My Discus staying all on one SIDE.....Any ideas people?

[noobF1]

hello all!! so i have a 55 gallon tank and i notice for couple of weeks now that my discus all stay on one side of the tank. I have two sponge filter one on each side, a rena xp2 with flow on the left side and vent on the right side. The discus stays on the right side which is the vent side. Is it because mt flow is to high? They are healthy and eating just fine. When i do my water changes they stay really close together in the corner on the right side too. I mean once in awhile the go to the left but only sometime. How do i get them to swim all over the tank???? Please help. Thank you for reading.

[stevesy710]

sorry i'm not offering an answer but i'm curious to the answer to this as well.

[flyman767]

noobF1,

I use to have 2 strong air diffusers near the back of my aquarium(one on the left and one on the right). The discus never went near them. I shut one off and within a few minutes they all were swimming near the shut off diffuser.

The rena XP2 moves 300G/hr...a decent amount for a 55 gallon. Discus do not like a lot of water movement. Try redirecting your discharge tube up against the back of your aquarium in order to cut down on the movement of water.

[Bill63SG]

Could also be a light source.Starting a "Fish Space" in my basement,and have automatic lights at top and bottom of stairs,and sometimes even with tank lights,fish gather to one side.Current is the obvious first choice.

[noobF1]

My lighting is a 48inches t5 with two 10k blubs. Is that to strong?

[roundfishross]

yes this seeems a little strong is the tank planted

[PAR23]

How many discus and how big are they?

[noobF1]

I have 8 discus biggest is about 5 inches to 3.5 inches. I have plants but they are in pots. They tend to stay close by the plants on the right side.

[Jennie]

hmmm think could be bright lights..is it in high traffic area??
hello all!! so i have a 55 gallon tank and i notice for couple of weeks now that my discus all stay on one side of the tank. I have two sponge filter one on each side, a rena xp2 with flow on the left side and vent on the right side. The discus stays on the right side which is the vent side. Is it because mt flow is to high? They are healthy and eating just fine. When i do my water changes they stay really close together in the corner on the right side too. I mean once in awhile the go to the left but only sometime. How do i get them to swim all over the tank???? Please help. Thank you for reading.

[jimg]

How long have they been in that tank?

[noobF1]

Jennie no loud sounds for sure, i live in a pretty quite place.

Jimg i've had these from different time but totally of less then 1 year. Add one here and there. They get along very well, only after when they're full then would fight here and there (im guessing it's play time?) some say my light is to bright some say it perfect?????? 48 in. T5 with 2 10K bulbs. Any ideas????

[ericatdallas]

Mine do the same during the day probably due to high traffic... at night when I come down the stairs I notice they spread out. See if yours will do that by dimming the lights and then quietly peaking around the corner. I notice same thing during cleanings.

I have no lights directly on aquarium or plants. Right now I have the room lights dim and I can see them from the kitchen and they're spread out. I'll walk towards them and they'll huddle in the corner. I'll walk all the way up and they'll beg for food (when they're hungry).

I think this is just the way shoaling fish act. They spread out when they feel safe and they huddle when they see danger.

[jimg]

light all depends on the depth of the tank, could be, but I've had metal halides on a 90 planted with wild/domestic mix and it never bothered them,(they didn't complain anyway!)
I have 4-48" t5's on 2 other 90's and same results, but....i don't have the lights right on top of the tank, I hang them about 16" above the top.
Usually if their new this can happen,for a while. they can also become skittish if something in the water is not right for them too.
double check all water parameters and your testers.
Light is simple thing to figure, just cover the opposite side of the tank to block some of the light and see what they do. current could also be a issue as others mentioned

[noobF1]

Eric i think your explanation fits my situation best do i will try it and update you guys. Thanx all for the help!!!!

[hehe]

Have you checked your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates? Discus group together in a corner when they are unhappy- it could occur for many reasons. I would check your readings before anything.

[PAR23]

I have 8 discus biggest is about 5 inches to 3.5 inches.

That should be adequate number for them to feel secure. Do you have the back/bottom of the tank covered as so they do not see their own reflection?

[noobF1]

Back and two sides are painted. Ohhh by the way i notice brown stuff growinf on my plants. Too much light right????? How do i get rid of it w/o harming the plant? Should i not leaving the light on for a day or two??? And just do water change everyday till its gone????

[yukL]

maybe is your feeding habit?? are you feeding them only at one side only??
for my discus tank i tend to feed on the right side
so whenever discus see me come down to basement they always stay on the right side too
so either is your light or feeding habit i guess

[April]

Hi
I'd say there could be a pair forming and sending them to one side. I have a 125 gallon and a pair and the rest are shoved into one corner. They have week old fry now and u had to move the rest out. They never touched the fry. Too scared of the parents.
If not two chasing them over there then see if your ph
Slid. If it did add something to buffer it up and they may become more relaxed. If my ph slides they get quiet .

[ericatdallas]

Back and two sides are painted. Ohhh by the way i notice brown stuff growinf on my plants. Too much light right????? How do i get rid of it w/o harming the plant? Should i not leaving the light on for a day or two??? And just do water change everyday till its gone????

Planted tanks are a chemistry nightmare...

How long do you keep your light on? You could also try to target your lights in the blue and red spectrum which is more beneficial to plants and less effective for alage. Although that setup isn't as desirable for a display tank.

[jimg]

Algae(diatoms) on plants means they are not growing good.algae will grow on some slow growing plants, but usually does not grow on thriving plants. Maybe add ferts.