roger Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 Hiya I have a 350l tank with 5 Discus, 2 GBN, 20-something cardinal tetras, 6 Rams, 5 leopard catfish. It's got lots of plants and some BBA & cyno. The fish have been awesome until about a week ago. The discus have suddenly become shy. They run and hide when anyone approaches the tank where as they used to all come to the front for food. Now they seem to eat only reluctantly. All rams and cardinals still come to the front for food. My GBN has been busy with eggs/ babies. I did have 2 girls and a bloke (GBN's) but this morning I found one of the girls dead and looking a bit munted I've been getting a little worried at the change in the discus's behaviour and the dead bristlenose but this afternoon I've discovered two of the discus with eggs!! I'm guessing the water is OK as the discus and bn are laying eggs but I'm still a little worried at the suddenly shy discus. Is it just like a human household where new babies change everything and everyone acts a little weird??? Or is my PH too low? I've read so much on the internet and so much of it is contradictory... TIA Cam Temp 29 deg C Ammonia 0 (always) Nitrite 0 (always) Nitrate 2-5ppm PH 6.0 (that's as low as my test kit goes) I use filtered rain water with about 3x 30% water changes per week. Dose 15ml flourish excel 2x a day PS Feel free to laugh at my algae garden.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 Things can certainly change when Discus are guarding their eggs. Did this behaviour only start when the Discus laid?? When did you do your last water change?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted February 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 Things can certainly change when Discus are guarding their eggs. Did this behaviour only start when the Discus laid?? When did you do your last water change?? No - they only laid today but all Discus been odd for about a week. I hadn't seen any pairing up or aggressive behavior out of the norm. Maybe they only fought when I wasnt looking - a bit like my kids ;-) 2 days ago for the water change Thanks Cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishplants Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 I had one tank of growout fish, juveniles to sub adults. They would go through periods of a similiar annoying/upsetting behaviour. No matter how cautious you were around the tank, one would do a mad dash and the rest would follow, crashing into things and damaging their bodies. Then they would be fine for a long period of time and then revert back to the silly behaviour. Discus are rather complex when it comes to their emotional side, but are aslo quite simple at times and the 'pack mentality' rules their behaviour ie one dashes so they all do. I have given up worrying about their swings in mood, and mad dashing, and not eating. I now just leave them to it and they always sort it out, eventually. Spawning Discus will always change the mood of a tank full of Discus, but I have never had the mad dash behaviour caused by a spawning pair. Two of my discus community tanks are producing 3 lots of fry every week, and there is no mad dashing, just lots of territory defence. Hope that helps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted February 8, 2012 Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 Just a thought :roll: Have you wormed them recently?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted February 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 Hope that helps? Yes it does help me not to worry They are eating a bit more enthusiastically today and all the other fish are just peachy. Fish have emotions - who would have thunk it! Cheers Cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted February 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 Just a thought :roll: Have you wormed them recently?? No - I've never even read anything to say to do that. Is this important to do regularly or only when there's issues? Thanks Cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flosty Posted February 8, 2012 Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 Hi Roger Yeah more than likely just the breeding causing the problem leading into the spawning. Maybe a ph crash? rain water doesn't offer much buffering capacity,you could mix it with tap especially when using co2 can drop the ph How long have you been adding the excel? Not sure about the dose and its effects on the discus, maybe someone can offer some help just a few thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted February 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2012 Hi Roger Yeah more than likely just the breeding causing the problem leading into the spawning. Maybe a ph crash? rain water doesn't offer much buffering capacity,you could mix it with tap especially when using co2 can drop the ph How long have you been adding the excel? Not sure about the dose and its effects on the discus, maybe someone can offer some help just a few thoughts. Hi Flosty The PH is usually low side. Although it has been sitting about 6.2-6.4. The filtered rain water is what comes out of my tap as I'm on tank water ;-) I did consider trying CO2 but was cautious about poisoning the tank as I have such soft water. I've been dosing Flourish Excel for 3 or 4 months now - more to try and get rid of the Black Beard Algae than for the plants but all I've had so far is excellent growth on my plants AND my algae - doh! Any thoughts are great - thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 Discus are sensitive to flourish excel but in saying that I dose every day without issues. If you mix the excel in water before adding it, it will help as ime the discus seem to like to swim directly through where the excel has just been poured. The best way to kill off the bba is to get hold of a syringe and squirt the excel directly on to it. You will notice it turning red within a couple of days and ime once it starts to die off the other bba in the tank seems to reduce. Work your way around the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted February 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2012 Discus are sensitive to flourish excel but in saying that I dose every day without issues. If you mix the excel in water before adding it, it will help as ime the discus seem to like to swim directly through where the excel has just been poured. The best way to kill off the bba is to get hold of a syringe and squirt the excel directly on to it. You will notice it turning red within a couple of days and ime once it starts to die off the other bba in the tank seems to reduce. Work your way around the tank. Wow - that's some great information - thank you! I dose Excel 15ml morning and night (using a dosing pump as I'm notoriously forgetful) into the corner filter thingy so it isn't directly into the tank. Cheers Cam (off to get my syringe out and kill me some BBA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted February 13, 2012 Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 Hmmm should we be concerned he has a syringe handy to use? :gigl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted February 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 Hmmm should we be concerned he has a syringe handy to use? :gigl: Oh oh oh!!! Bugger - that does sound bad! I have a reef tank too and use a syringe (like the ones to give my kids Pamol) to target feed corals. Honestly... and I'm a she ;-) Cheers Cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted February 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 I can't afford this hobby and a drug habit ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted February 13, 2012 Report Share Posted February 13, 2012 There goes that assuming someone is a she/he :roll: Think we went through this awhile back, quite funny really how we just assume it's a male or female :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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