scared discus

I got a 240 liter tank with 5 medium sized discus and assorted tetras, i have had it for about 8 months or so and all has been good, recently my fish got gill fluke so i had to treat with parasite tabelets, at this time i also had to go interstate for work so i had a friend come around and take care of the fish, while i was gone i think they did the treatment for 3 weeks rather then 1 and in turn all my plants died, now that im back the fish look fine but i had to removed all the dead plants and fix up the tank. i got all new plants for the tank and now the discus are very scared of me all the time, if i get up off the couch or go anywhere near the tank the discus all freak out and dart across the tank. they use to be very friendly and come and say hello at the glass. I'm guessing this is because of the new environment layout, although its been over a week now and the discus are still as scared as ever, any suggestions?all water chems are good and they are eating as long as they cant see me.

Hi Jesseboy,

There are a couple of things you can try. Since you said that the water chems are good. I think it will take some time for them to feel safe. Once they feel safe, they will not be hidding.

1) You can try feed them with life food, fozen food in front of the tank. Then they should start swimming front to have a bit.

2) Lighting can be a factor too. Try not to have any lights on for a few days.

3) I also heard people used cloth to cover the front of the tank. but i dont think that will help in the long run.

4) If all fails, you can try adding 1-2 new discus into the tank. The new discus should not be afraid and hid when they see food.

regards
Scott

Thanks for the help mate, ill keep the lights off or low for a few days and see how they go

Honestly, keep the lights off for a little while and if your going to turn it on turn on a light around the tank or a desk lamp so they can know its coming. What usually works is grab something that they really like to eat and hold it in your hand. Give them some time they will eventually eat off your hand and be accustomed to you.

My discus in the display tank found Mal's freeze dried worms very tempting. This was 1st food they took from my hand. Now some of them even nibble my hand hehehe

A tip Wayne (Xtreme) showed me with frozen food might help. While cube is still frozen, reach down into the tank & press it hard against the front glass. Soon the frozen cube melts slightly & your pressure will cause it to stick to the glass.

My new small wild caught Heckels, like your discus, used to freak out and dart across the tank whenever I even walked past the tank.

So I tried Wayne's tip & when the food stuck to the glass wall, I stepped back a little, but still close enough they could see me & I sat very still. They came to the front to eat from the glass & I think they saw I was doing nothing threatening & they seem to be more used to me now. They still won't eat from my hand (not given up on that yet), but they no longer freak out and dart across the tank.

Good luck settling your guys back down. The good news in your post is that all your discus recovered from the gill fluke :D

thanks for all the advice! i like the sound of the frozen food on the front of the glass, will give that a go for sure. hopefully wont be long until they are back to normal

check you tank for ammonia

Yes, check your water parameters first and post your results, it could be a parasitical break out though, water first though.

Hollowman

Water parameters are as follows

PH 5.5

Ammonia 0.50 PPM

Nitrate 5.0 PPM

Nitrite 0 PPM

Jesseboy, get your ammonia down to 0, any detectable ammonia is too much for disus.

big water changes, and double dosing prime will help, also hold off food for a full 24hrs.

hopefully the ammonia is the culprit, if you leave it too long you'll get internal parasites as well.

thanks, ill do a 50% change now and hold off food for a while. will keep you posted on levels

change 100%. fill a bucket with water add prime, airstone, heater. change all your water and toss them back in.

with a 50% change your ammonia is still .25 and thats still too much. Considering they have been there for a week you'll be better off getting rid of all the ammonia at once.

Do products like Ammo-lock or stresszyme work for these kind of problems with Ammonia? Cuz you could use those to to help you out

Ok, I didn't have a suitable bucket to put the fish in so i couldn't go with the 100% change today but i changed about 85 percent, will do another one tomorrow also hopefully this gets rid of most of it, after that one i just did the fish are already looking happier

Jessie,
Sometimes i do huge water changes with the fish still in the tank, they end up lying on their sides in about an inch and a half of water, so this can be done safely. Just got to make sure you refill with the water the same temp as has been taken out. I have photo somewhere, I'll see if I can find it.

Hollowman

Cheers, so tomorrow would you recommend doing a 100 percent change as well? well as close as i can get to it ?

Reason I didn't recommend dropping water too low is because you already have very jumpy fish. If you drop the water lower they will go psyco.
One sudden movement or noise is all you need to have fish flying all over the place and possibly ending up with cuts and scrapes, which is fine if your tank is running good, but not if you have ammonia.
Anyways do what you feel is convenient, its the end result thats important, zero ammonia.

Thanks for all the help, the fish are looking as good as new at the moment only a couple of hours after a big change, they aren't scared at all now and are even coming up to the glass and following me, i'll keep a close eye on the ammonia levels and try to keep it eliminated completely

Thanks again for all the help from everyone

Good news Jesse, just keep an eye on the ammonia. It's amazing how they will perk up with good conditions. Loads of clean water is often the key to good discus health.

Hollowman

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jesseboy

Ok, I didn't have a suitable bucket to put the fish in so i couldn't go with the 100% change today but i changed about 85 percent, will do another one tomorrow also hopefully this gets rid of most of it, after that one i just did the fish are already looking happier

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Did u take all the fish out to do a 100% water change? :lol: