Discus Bullying

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sarafish

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Oct 3, 2008
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Hi everybody - totally new to the site- first ost. Ok, i hav a bully discus, and reading over the net has given me conflicting answers. To seperate or not to? Do i take the bully out for a day or two and re introduce, or leave them to their natural instincts? I hav 4, poss 5 by the end of the day...im very addicted to my new hobby.:nilly:
 

sarafish

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Oct 3, 2008
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I have 5 discus, 5cm and tank is 180ltr. i dont know my gallons and inches anymore(in australia 15yrs now) so sorry bout the measurements :) i do hav one sulking in the corner but hes only been in there for 24hrs so im hoping he'll snap out of it. My Bully seems to have setteled for the night but his day of harrassing the new tenants prob took it out of him....but if he keeps it up should i b worried? I had "the bully" for a week b4 2 new blue diamonds, and then 2day i just dropped n two red melons. tomorrow w/ waterchange i will move everything around in tank and see if that does anything.
 

theredchaser

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Aug 8, 2008
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Every time you add new discus the entire group will automatically start fighting with eachother again to establish a ranking order. This usually goes on for 2-3 days. If they are similar in size, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

If the aggression goes out of hand, I would add some plants or something in the middle to break up the line of sight. I found that if you put them in the corner, the loner discus will just hide all day in the corner and not eat. You should make sure the little guy is getting the scraps of food after the rest are done and see if the little one stays close to the rest at nighttime or is by himself all the time.
 

number1sixerfan

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Sep 11, 2006
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They make tank dividers that you may want to look at. The only way to really diffuse the aggression is by adding more discus. 7-8 is usually a good number to start with. But if not, a divider would work. If it's a planted or show tank, a divider would make things rather unattractive, so I'd probably add more fish.

But even with more discus, they can still be aggressive(after all, they are cichlids). Plants and hiding spots would probably help the discus being bullied not to be stressed.
 

pinkertd

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May 29, 2007
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It is possible to wind up with an overly aggressive discus that won't change. I had one discus like this, took her out and put her in a different tank and she bullied the discus in that tank. I was so stressed out watching her try to keep every discus away from the front of the tank 24/7 that I gave her away. I was too stressed out watching her stress my other discus out all the time.
 

sarafish

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Oct 3, 2008
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Thanks for your feedback.....ok..now i hav 6 discus. 3 blue diamonds, 3 red melons. I seem to hav a dominant red and blue.... but the blue one....phew, ive named him blu meanie. Hes chasing mostly the reds around, they keep him on his toes.So im listening to my fellow discus owners and im not going to stress.. im enjoying the "top dog"Challenge thats goin on in my tank. I do hav a planted tank and yesterday w/ waterchange i moved everything and put plants in "sookies corner" He seems more relaxed and he gets a couple friends wenevr they are herded over. i havent witnessed him eat yet...so im hoping he is wen im not around its only day 3 for him so mayb hell become more lively wen all the commotion setteles. Hes not dark or anything...hes lightened up since hes been in there...but thats takes me to another q... wen a discus gets sick/stressed and dies, do they always go dark?...meaning... is that a waring signfor everything...woms, holeinthehead disease etc? (or is that just too easy)
 

sarafish

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Oct 3, 2008
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OK - BAD NEWS.. Sookie is not good. hes been roughed up and now it looks as though hes given up, what do i do??????? Im not one of those ppl that say oh wel, guess ill get another one.. i feel sorry for the poor bugger. every1 else is fine, still being harassed by blu meanie.
 

Star_Rider

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Dec 21, 2005
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you need to consider moving the aggressor. for now tho move the lone (beat up ) discus to a qt tank you'll need at least a 40 Liter tank but a slightly larger one is recommended. keep the water warm 84-84 no lights ambient will be enough. you may also try dosing some salt to the tank to help the immune system. add extra air to the tank as it will hold less dissolved O2
 

sarafish

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Oct 3, 2008
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thanx star rider, will move to qt tank 2day,but i now realize its my own fault...i shouldve picked healthier/larger discus, this little beat up guy didnt hav a chance as he is too small to fend for himself like the others.
I mis read the DONT plant in the corner bit(oh me old eyes) so also will move plants out of corner 2day and try to make "plant walls" to break up line of sight. bully is a little* less agressive 2day THANKGOODNESS....
 
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