discus hiding in tank corners

[julian]

My Discus have been hiding in the corners of my 75-gallon tank for the past two days. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate at 10 ppm. Temp's steady at 84°F with a Fluval heater. They're usually out and about, but now they're just chilling in the back. Tankmates are 10 neon tetras and 6 corydoras. Been feeding them frozen bloodworms and beef heart mix twice a day. Any ideas what's up?

[Dawn]

That's sketchy, Julian. How's the lighting situation? I had mine do that when I swapped to a brighter LED bar. Also, any new decor or plants? Sometimes they freak out over the weirdest stuff. My guys hid for a week when I added a new piece of driftwood, lol.

[piped]

My Discus have been hiding in the corners of my 75-gallon tank for the past two days. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate at 10 ppm. Temp's steady at 84°F with a Fluval heater. They're usually out and about, but now they're just chilling in the back. Tankmates are 10 neon tetras and 6 corydoras. Been feeding them frozen bloodworms and beef heart mix twice a day. Any ideas what's up?

Have you checked the filter flow? Too much current can stress them out. My Discus hated the spray bar on my canister filter until I dialed it back.

[micsim]

Mine did that after a water change. Did you change anything recently? Even small stuff like switching water conditioner brands can mess with them. Also, how old are they? Juveniles are more skittish.

[julian]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Lighting's the same, but I did add a new Amazon sword plant three days ago. Filter's an FX6, flow's always been strong but they never minded before. Gonna try dimming the lights and see if that helps.

[Dawn]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Lighting's the same, but I did add a new Amazon sword plant three days ago. Filter's an FX6, flow's always been strong but they never minded before. Gonna try dimming the lights and see if that helps.

Yep, the plant could be it. Mine are drama queens about new stuff. If dimming doesn't work, try floating some plants to break up the light. Also, maybe cut back on feeding for a day—sometimes they just need a reset.

[piped]

How's the tank placement? If it's near a high-traffic area, they might be spooked. My old tank was by the front door, and every time someone walked by, they'd bolt to the corners. Moved it to a quieter spot, and they chilled out.

[micsim]

Agree with Dawn on the feeding. Overfeeding can make them sluggish too. What's your water change routine? I do 30% twice a week, keeps mine happy. Also, check for any stray voltage—had a sketchy heater once that made mine act weird.