New Discuses Won't Eat

[Revision17]

I purchased 2 discus from the LFS thursday (sept 27th). The 2" discus looks healthy and swims normally. The 1" discus was normal when I got it, but the 2"er really picked on it for the first 2 days and tore up it's fins a bit, now it swims lopsided. They don't fight very much anymore.

They're not super (zebra danio) active, but they don't usually stay in one place for more than 2 minutes. I first tried feeding them frozen (defrosted) bloodwooms. They ate them, but then spat them back out. The frozen bloodworms are eaten up quickly by both the guppy fry and the cories (both of which have been eating this batch on occasion for quite some time). I also tried freeze dried bloodworms from my roommate's fish stuff, and they wouldn't even touch that (guppy fry chowed down on it; the remainder fell to the cories). They also don't go for regular tropical flake (which the guppies also eat). At the LFS the owner fed them some red flake food, which they gobbled up.

Any ideas on how I should get them to eat? Does it just take them a bit to get used to new foods?

Tank Stocking (20G long; I'm planning on upgrading in a few months when I move out of my place which places a limit on aquarium sizes; I assume the discus won't grow that quickly):
8 Emerald Corydoras
3 Corbiculidae clams
3 Otoclinus
2 Discus (1 is 1" the other is 2")
3 1.5 month old guppy fry

Water Parameters:
pH: 7.2
Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate: 0 (it's a fully cycled, heavily planted tank)
Temperature: 82F/27.7C

 

[Punchbuggy]

I purchased 2 discus from the LFS thursday (sept 27th). The 2" discus looks healthy and swims normally. The 1" discus was normal when I got it, but the 2"er really picked on it for the first 2 days and tore up it's fins a bit, now it swims lopsided. They don't fight very much anymore.

They're not super (zebra danio) active, but they don't usually stay in one place for more than 2 minutes. I first tried feeding them frozen (defrosted) bloodwooms. They ate them, but then spat them back out. The frozen bloodworms are eaten up quickly by both the guppy fry and the cories (both of which have been eating this batch on occasion for quite some time). I also tried freeze dried bloodworms from my roommate's fish stuff, and they wouldn't even touch that (guppy fry chowed down on it; the remainder fell to the cories). They also don't go for regular tropical flake (which the guppies also eat). At the LFS the owner fed them some red flake food, which they gobbled up.

Any ideas on how I should get them to eat? Does it just take them a bit to get used to new foods?

Tank Stocking (20G long; I'm planning on upgrading in a few months when I move out of my place which places a limit on aquarium sizes; I assume the discus won't grow that quickly):
8 Emerald Corydoras
3 Corbiculidae clams
3 Otoclinus
2 Discus (1 is 1" the other is 2")
3 1.5 month old guppy fry

Water Parameters:
pH: 7.2


Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate: 0 (it's a fully cycled, heavily planted tank)
Temperature: 82F/27.7C

Well first of all discus need to be in groups of 4 (preferably 5) or more. When you only have 2 the bigger one will constantly pick on the little one. And you will need a 55 gal minimum when they get bigger. Discus are picky when it comes to new food. Mine started eating about a week after i bought them. Or ask what they were fed at the lfs and get some of that. Mix in the new food you are trying to get them to eat with the food they already eat at about a 1 to 5 ratio. Slowly put in more and more of the new food until they eat it regularly.

Good Luck.

 

[Revision17]

After watching the smaller discus not swimming well (they must have fought a bunch more when I was gone), I sent an email to the LFS to see if I can return them for store credit.

I don't think my tank would take more discus well, and I can't really afford them at the moment.

Darn it, I thought my foray into some fancier fish would go better.

 

[thegnu]

Give them a couple more days its still very early to start worrying yet. Its probably down to the move from their home to a new home they need to get use to the surroundings and quite possibly the different water chemistry

 

[Punchbuggy]

After watching the smaller discus not swimming well (they must have fought a bunch more when I was gone), I sent an email to the LFS to see if I can return them for store credit.

I don't think my tank would take more discus well, and I can't really afford them at the moment.

Darn it, I thought my foray into some fancier fish would go better.

Most people wont get it right the first time. Trial and Error.

 

[blue acara]

As mentioned before Discus are a schooling fish and you really need 6 minimum. Unfortunately 29 gallons is not big enough. I would return the fish as soon as possible. If you cant return them then its a good idea to worm them. wormer
This will give them a better chance.

 

[kev_kb]

Please return the fish, you don't have the space or knowledge (yet) to keep them successfully. Juvenile discus such as this should be kept in large groups, (more than 5) and need to be fed 5-6 times daily. They need soft water and you'll need to do lots of water changes.

Do some more research, get a 55 or bigger when you can and then try again. To make things easier buy fish around 4" and from a discus breeder or specialist. With fish around this size 5 is a good number to keep. Match the suppliers tank stats with regard to temperature and hardness and also the food they are feeding.

Hope it goes better next time.

 

[vancouver]

Discus should be in a lower ph as well... 7.2 is too high for them.

 

[Revision17]

I returned them to the store both quite alive. The smaller one was placed into one of their new world cichlid hospital tanks (I was suprised how many different types of hospital tanks they had in the back room), and the cichlid guy at the store said that he thought it would heal up fine.

I got neon tetras in their place, which seem to be pretty happy right now.

 

[vancouver]

Very intelligent thing to do