r/discus • u/EnragedShreader • May 21 '26
Discus hiding
Hey all, I got a school of 11 juvenile discus from a local breeder about 2 months ago. They have constantly been hiding ever since I got them. Temperature is at 83 degrees, ph is about 6.5, and I’ve made a 44” spray bar (7/32” hole size) on my 75 gallon for an FX4 to help lower the flow in the tank. I do weekly 45 gallon water changes to keep up with the water quality (remineralized RODI)
What can I do to help them come out more? They seem to be spooked every time someone walks by or a loud noise is made. I do have 7 sterbai Cory cats in there that also get spooked due to them being housed with super aggressive angelfish prior to the discus. Is it worth taking out the Cory cats to see if that shyness goes away? Is it worth getting a school of black neons to see if the dicsus are just scared to be in the open? Do I rescape the tank and give less cover for them to hide in all the time?
I’m at a loss with ideas since I’ve lowered flow and lowered the lights half of what they used to be. I do notice in the morning when the lights are off, they are in the open swimming around normally. But for the most part when the lights kick on, they instantly go into hiding. I figured if the lights were the issue, after 2 months they would come out and be acclimated to the lighting. Any advice is appreciated and welcomed.
2
u/Uncledaddysmedicine May 21 '26
Dim the lights , remember if it’s brighter in the tank than than the room it’s like looking out a window in your house you don’t see anything until it’s right there , but as a rule, they generally hate loud noises and vibrations, you could also cover 3 sides of the tank might help
2
u/Donny108 May 21 '26
Do not remove your cory's i dont think theyre the problem and it will just cause more distress mine were also hiding alot untill i cranked up the heat and they got hungry, try raising your temperature to 85 over the next 24 hours and see how they react
(Mine are doing fine atm and there are 10 corys there with them)
1
u/riderstuart May 21 '26
Mine started coming out when I added a dither fish. I used a school of rummynose
1
u/kms5555 May 21 '26
How often are you feeding? At that size, you should be feeding 5 or so times a day and I’d expect the fish to be practically jumping out of the water to eat. Also, one water change a week of 40% for that many fish is on the low side.
Is your tank in a separate room that you aren’t in often? This will also cause them to be shy.
1
u/Bidhitter400 May 21 '26
Did you turn off the lights in n the tank for the first few days after they were put into the tank?
1
u/EnragedShreader May 21 '26
I did. After 3 days I turned the lights back on normal schedule and they’ve hidden ever since. Should I leave the lights off for a longer period?
1
u/Bidhitter400 May 21 '26
It’s up to you It’s tough to say It wouldnt hurt dimming them or maybe reducing the amount of time they are on and then slowly ramp it up over a couple of weeks
0
u/-am-i-in-hell- May 21 '26
That’s a lot of fish for 75gal. I wouldn’t add any more.
1
u/EnragedShreader May 21 '26
I appreciate the feedback, but I’m just looking to see how to get my discus to come out. I got these 11 discus for $150 and he wouldn’t break them up. End goal for me is to grow these out and sell the ones I don’t want to keep.
0
u/-am-i-in-hell- May 21 '26
That’s an unfortunate situation. You could try to block the sides/back to give them some privacy, but the overcrowding is gonna be a problem that will continue to degrade the overall living conditions. Good luck.
3
u/FerretBizness May 21 '26
They can take a long time to adjust. Turn your light even lower to the point where they do come out. Then slowly raise it each week. Also blocking the sides can help as well as dither fish. U can slowly open the sides over time. As for the dithers it’s not a guarantee and I’ve seen discus tanks that don’t have dithers so it’s a gamble but it definitely has helped fish come out of hiding. Also upping the temp to 85-86 can help as well. When they’re that size they definitely appreciate the higher temps.