why discus swim in circles?

[Pureace]

Noticed my Discus swimming in circles today. Tank's a 75 gallon, temp at 84F, pH 6.8, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. They're about 4 inches, fed beef heart mix twice daily. Anyone seen this before?

[SeaAqua]

Could be stress from recent changes. Did you add new tankmates or adjust lighting? My 90 gallon had similar issues after introducing Cardinals.

[dynamo]

Noticed my Discus swimming in circles today. Tank's a 75 gallon, temp at 84F, pH 6.8, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. They're about 4 inches, fed beef heart mix twice daily. Anyone seen this before?

Check your flow rate. High current from filters can mess with them. I run a Fluval FX4 on low for my 100 gallon.

[luxe]

Yep, flow's a biggie. Also, how old's your water? Mine did circles when I slacked on changes. Now doing 50% weekly with RO mix, they're chill.

[giggle]

Might be breeding behavior. My pair circled like crazy before laying eggs on a cone. Got any flat surfaces or cones in there?

[Jazzman]

Agree with giggle. Males often circle females during courtship. Watch for lip locking or cleaning surfaces. My 120 gallon's got 3 pairs that do this monthly.

[rositas]

Yep, flow's a biggie. Also, how old's your water? Mine did circles when I slacked on changes. Now doing 50% weekly with RO mix, they're chill.

Second this! Poor water quality sketches them out. Test for dissolved organics too.

[Pureace]

Thanks all. Flow's moderate, but I'll check for breeding signs. Did a 30% change yesterday with Seachem Prime. No new fish, just some stem plants added last week.

[Silvan]

Plants could've shifted territories. My guys went nuts when I rescaped. Maybe give 'em time to adjust?

[Biker]

Mine circle when hungry. Try upping feedings to 3x daily with some frozen brine shrimp.