37 Gallon Discus Tank Thread with Pics
- Thread starter FairfaxDiscus
- Start date
Wow there's a huge improvement from the first pics you sent us... way to go man all that hard work is finally paying off!
I agree discus take more time & effort than other fish. A bigger tank is a bit more work, more water to change & glass to wipe down.
It's going to be hard for you to decide what is best for you & the aggression. Adding more discus with less than healthy fish may easily cause more problems than it helps. It may spread any illness to new fish or allow the new fish to pick on the old. Or vice versa in either case.
Rehoming less than healthy fish, hmm...who would want them & be able to help them? Remove the angel? But the 2 discus will probably still not get along & may have continued health problems.
Very difficult. Were it me I'd probably wait, add some visual barriers to see if that helps the aggression... And if the picked on fish worsened consider euthanasia, always a tough call. Then see if the angel & 1 discus can coexist.
I'm sorry I can't think of a good solution
It's going to be hard for you to decide what is best for you & the aggression. Adding more discus with less than healthy fish may easily cause more problems than it helps. It may spread any illness to new fish or allow the new fish to pick on the old. Or vice versa in either case.
Rehoming less than healthy fish, hmm...who would want them & be able to help them? Remove the angel? But the 2 discus will probably still not get along & may have continued health problems.
Very difficult. Were it me I'd probably wait, add some visual barriers to see if that helps the aggression... And if the picked on fish worsened consider euthanasia, always a tough call. Then see if the angel & 1 discus can coexist.
I'm sorry I can't think of a good solution
fishorama,
thanks for putting some thought into my issue. These are exactly the things I'm mulling over. I'll wait for now and see how things go. There has been a lot of change in my tank over the last 2 weeks and now that I've found a regular maintenance schedule and conditions that are more suitable to the fish, it may just be a matter of time for them to settle into it too.
To be clear, the BD getting picked on isn't the fish I'm really worried about. The bully turq is the one I'm worried about because he spends feeding time chasing the BD so the turq isn't eating well because he's always chasing. When he does take in food he almost always spits it out.
thanks for putting some thought into my issue. These are exactly the things I'm mulling over. I'll wait for now and see how things go. There has been a lot of change in my tank over the last 2 weeks and now that I've found a regular maintenance schedule and conditions that are more suitable to the fish, it may just be a matter of time for them to settle into it too.
To be clear, the BD getting picked on isn't the fish I'm really worried about. The bully turq is the one I'm worried about because he spends feeding time chasing the BD so the turq isn't eating well because he's always chasing. When he does take in food he almost always spits it out.
I know you're working hard at this, it can be frustrating
Your fish may have other health issues, spitting out food can be a symptom along with the thinness. How does it's poo look? I'm not a discus expert by any means but you may need to consider treating them for hex, or maybe something else. Do you have a quarantine tank? Don't wait too long if they don't continue to improve.
By visual barriers I meant like tall plants, even plastic, so the bully can defend an area & not have to see the victim & chase him all the time. Hopefully they'll work it out
Your fish may have other health issues, spitting out food can be a symptom along with the thinness. How does it's poo look? I'm not a discus expert by any means but you may need to consider treating them for hex, or maybe something else. Do you have a quarantine tank? Don't wait too long if they don't continue to improve.
By visual barriers I meant like tall plants, even plastic, so the bully can defend an area & not have to see the victim & chase him all the time. Hopefully they'll work it out
You can use a tank divider during feeding time, they are inexpensive and will let separate the bully.
I would do some research about parsite meds. Jungle has a food that you may be able to feed if dipped in garlic. Or maybe someone can rec. something else.
I would do some research about parsite meds. Jungle has a food that you may be able to feed if dipped in garlic. Or maybe someone can rec. something else.
I'm feeling for you Fairfax... This sure isn't what you wanted to be dealing with when you chose Discus & Angels.
I had bullying problems too. If these just don't end up working out for you, I would recommend getting a group of siblings. If you start with a lot of cute babies and they are all happy & healthy it will be easier to convince your with that they need a bigger home as they begin to outgrow the 37. It's always easier to spend money on something which is going well.
I've been visiting the SimplyDiscus site and there are quite a few "hobby breeders" who offer very affordable fry. You could fill your tank well for $10-15 each if there's an affordable local breeder within driving distance. If not, the shipping will add quite a bit to that.
Back in college I was in Ft Lauderdale for spring break and picked up 7 babies from Jack Wattley for $100. So, if there isn't a breeder nearby maybe you can find one near a place you want to visit anyway.
I had bullying problems too. If these just don't end up working out for you, I would recommend getting a group of siblings. If you start with a lot of cute babies and they are all happy & healthy it will be easier to convince your with that they need a bigger home as they begin to outgrow the 37. It's always easier to spend money on something which is going well.
I've been visiting the SimplyDiscus site and there are quite a few "hobby breeders" who offer very affordable fry. You could fill your tank well for $10-15 each if there's an affordable local breeder within driving distance. If not, the shipping will add quite a bit to that.
Back in college I was in Ft Lauderdale for spring break and picked up 7 babies from Jack Wattley for $100. So, if there isn't a breeder nearby maybe you can find one near a place you want to visit anyway.
This is just my opinion but I think maybe a longer tank would be better than a higher one. Maybe more cover too. That way the fish wouldnt be in each other constant view. The bullied fish would also have more places to retreat too. Your tank seems to have alot of open water. If you get the longer tank I would ditch the Angel and get more Discus.The 2 you have are special because u actually took the time and made an effort to get them healthy. This is just my opinion.
Discus spitting out food is a pretty sure sign of internal parasites. The shape that your discus are in, it would be hard to believe they don't have parasites, just very, very common when purchasing discus from LFS. Right now the next step I would take would be to treat them for internal parasites with Metronidazole (Metro) which treats internal flagellates, the most common internal ailment in discus.
Some amount of bullying amongst discus juvies is normal. It's part of them growing up. Every once in a while you get a real tyrant of a discus that barely lets anyone on the tank move.....I have had them and rehomed them. The bigger the discus group, the more spread out the aggression is so that one particular fish isn't getting picked on all the time. If one discus gets singled out and bullied relentlessly, they often stress themselves to death.
Some amount of bullying amongst discus juvies is normal. It's part of them growing up. Every once in a while you get a real tyrant of a discus that barely lets anyone on the tank move.....I have had them and rehomed them. The bigger the discus group, the more spread out the aggression is so that one particular fish isn't getting picked on all the time. If one discus gets singled out and bullied relentlessly, they often stress themselves to death.
