Killer Discus!

[shawn-b]

Anyone else seen or had their discus attack and eat other tank mates?

I've just seen my lot attack and devour a peppered cory! I wondered where they were going, now I know.

I used to have about 20 cardinals but the "killers " would pick off one every now and again over night till I have 2 left that seem able to escape their hungry eyes.

I have a shoal of around 25 rummy noses at the moment but they obviously don't taste very good as the discus leave them alone.

What other cory's would make a good discus tank mate? I'm guessing the peppered ones are too small or can't take the temps of discus tanks and as a result are vulnerable to being food...

It's not as if I don't feed them either, frozen food a couple of times a day, supplemented by tetra prima so they shouldn't be hungry. Just like a bit of live food every now and again

 

[angelmouse]

Wow they must be a crazy mob , mine live in harmony with 25 cardinals and 2 little panda corys they is also 2 tiny glowlight tetras, all ignored and accounted for after 6 months together. Its strange how some are fine and others not as i have heard about them occasionally eating cardinals but never anything the size of a cory . I would do a quick test on the water just to check everything is ok and is not making them stressed
Or Maybe they just thought they would help you out and make their own lunch .
Angel

 

[shawn-b]

They were only small cory's and I think they may have been coming down with something as I have just seen one of them hiding in a corner with what I can only describe as "odd looking eyes". They seem to be protruding more than usual and it has what appears to be a wound on the side of it's head and body (possibly from the attention of the "killers").

Still moves too quick to catch though!

I don't seem to have much luck with cory's and I'm not sure why. The water parameters all appear fine (ammonia 0, nitrite 0 etc, nitrate and phosphate are both up but that is due to the EI ferts and I'm happy with their levels so don't think it's water quality related), the discus are well (active with good colour etc) and the rummy noses and other tetras are all brightly coloured and very active. The BN's and SAE's are fine as well, just the cory's seem to suffer for some reason?

What temp do you keep your discus and cory's at Angel or anybody? I suspect this may be a contributing factor but might be wrong

My thermometer isn't very easy to read but I think it may be a tad warm for them as it's pushing the mid 80's...need to sort that out I think and bring it down to the 80 mark I think?

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Temperature shouldn't be an issue. Cory's are happy from ridiculous ph's of 5.0-8.0 and can live in temperatures from 70-86. Just make sure your discus tank is around 84 and the cory's shouldn't be dyeing from temp. Mine do fine, just get large ones and in large groups. They are happier in a shoal, and can confuse a would be predator when in numbers, especially a predator so amateur and uncouth as a Discus.

 

[01edmn]

when the siamese algae eater gets bigger it will start to latch on to the discuc to eat their mucus

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

when the siamese algae eater gets bigger it will start to latch on to the discuc to eat their mucus

Yep sure will, I recommend rehoming those guys.

 

[shawn-b]

I've not noticed them do this at all and I've had them for about 18 months or more. They are now a good 3 inches or so long.

It seems to be one of those open to debate subjects within the discus world. Some say if they are the true flying fox/SAE then they are fine whilst others say the same as you guys...

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

They will get bigger don't worry, they show agression as they get bigger like alot of other fish.

 

[k.o.d]

At the end of the day they are a cichlid and a predatory one at that, they will attack and eat smaller fish as they would in the wild.

 

[part-timer]

I've got 2 young marlboro reds in my tank and they have completely taken over the place - boss the adult discus and the angels about and I've also just lost a cory with suspicious wound type marks to its side. However the marlboro's only seem to bother the larger fish - never had a problem with anything small like tetras.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I've got 2 young marlboro reds in my tank and they have completely taken over the place - boss the adult discus and the angels about and I've also just lost a cory with suspicious wound type marks to its side. However the marlboro's only seem to bother the larger fish - never had a problem with anything small like tetras.

Well, how big is the tank and what do you have in it?

 

[01edmn]

what's a marlboros but the sae will begin to latch on to them eventualy and take of their protective slime they doit to other fish that dont have as mutch mucus as discuss so the discuss slime will just become a delectible snack probably sooner rather than later

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

A Marlboro is a color morph of symphysodon aequifasciatus correct?

 

[01edmn]

a discus then basicaly

 

[angelmouse]

yep marlboro is a plain orange one, thats a marlboro in my signiture
Angel