Okay.. a total newb ?

[Teshi]

What is a stunted discus? And how do you identify one?

[zimmjeff]

It is a discus that had inferior care during the early part of it's life and did not reach full potential. A small for it's age fish that has large eyes and small size. They can still be healthy and have good color but will never look like a full grown discus should.

[seanyuki]

Just sharing.....Walter has an article about discus....what not to buy.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?46982-What-not-to-buy


hth

[Teshi]

Thanks for sharing the "what not to buy" link. It really made me more aware of issues with fish. BUT now I am paranoid that I am stunting my own fish. They don't eat much at all. I've tried FDBW, Frozen brine shrimp, and Discus Bio-Gold. After I feed them they just hang out at the bottom of the tank behind a piece of driftwood. After about an hour of me adding the food to the tank the wonder out and start picking at the gravel. I use a cone thingy to put the FDBW and the shrimp in. Anytime I go anywhere near the tank and they dart right back off behind the driftwood. I've been feeding them 3x a day on days I work and 4x on days I don't. There is no way they eat all of what i feed. I do daily PWC of about 35% of a 55gal tank. I've had the fish a week today.

[moon_knight1971]

Just be patient. It can take a while for them to get comfortable with you and their new surroundings. Try not turning on the tank lights for a few weeks and be sure to siphon up any uneaten food after an hour. If you find they are not eating much cut back on the food and raise the temp to 86 - 88 to help encourage their appetite and adapt accordingly.

Joey

[Teshi]

I am a night nurse and the tank is in my bedroom. I sleep all day so the only light they get is basically from the tank. Is this okay? I turn off the tank light when I'm not home and when I'm sleeping. And is there anyway to get those FDBW to sink a bit in that cone thing? I put them in there after the first time feeding them and having them get all over in the tank for days.

[strawberryblonde]

If it's Al's FDBW, the easiest thing to do is to turn the cone upside down in the tank. That way the worms can't float out of it. Here's a pic of my fish eating FDBW from the cone
72652

Give them time to adjust before you panic over feedings. Mine adjusted very quickly to their new surroundings (5 days), but still weren't fabulous eaters for about 2 weeks. They gradually got used to the routine in my house and before long they were eating like pigs.

It sounds like they are getting plenty of light if you're turning on the tank light after you wake up and turning it off before you head off to work at night. Just be sure NOT to tiptoe around them...they need to get used to seeing you move around in the room. If you're too quiet and cautious they'll end up being skittish and hiding whenever there's movement.

Other than that, keep up the daily water changes and enjoy them! Oh and insist on feeding them by hand for at least one meal per day if you can. I started out feeding by hand for the first feeding of the day when they were really hungry and they quickly learned to come to me for food whenever I got near the tank.

[moon_knight1971]

If you can give them natural sunlight until they are comfortable that may help. Try this with the FDBW: If you're feeding them 3 times daily give them the FDBW in the morning before you go to work. Usually they'll eat it throughout the day and there should be nothing left by the time you get home. If there's still remains, siphon them out and don't feed them for the rest of the day. Do this until the get comfortable then add A LITTLE more food. If you can substitute the FDBW for Beefheart cubes or flake that would be better for them if they are young discus.

Joey

[Teshi]

Thank you for the great advice. I love the upside down cone idea! And I'm going to my LFS tomorrow to see what kinds of foods they have. I'm sure most will all be frozen varieties. After I did my PWC tonight I turned on the blue night light and omg they were swimming all over in the tank. I'm really wishing I would have gotten the 125 now instead of the 55. I thought it would be more work. WRONG. Thank you all again. I just do not want to harm these beautiful fish.