Growing Discus

[JPLDISCUS]

Hi

I need some advice on this situation.
I have (10) 2 1/2'' -3 1/2'' in a 75 gal, all growing OK except for 1, do i move him to a smaller tank so he can eat without being intimidated by the others?
Or section this tank and leave him on 1 side?

I tried spreading the food out, he still doesn't eat that well.

Maybe he's diseased? Although he is not stressed.

I've had these fish for 2 1/2 months and he hasnt grown as much as the others. Do i need to do something? or wait it out longer?

Is it best to have less fish in a larger tank? I do have more tank space
and I do feed heavy with WC's everyday.

I just wonder if its best to have larger tanks with fewer fish for faster growth.
I have another tank with 12 5'' fish, all are fine, wonder if I split this tank the growth rate would be faster.

Lasty, after a feeding there are only a few who have chubby bellies, these are the ones that are slightly larger and have shown a faster growth.

Any feed back would be helpful

Thanks
Jim

[William Palumbo]

He may be sick. 10 fish in the tank should spread out any aggressiveness over ALL the fish, not just him. You could try seperating him, but by himself he might get stressed out, as they do better in groups. In Discus keeping, even the best of us has that one fish who lags behind in growth, and is the runt of the tank. 10 fish in the 75 is ok to me, especially if you are changing water every day. I think he's just sick, and depending on how long he has been not eating, and his overall condition, you may have to make a decision to medicate...or cull...Bill

[Eddie]

He may be sick. 10 fish in the tank should spread out any aggressiveness over ALL the fish, not just him. You could try seperating him, but by himself he might get stressed out, as they do better in groups. In Discus keeping, even the best of us has that one fish who lags behind in growth, and is the runt of the tank. 10 fish in the 75 is ok to me, especially if you are changing water every day. I think he's just sick, and depending on how long he has been not eating, and his overall condition, you may have to make a decision to medicate...or cull...Bill

Agree with Bill.

Eddie

[SriAngel]

If you have a smaller 20 gallon tank you can try the following experiment. Your problem could be one of two things, disease or discus behavior. I would put him in a smaller tank, and when you isolate him he should get extremely shy and skittish. Keep him in the tank and feed him a little bloodworms. The next day feed him a little bit more bloodworms, and then take a tankmate from his previous tank and put them in. If this discus is healthy he should immediately begin to defend his territory since he has had seniority in the tank. If he is not and does not eat, i would definitely start medicating him, with the usual range of meds. prazi for worms, and since he does not eat, i would treat him and the whole entire tank with 10mg / liter of metro.

Best of luck,
Angel

[Yassmeena]

Hi Jim,

I can see how you would be concerned.

There is one simple trick you can start off with. Raise the temp of the tank to 90F, and increase your feedings.

Raising the temp will increase their metabolism so he may regain his appetite through that. It also may help fight off bacteria and parasites and he may regain his appetite through that if he is infact infected.

Be sure to increase your feedings. All other discus will be more hungry at higher temps and if he is already picked on during feeding time, increased hunger may lead to more communal aggression over food. Prevent that by making sure there is plenty for everyone.

You can do that for 2 weeks. That's how I would start.