I need some enlightenment..fast!

[plakadista]

Hi guys!

I have a bully problem! about 2 weeks ago i bought 3 Discus. they were all doing fine! they are in a planted tank. Yesterday, I got 2 more Discus because the owner was closing down his store and moving it to a new location and he sold me 2 for 70 bucks! all the discus in my tank is about 4-5 inches in size. now one of the blue diamonds just bullies the 2 new fish and now the fish is just hiding. they want to eat but when they come out they get chased away from the food. I dont what i should do in this situation. Plese let me know!

Another is that the new fish is not eating the color bits i give them..but i think they like the flake food i gave them yesterday. Im out of flake food and all i have is the color bits. i dont know what to do with these guys..(siighhh)..

[nabilbb]

What is the size of your tank? for 5 Discus you should have 55G or more. I think it is Teritorial issue the Blue diamond wants to show he is the boss, make sure the fish has hiding places and by time they will get along well and the aggression will fade. I imagine feeding time the the most agression?

[Skip]

yes.. what size tank do you have..

it just pecking order stuff.. it will work out.. discus can be stronger then their owners..

if the tank is too small.. hiding places won't help..

[plakadista]

i have a a 70 gallon actually. and its not even just in feeding time. usually the blue diamond goes near them and try to make them go out and then chase them again..i dont have any other fish in the tank..just discus..im afraid that if it continues they wont come out to feed at all..

[nabilbb]

just leave it as it is, they will be fine

[plakadista]

yes.. what size tank do you have..

it just pecking order stuff.. it will work out.. discus can be stronger then their owners..

if the tank is too small.. hiding places won't help..



What is the size of your tank? for 5 Discus you should have 55G or more. I think it is Teritorial issue the Blue diamond wants to show he is the boss, make sure the fish has hiding places and by time they will get along well and the aggression will fade. I imagine feeding time the the most agression?


i have a a 70 gallon actually. and its not even just in feeding time. usually the blue diamond goes near them and try to make them go out and then chase them again..i dont have any other fish in the tank..just discus..im afraid that if it continues they wont come out to feed at all..

[plakadista]

i also think that the blue diamond is a she..so i dont know if that comes into account.. =/

[Skip]

i also think that the blue diamond is a she..so i dont know if that comes into account.. =/

it won't matter..

young adults/juvies.. bicker alot.. they will be find.. spread the food around

[plakadista]

it won't matter..

young adults/juvies.. bicker alot.. they will be find.. spread the food around

Aw man..i hope they get along soon! I want to see them all swim together..i hate watching them get bullied..haha if i could bully the blue diamomd back i would so do it...(sighhh)

[Little_kl]

I agree everything should work it self out.. just make sure they are getting food to eat

[fredfry]

I did net my cichlid bullies and put them on the carpet for a couple minutes.
They were a different fish when I tossed them back in.

[plakadista]

I agree everything should work it self out.. just make sure they are getting food to eat

Yeah ill try to spread the food around. Hopefully the new fish come to their senses and eat the color bits..


I did net my cichlid bullies and put them on the carpet for a couple minutes.
They were a different fish when I tossed them back in.

Haha oh man thats funny! Its so tempting to do that ryt now..

[plakadista]

Hi guys, its me again. I wanna revive this thread because there is still a little bit of problem. if you havent read the problem above please do. :) now i already took out the bully and put him on a separate tank. I am selling him and now trying to find a buyer. now all of my four discus in my main tank is swimming happily and schooling together and i couldnt be happier.

My problem now is that the 2 new discus are not eating what i give them. the other two are eating great! i feed them colour bits and some flakes. the store owner said that they feed them the colour bits and flakes and the eat them happily so now i dont know why they are not eating them.. I havent tried feeding them any frozen food yet. im planning on getting some tomorrow. should i buy some frozen blackworms or freeze dried?

What do you guys think? what seems to be the problem?? they look happy now and swimming actively..just not eating.. :(

[Skip]

i think you need to start a new thread in the Disease section.. and fill the sick questionnaire.. it would be easier to get questions answered..

ps.. i had a bully problem too... it lasted for several weeks.. then it just stopped.. the one that was getting picked on.. ended up being the largest in the tank !! :)

[plakadista]

i think you need to start a new thread in the Disease section.. and fill the sick questionnaire.. it would be easier to get questions answered..

thanks warlock! ill do that.


ps.. i had a bully problem too... it lasted for several weeks.. then it just stopped.. the one that was getting picked on.. ended up being the largest in the tank !! :)

oh really? thats great to hear! hopefully if no one buys him in about a week or so ill put him back in the main tank and see how it goes.

[Skip]

oh really? thats great to hear! hopefully if no one buys him in about a week or so ill put him back in the main tank and see how it goes.

people care about their fish.. and it kind of hurts to see one getting "bullied".. but once they grow out it settles down and you also realize that they survive and it is part of the pecking order.. but if you are new it can kind of freak ya out..

[dpete9]

thanks warlock! ill do that.



oh really? thats great to hear! hopefully if no one buys him in about a week or so ill put him back in the main tank and see how it goes.

Confession: I have stared at my fish for so long (sometimes talking to them ) that I feel I could be a fish psychologist (either that or a little messed in the head) lol

So here's what was going on. The blue diamond thought the tank was his home. Then you brought in new discus, but to him the new ones are intruders in HIS (or her) HOME. There is always a pecking order. so right now they are establishing who's going to be the boss of the home now that he/she is gone. I don't think you need to sell your blue diamond. i think if you have him separated from the group for a week or two, move him back and he won't be the bully anymore, someone else owns the home now! Another really easy quick method to lighten the aggression is switch up the decor in the tank, it's no longer familiar for them and they have to re-establish territories. As far as the new guys not eating, they are new, they probably need to get used to the new food you are feeding that's normal too. Be attentive and look for other signs like changing their color dark, hiding in a corner alone for long periods of time, dull eyes.. etc.
Recap: there will always be some pecking order in the tank, it's natural.

[Skip]

i pulled out a so called bully for awhile and then put him back.. he picked up where he left off>> :)

[dpete9]

i pulled out a so called bully for awhile and then put him back.. he picked up where he left off>> :)
Oo a stubborn one! :-)

[wavesurfer]

Confession: I have stared at my fish for so long (sometimes talking to them ) that I feel I could be a fish psychologist (either that or a little messed in the head) lol
I'm also starting to believe that my discus (especially the pigeon blood) are always trying to talk to me and tell me something when they look directly into my eyes and seemingly understand I'm listening and watching them. :)

[nabilbb]

Yeh, there will always be aggression. here is my fish about a year and a half ago. everyone fights everyone but they were ok after some time. Sorry poor quality video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zASI0BEhF7M

[tannin]

Yeh, there will always be aggression. here is my fish about a year and a half ago. everyone fights everyone but they were ok after some time. Sorry poor quality video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zASI0BEhF7M

Thanks for posting that video. Good to see examples of how aggressive they can be, and still have them settle down. How long did it take for them to calm down?

[nabilbb]

Oh, it took about a month and after that they will still be aggresion ocationaly untill now specially feeding time

[tannin]

Yes, I agree, feeding time always heightens aggression. This is partly why I have increased the size of each feeding and decreased the number of feedings. With 5 or 6 feedings a day, they are fighting nearly all the time. With 3 feedings, they get time to settle down - and also the larger feeding size means more is left for the fish further down the pecking order when the top boys are finished fighting.