Discus questions

[ccorrow]

[COLOR=Indigo]Okay... I'm new to this but wanted some feedback to help me along w/ making my Discus happy... along w/ the rest of the tank.
55 gal, 84° temp, Ph 6.8
One 2" Beautiful Yellow and One 2.5" Blue Snakeskin

I recently had a 3.5" Blue Snakeskin and the 2.5" but the 3.5" was so aggressive I lost several fish and she bullied the other Discus. I returned her and got the beautiful yellow one. 3 days later... I now find that the Blue Discus isn't eating like he use to (if at all), his color has darkened on the body and he hides more. I was concerned about the darkness of color, but he was slightly darker when purchased a few weeks ago. Could he miss his bully partner? or could this be a sign of a parasite or other illness?[/COLOR]

 

[Harry Tolen]

I have posted a reply on your thread in the cichlid forum. Feel free to continue the discussion over there.

 

[fishstoreguy]

I like the setup you described. That is a good number if discus for that tank. You may want to bump up the heat a bit but I doubt that is bothering them too much. 88 might be a little better temp. What are you feeding now? and how long have they been in there? He may just need to acclimate to new partner or newer tank. I wouldnt worry about his color. Dark is ok usually they get lighter when they are stressed. Discus are gorgeous fish that many people are intimidated to try because they hear they are so hard to care for. These same people also comment on how they are the most beautiful freshwater fish they have seen.
You may want to try feeding frozen mysis shrimp. Not many fish refuse that treat, saltwater inlcuded. I have had many finicky eaters still nibble on these shrimp even while acclimating. good luck!