Hey guys so I am a little concerned about my discus right now based off the aggression I have in the tank. I have a 95 gallon tank with drift wood, lightly planted and rocks. It runs off a canister filter and I keep the temperature at 82degrees. So I bought one discus from a local breeder just to c if he would be ok with my tanks water perimeters. It eats like a pig is very colourful and is constantly active so I decided to get three more a month later. Now the original fish is CONSTANTLY chasing the other 3 especially during feedings. The 3 new fish have not touched any food, now second day and I’m a little bit worried. I would appreciate any advice thanks
Discus aggression in new tank
- Thread starter Muskyowen
- Start date
My first thought is the first discus thinks the entire tank is his, all new comers are unwanted interlopers. You might try rearranging &/or adding to the décor. Is there a size difference between old & new?
As mellow as discus seem they're still cichlids & can have aggression issues.
I'm not familiar with a 95g, what are its dimensions?
As mellow as discus seem they're still cichlids & can have aggression issues.
I'm not familiar with a 95g, what are its dimensions?
Be patient & give the entire group some time to ease up & adjust to their new surroundings:
e.g.:
1.- To allow the aggressive first kid on the block to back off venting his dislike to having newcomers interloping in his territory, and eventually softening his behavior as he becomes more used to these new guys;
2.- Allow the new additions to become comfortable with having to adjust to new housing & begin eating when they're more relaxed/under less stress - this can & usually does take several days/to a week, to as long as 2 weeks or more.
e.g.:
1.- To allow the aggressive first kid on the block to back off venting his dislike to having newcomers interloping in his territory, and eventually softening his behavior as he becomes more used to these new guys;
2.- Allow the new additions to become comfortable with having to adjust to new housing & begin eating when they're more relaxed/under less stress - this can & usually does take several days/to a week, to as long as 2 weeks or more.
This sounds pretty normal as the fish figure out the pecking order in the tank. I would be sure to keep up with your tank cleaning and water change routine so they aren't being irritated by the water conditions at all. You might also be sure they are all getting to eat, maybe place food at different ends of the tank. If one of the others is actually getting beaten up, you might have to consider separating them, but i don't think that's common. Otherwise they will hopefully get used to each other and eventually settle down
