the water be4 w/c. i wil see if tht helps. and i've also heard the electricity leak from the heater might cause tht too, but tht's not my case i think coz i've tried a few diff heaters already.

[BootDink]

i find that if you give a discus a place to hide then that is what they will do is hide.Im no professional in discus keeping but in my experience this is the truth.I had a group of
6 juvis that were in a tank fullof driftwood and fake plants and thats all they did was find there favorite spot and stick to it all day long. after about 3 weeks of this i couldnt take it so i took eveything out but the substrate, added one plant and one plant only at each end of the tank and viola! within a day or two all they really could do was swim in the open and now they ar all over the place, swimming about the tank doing there own thing.

[poconogal]

If given enough time, they will no longer hide behind anything unless their water is off, that can make them skittish at the very least. Mine don't hide anymore, but they did for the first month or so. Now I wish they would hide especially when doing WCs instead of biting my wrist and fingers, etc. Sometimes it hurts, they are large adults with big mouths! :D

[mmorris]

Keasbey, am I right in thinking you have four discus? If so, it may be that you have too few for them to feel secure. Discus need to be in a group of, IMO, not less than six.