# Introducing new Discus



## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

My 75g tank has 2 discus (2in and 3in) as well as other community fish. Recently I added 3 more new discus (~2in) that had been in a quarantine tank. The one older 2" discus is constantly chasing the 3 new ones and keeps them at the back of the tank. I can understand establishing dominance but if he keeps it up, the others can't eat....was there a better way to introduce them? Is this considered normal for a few days and will it eventually wear off or are some fish just a$$es? 

The largest discus, a wild caught 3" Brown is above it all and ocassionally tries to break them up by getting in between them.


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## Harry (Jan 29, 2008)

Dear Dmaaaaax,
The way you have introduced your new discus fish is fine.
It is very usual to have this kind of behaviour among discus fish in particular when some of them have already been established in their tank.
The new-comers are not always welcome,that's why we usually start with a small group of five or six that are introduced in the tank together.
However,this in not always feasible since we don't always find the fish we want at the same time or when we replace a loss etc.
Don't worry as long as your dominant discus is after three or more of the others because he cannot harm anyone of them this way. 
Things are not good at all when one or more dominant discus fish pursue only one "victim".If only one fish is constantly the target it will soon start to deteriorate in health.
Make sure that the food (bits or pellets) is spread on a bigger area of the surface so it will start sinking here and there and the new ones will have the chance to grab a bite.
Don't increase the quantity too much just feed them with your hand to spread it better than the food dispenser (if you have one).
In all likelihood in a few days things will be much better and the rank will have been arranged but do expect small fights from time to time.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

Thanks for the quick reply...it is good to know. These new ones are extremely picky eaters. So far just live black worms. The others have adapted to frozen bloodworms, and ocassionally some beef heart flakes.

BTW...here is a picture of the wild caught brown. I love the natural discus look of him. He is truely wild and love to forage off the ground rather than eat from the surface:


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## petlover516 (Nov 12, 2008)

the wild caught is quite a pic! love to see more! sorry i can't help with the discus, i just wanted to comment on the pic!


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## Harry (Jan 29, 2008)

Dmaaaaax said:


> Thanks for the quick reply...it is good to know. These new ones are extremely picky eaters. So far just live black worms. The others have adapted to frozen bloodworms, and ocassionally some beef heart flakes.
> 
> BTW...here is a picture of the wild caught brown. I love the natural discus look of him. He is truely wild and love to forage off the ground rather than eat from the surface:


Keep on feeding on dry food at least twice a day in smaller quantities until they get used to it.
Give them "bits" and "flakes" and turkey heart because live worms can introduce diseases.I feed mine three times per day dry food and once frozen turkey heart or frozen blood worms which have been sterilized (it's a german brandname).
Also remember that when you go on holiday they must be fed from the automatic dispenser where only dry food like "bits" can be used.
Your wild discus looks great and I would love to see pics of the others too.
However,try to decided which type you want to have.I mean wild ones or hybrids as both types are not very compatible and you will understand it in due course.
If this is the only wild you have I advise you not to buy another one for a very long time.In most cases wild discus never accept the hybrids as a similar species and seem to suffer somehow.Moreover only the brown and blue wilds feel well at a ph around 7.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

The brown swam with my hybrid from day 1, but now that the 4 hybrids are fighting, he takes turns swimming with each and ocassionally pecks at the original 1 who is the aggressor. I got "lucky" finding him at a yearly fish gathering so I think he will be my only wild.

I use pressurized CO2 so my pH fluctuates from night to day, but during the day it gets down to ~6.2. I have beef heart flakes, which none of them eat just yet. But they all have gotten used to eating frozen bloodworms. The blackworms here in the US come from a single source out in California that farm raises them.


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## woodyg3 (Mar 24, 2009)

How are your new fellows doing? After a week, I'm assuming things have calmed down a bit.

It has been several years since I kept discus, but I was able to get them to eat just about anything with patience. I gave them a frozen food with beef heart and a variety of other ingredients. I don't recall the company that put it out or what the name of the product was, but it certainly beats grinding up your own beef heart by hand. I mixed flake food in with this, and soon they accepted the flake food all by itself.


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