Stress bars

[pvn11]

Ive been having these discus for almost a year now, theyve always been showing stress bars except for when they fight with eachother, so does it mean they're not supposed to show stress bars and im doing something wrong?, the water condtions are perfect i change 100% of water weekly , also they absolutely no breeding behaviour does that also mean im making a mistake somewhere ( they're about 5-5.75 inches)

[jeep]

Illness, spawning, water quality and genetics can all influence stress bars. Your discus are looking good. What foods are you feeding and are they eating good? Are you changing 100% water weekly in one water change or is this several water changes throughout the week? Are you aging your water? Can you test your water for the basics - ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and ph? These readings could help expose any underlying or potential water related issues

[LizStreithorst]

Brian may well be correct, but some strains always show bars, especially wid types.

[pvn11]

Illness, spawning, water quality and genetics can all influence stress bars. Your discus are looking good. What foods are you feeding and are they eating good? Are you changing 100% water weekly in one water change or is this several water changes throughout the week? Are you aging your water? Can you test your water for the basics - ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and ph? These readings could help expose any underlying or potential water related issues

im feeding them a mix of tetra bits , hikari bio gold and sometimes live earthworms, i do the 100% water change as 50%+ 50% not in a single go, i dont age the water as it is well water and lastly yes ill test my water tommorow i have ordered ph and nitrate testing kit, Thankyou!!

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Pavan, I was on well water at my old house and it did need aging. Out of the tap the pH was 7.4, after 24 hours the ph jumped to 8.2. Plus you could have dissolved gasses so I would suggest aging even just as a test.
Pat

[pvn11]

Hi Pavan, I was on well water at my old house and it did need aging. Out of the tap the pH was 7.4, after 24 hours the ph jumped to 8.2. Plus you could have dissolved gasses so I would suggest aging even just as a test.
Pat

Thank you so much Pat , noted , i will do water changes with aged water this week!.

[Second Hand Pat]

Thank you so much Pat , noted , i will do water changes with aged water this week!.

Let us know if you see a change in the fish ie less stress bars. I only want to see stress bars when the fish are breeding.
Pat

[jeep]

I agree on the possible need to age even well water. Plus, even though well water can be ideal for discus, it can also be heavily influenced by weather conditions. Do you filter your water through more than just a sediment filter? You may want to consider filtering through a sediment and carbon block as a precaution against weather and seasonal changes. The stress bars could be normal for their environment or they could be a warning sign for a future possible water related issue. I would test every few days for awhile to see if your water is showing consistent readings. Do you have anywhere to to take a sample of your water for more detailed testing? Some discus keepers include a heavy metals filter cartridge for their well water? But again, your fish are looking pretty good so I wouldn't worry too much at this point.

[LizStreithorst]

Pat and Brian, thanks for chiming in. I may well have been incorrect, and it's good to know that someone who knows more is there to correct me when I am. But I bet we're all right about aging the water.

[jeep]

Liz, you may not be incorrect. When I mentioned genetics, I meant that the stress bars could be normal for these fish. The main thing is they don't appear to be stressed, but if we eliminate possible water related issues, it's a step in finding out the truth...

[pvn11]

Let us know if you see a change in the fish ie less stress bars. I only want to see stress bars when the fish are breeding.
Pat

Heyy guys, i did age the water and use it, i do see some good signs, two of the 5 with stress bars no longer do show stress bars but it was always like that but only when im not near them but hey're showing true colours even when im next to them, the other three are pretty beat up as theyre on the bottom of the food chain might stress be the reason why they still show stress bars? Thankyou for your help guys

[pvn11]

I agree on the possible need to age even well water. Plus, even though well water can be ideal for discus, it can also be heavily influenced by weather conditions. Do you filter your water through more than just a sediment filter? You may want to consider filtering through a sediment and carbon block as a precaution against weather and seasonal changes. The stress bars could be normal for their environment or they could be a warning sign for a future possible water related issue. I would test every few days for awhile to see if your water is showing consistent readings. Do you have anywhere to to take a sample of your water for more detailed testing? Some discus keepers include a heavy metals filter cartridge for their well water? But again, your fish are looking pretty good so I wouldn't worry too much at this point.

Noted. I will send the water to water testing labs and check it out ASAP, and yes i do have a sediment filter but ill check out the carbon block as well thankyouu!!

[jeep]

Big difference! I think this may show there is a ph swing going on. Ph fluctuations and high nitrates can easily influence stress bars.

[pvn11]

GUYSS FALSE ALARM!!, so ive always had this power head which cycles my tank squeaky clean but it had like some pretty decent flow, i switched it with a much slower flow but yeah it cycles the water pretty slowly too but they seem to be really chill now!! and the stress bars are actually slowly dissappearing