Solution ?

I'm sure many of you have heard of my story about my one discus who is bullying the 2 younger ones I just got.

I was wondering if this would be a solution. I have one fantail goldfish in a 10 gallon tank. Could I clean the aquarium well, turn up the temperature & put the bully in there for a couple of days ?

The only thing is, I have no place for the goldfish. Would he be ok in a bucket for a couple of days or would that be cruel ?

Oceansurf.

 

I have not specifically dealt with discus, but with many aggressive fish, this would be a good solution. The best way to make this work is to separate the bully for a couple days, and in the meantime, rearrange your tank with a lot of nice hiding places. This will force the fish to setup a new territory and allow your new ones to establish an area for themselves. Then, after it seems like your new fish feel comfortable, then you can re-introduce the bully. And pay extra attention that your new fish don't have to compete with the bully for food, because this is a common root of aggression

As for your goldfish, I would say that he would be fine in a 5 gallon bucket for a couple days, just make sure it is rinsed well, and he has a place to hide. Also, if you had a heater in his home, you should also put one in the bucket.

My only other concern with this plan is that a 10 gallon tank may stress out your bully discus, leaving him vulnerable to ich, and could possibly cause more aggression. But as long as your discus isn't HUGE, he should be fine for a couple days.

Hope this helps!
Gabby

 

My discus is not huge. I would say he is about half the size he would be @ adulthood. I have been scouring the tank & taking perameters. I took out all the gravel. He will be in a bare tank with only a filter & an airstone.I plan water changes & maintenance just as on my large tank. I have been reading that he should be kept isolated for 2 weeks. I am going to change the other tank around a bit.

My greatest fear is losing him. I'll have to keep a close watch. Discus are social animals. I don't know how he'll like being alone. There again, I gave him a chance to be social &........

I turned out the light in my planted discus tank to give the little ones a rest & , if conditions are right, I'll move him in the morning.

I am hoping that, when I put him back, he'll be the new kid on the block & will leave the others alone. By that time, the little ones may be more protective of their space.

I am sure it will take the little ones time to adjust. They are so use to being chased into their corner whenever they venture forth.

I'm not exactly sure how I am going to make the transfer. When you get a fish in the store, they put him in a plastic bag so he can float & get use to the temperature difference. ( if there is one ) I have nothing like that. All I would have is a plastic container. That wouldn't float, nor would there be a transfer of heat. Any ideas ?

Tomorrow is moving day. I'll let you how works out.

 

Not sure if I am missing something, but wouldn't it be easier to simply take water from your main tank to put in the holding tank since you are cleaning it out anyways? And if you have the temps the same in both tanks, I really don't think a float would be necessary.

However, if you are still worried about it, you could do a drip acclimation, but IMHO i wouldn't bother going that slow if the water came from his original tank in the first place. Over the course of an hour or two, I would just transfer a cup of water every 5 minutes or so. Then you will acclimate him to the temp and parameters of the tank. Then just net him and stick him in there. Just try and make the quarantine tank as comfy as possible and I think he'll be fine

 

I never thought of the drip method. Thanks.

What do you mean by making his tank as comfy as possible ?

 

I would just make sure he has stuff in there so it's not just empty - like you said with just an airstone. If he's going to be in there for more than A week, I would at least throw in a couple plants (even plastic ones would probably make him feel more comfortable) or since you are changing your main tank, maybe stick a couple small live plants or do some trimming and stick that in there.

I guess by "comfy" i mean make it feel natural - not like you sent him back to the fish store!

 

How is it going with the bully discus?