Who Gives A Fish Forums

Is your tank heavily planted? Plants can lower pH at night due to respiration. If so, try adding an airstone to boost oxygen and reduce CO2 buildup. Also, test pH at different times of day to see if it's fluctuating.

The substrate requires attention. Particles accumulate. Vacuuming is essential. Do you employ a gravel vacuum? If not, acquire one. Proceed methodically.

Solid black backgrounds are often recommended for Discus tanks. They help the fish stand out and reduce stress by minimizing reflections. Your setup sounds good, but ensure the lighting isn't too bright. I use a low-intensity LED bar for 8 hours a day. Also, consider adding floating plants like ...

How long does it usually take for the plantlets to show up? I've had mine for a month and nothing yet. Tank's at 78°F with a Nicrew light.

I never mentioned pecking order - I'm well aware of that dynamic in fish behavior. What I'm trying to convey is extreme aggression, which is what I mean by a "bully". Removing the bully has consistently solved the problem for me.

In my experience with three groups of discus, each had a dominant ...

Re: Two-inch Bully

Not seeking advice, just sharing my experience with these finicky fish.

Originally posted by Jumper

Discus will always try to establish a pecking order so that part is common. But, a 15g QT tank is pretty small can turn pecking into aggression, especially with only 4 or 5 discus. If you can't use a larger QT tank, my guess is they will calm down after QT. Hopefully it ...

Re: Two-inch Bully

Originally posted by Blazer

I've tried separating the bullies before, but it didn't work out. I put them back in the community tank and they just went back to their old ways. I even tried holding out for three months, thinking things would settle down. No such luck. I had an ...

I've never had a sick discus, just what I'd call personality disorders. Every group I've raised recently has had a bully and a doormat. I mean, one aggressive discus that won't stop picking on the others.

I just got some 2" Snakeskins and, sure enough, I've got another bully. They're in a 15-gallon ...