My fish are scared, why!

[qb5171]

I'm very new to discuss and started out with 3 3"xdiscuss in 100gallon tank, for about 2 months my fish are so scared still, every time I walk up to the tank they are in horror, swim frantically and bump their body to the sides and eventually stay in the corner and turn very dark. Like I said I'm new to discuss but after 2 months I thought I figured these things out! I got the WC and BH recipe down good, and they are actually eating... when I'm not around! The only time the fish are relax and I can enjoy their beauty is at night when it's completely dark(except tank) and they can't see me or anyone around.

I eventually want to have 10 adult discuss but man these fish are driving me nut! Maybe because I have too few discuss for such a big tank, any ideas?

[csarkar001]

if you throw a tiny amount of food into the tank each time you approach, eventually they will recognize you as the giant food god that you are.

also, my experience is that three is a bad number for discus.

[waters10]

Yeah, you need more discus. With juvies specially, they feel much safer in a bigger group. Dither fish also helps to get them to feel safer.

[deepflyball]

Discus do alot better in groups of at least 6. 100 GAL is a big tank for just 3 discus. Also i like to sit in front of my 110,and study them. They get used to you that way. If they only see you a water change time well they arent going to like you. Jerry

[diamond_discus]

Discus do alot better in groups of at least 6. 100 GAL is a big tank for just 3 discus. Also i like to sit in front of my 110,and study them. They get used to you that way. If they only see you a water change time well they arent going to like you. Jerry

Agree ... a 100 gallon tank for 3 juv is not good .. You need a bigger group or put a tank divider.

Do you have a bare bottom tank ? or stuff in the tank for them to hide and feel more secure ?

Is your tank light too bright ? Avoid sudden move to the tank when you get close to them. Feed less each time but feed more often .. eventually they will learn that when you get close, there will be food .. they will swim up and toward the front to greet you .. Try feeding your food at the same spot everytime.

[qb5171]

I have BB tank and some plastic plants and rocks, I do 20% WC twice a week, keep water temperature @85F and as far as I can tell the water is good but boy the fish are in horror when I stick in the pipe to siphon the water out.

One more question, since I'm going to get more fish about 7-10 more quality discuss from one of our sponsor here and it's going to cost me some bucks(it already cost me a lot, tank, filter, pump,...) am I ready for the commitment after only 2 months of try and errors! 2 fish died on me already, I started with 5, I lied!

[waters10]

I have BB tank and some plastic plants and rocks, I do 20% WC twice a week, keep water temperature @85F and as far as I can tell the water is good but boy the fish are in horror when I stick in the pipe to siphon the water out.

One more question, since I'm going to get more fish about 7-10 more quality discuss from one of our sponsor here and it's going to cost me some bucks(it already cost me a lot, tank, filter, pump,...) am I ready for the commitment after only 2 months of try and errors! 2 fish died on me already, I started with 5, I lied!
Wait longer. Make sure the ones you have left are 100% healthy and growing! Don't risk getting your new ones sick. Our sponsors get shipments all the time, and it seems like every time they improve quality somehow, so no reason to rush ... Been there, done that!

Oh, and when you do get more discus, QT them and increase your waterc changes when you mix them with your old stock.

[Arjunpun]

I had same problem when I had 2. Discus. They were so scared whenever I Came closer. What worked for me was adding more discus like group of eight. Lots of waterchange. Live blackworm I started feeding them now they try to jump from the tank when they see me. :D. Above all get discus from sponser or reputable members from this forum.

[LizStreithorst]

Let us know your water parameters, how you prepare your WC water and how much water you change and how often.

[qb5171]

I do 20% WC every 2-3 days, I aged my water and used something like Prime and water test kit from local fish store, as far as I can tell my water is good....

[LizStreithorst]

Is your filter cycled? What are the ammonia, nitrateand nitrite readings?