Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi all,

I've set up another discus tank and got some discus from my godmother - they're about 19-20cm in size. However, two of the Türkis discus look quite pale and dull in colour.

It's their 3rd day in the tank, and I'm thinking maybe the blue enhancing food my godmother was feeding them could be the reason. If I switch to food high in carotenoids, would that help bring out the red spots more?

I've got 3 Pigeon Blood, 3 Blue Diamonds and 2 Red Türkis discus, all the same size. Any suggestions would be great, thanks!

Thanks a lot!

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

I've had some great results with Hikari VibraBites, they really make the reds and blues pop in my discus.

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

Thanks for the tip, wilde. I'll give Hikari VibraBites a try and see if that improves the colour. Maybe the two dull ones are just stressed from the move and will perk up soon.

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

I think it's probably stressed out. Those black bars are a dead giveaway. Adding some salt to the tank might help calm it down, worth a shot at least.

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

Thanks lunar, I know I need non-iodized salt, but could you give me a rough idea of the ratio to use per gallon?

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

I'd suggest 2 tablespoons of non-iodized salt per 10 gallons. Without knowing your tank's water parameters, it's tough to pinpoint the issue, but this might help calm your discus.

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

I'll give the 2 tablespoons per 10 gallons a shot. Hopefully, it'll calm the stressed discus down.

My tank's parameters are as follows: pH is around 7.2, dKH is 6, and dGH is 8. Ammonia and nitrites are at 0, while nitrates are at about 5. The temperature is around 28.5C.

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus
That sounds perfect. Let's see how he does with salt. It could be just stress. Did you have a chance to see the fish in its previous environment and was it deeply colored at that time?

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

I saw the fish before I took them, my godmother even let me catch them myself. Before catching, the two Türkis discus were really deep blue with intense red patterns, and the black stripes were hardly visible. I'm thinking maybe the change in background color from black to white in my tank could be causing them to try and blend in?

Re: Dull looking Türkis discus

White tank's gonna lighten 'em up. Black bars, though, that's stress. Takes time to get used to the new tank. Any changes in water from one house to the other? RO water, different pH? How often you do water changes?