Discus And Other Fish

[Colin_T]

i have kept discus for years. and never experienced anything like this, have you ever kept discus?

yes I have kept discus and they only hang out in groups when young. Once they mature they pair off, and each pair has its own territory which they chase the other fish out of. They don't do any major damage but they do pick on and bully smaller discus and eventually the weaker individuals start to suffer.

 

[jpjagged]

this IS the FIRST discus i have had (he was given to me), and it will be a temporary tank combination as i am planning on getting a new tank eventually, probably somewhere around 100 gal then move my cichlids into that, and keep the discus roaming in the 40 gal, but honestly my discus is doing very well and am not currently concerned... he eats regularly, gets fat and is very social

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

discus are only a schooling fish when young. Once they mature they become territorial and only socialise with their partner. You can keep a group of adults together but they have to be in a big tank otherwise the dominant fish will bully the weaker individuals and eventually you will start to lose the smaller weaker fish.

For jpjagged
you must be very lucky to not have any problems considering your selection of fish
but it does go to show that discus aren't as weak as most people think.

That is false. In the wild, Discus still shoal at a large size. I have never heard this, nor would I try it. Discus should only be kept in a pair if they are breeding, in that case, then they will get territorial...

Not all Discus are going to pair up, even at a large size. If you get a pair of Discus then you need to remove them and replace them with some new guys...

this IS the FIRST discus i have had (he was given to me), and it will be a temporary tank combination as i am planning on getting a new tank eventually, probably somewhere around 100 gal then move my cichlids into that, and keep the discus roaming in the 40 gal, but honestly my discus is doing very well and am not currently concerned... he eats regularly, gets fat and is very social

I am sorry, but if it is the Discus in that picture, then it looks quite stressed. It has it's stress bars showing very dominantly (as you said not all the time so that is good) but not only that, but the eyes and body are very dark


Please get that tank set up ASAP! Once you do please get him 3 or 4 buddies!

 

[DiscusAngel]

discus are only a schooling fish when young. Once they mature they become territorial and only socialise with their partner. You can keep a group of adults together but they have to be in a big tank otherwise the dominant fish will bully the weaker individuals and eventually you will start to lose the smaller weaker fish.

For jpjagged
you must be very lucky to not have any problems considering your selection of fish
but it does go to show that discus aren't as weak as most people think.

That is false. In the wild, Discus still shoal at a large size. I have never heard this, nor would I try it. Discus should only be kept in a pair if they are breeding, in that case, then they will get territorial...

Agreed.