why is discus color fading fast?

[tyrny]

My Discus have been losing color real quick over the past week. Tank's a 75 gallon with sand substrate, driftwood, and some Amazon swords. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate around 10 ppm. Temp's steady at 84°F with an Eheim heater. Feeding them frozen bloodworms and beef heart mix twice a day. Any ideas what's messing with their vibe?

[basis]

That's sketchy. How old are they? Juveniles can fade if they're stressed or not getting enough protein. What's your water change routine like? I had a similar issue when I was slacking on changes, even with good params. Also, any new tankmates or changes to the lighting?

[turret]

Color loss is often tied to water quality or diet. Check your TDS and pH stability. Discus are sensitive to fluctuations. Your nitrate is fine, but what's your KH and GH? Low mineral content can stress them. Also, consider adding a carotenoid supplement to their food. Spirulina or astaxanthin can help.

[tyrny]

That's sketchy. How old are they? Juveniles can fade if they're stressed or not getting enough protein. What's your water change routine like? I had a similar issue when I was slacking on changes, even with good params. Also, any new tankmates or changes to the lighting?

They're about 8 months old. Doing 30% water changes twice a week with Seachem Prime. No new fish, but I did swap the LED lights to a brighter model last month. Could that be it?

[basis]

Yep, that's probably cutting it. Too much light can stress them out, especially if they don't have enough cover. Try dimming the lights or adding more floating plants like frogbit. Also, maybe bump up the water changes to 50% for a bit and see if they chill out.

[turret]

That's sketchy. How old are they? Juveniles can fade if they're stressed or not getting enough protein. What's your water change routine like? I had a similar issue when I was slacking on changes, even with good params. Also, any new tankmates or changes to the lighting?

They're about 8 months old. Doing 30% water changes twice a week with Seachem Prime. No new fish, but I did swap the LED lights to a brighter model last month. Could that be it?

Lighting changes can definitely cause stress. Discus prefer subdued lighting. Reduce the intensity or duration. Also, test your tap water for chloramines or heavy metals. Prime binds them, but residual traces can still irritate.

[tyrny]

Thanks for the tips, gonna try dimming the lights and upping the water changes. Appreciate it!