Aggression Question - Discus Owners???
- Thread starter JamieC77
- Start date
All the domestic color varieties of discus get along and freely interbreed with each other.
They do set up a pecking order and for that reason they should be very close to the same sizes. The larger the fish the more dominant it will be within the group.
They go through another stage as they mature and form pairs then you will see two that rule an area and drive off other discus that encroach on their territory.
All of this is in flux because a second and even subsequent pairs will further subdivide the available space. At feeding time they will tend to mix it up and will come together to feed and squabble. As long as they are nearly the same size and there is enough space(10 gal/fish) this arrangement can be allowed to go on indefinitely.
Remove pairs to their own tank if you want to raise some fry.
I have a little different opinion regarding wild discus. My main interest is in wild discus. They are my hobby. I only keep and breed some domestics to sell. My opinion is that of the three species Blue/Brown, Green and Heckel there are some subtle differences in their behaviors. Generally my observations have been that Blue/Browns usually are the most outgoing and boldest of the species and Heckels have always seemed to me to be the most cautious and retiring of the wild discus. Normally these species are found in different types of water and only occasionally occur together where their ranges and water types can mix at the edges of their ranges. Greens are not found any where near the other two species but are found in conditions similar to those required by Heckels. They can be as assertive as Blue/Browns but I have noticed that some types of greens are more dominating than others. If the three species are kept together, size will still be the most important as the largest of any of the three species will dominate any of the others that are smaller.
I have kept all three species together but I find that as in nature they are best kept with their own species.
They do set up a pecking order and for that reason they should be very close to the same sizes. The larger the fish the more dominant it will be within the group.
They go through another stage as they mature and form pairs then you will see two that rule an area and drive off other discus that encroach on their territory.
All of this is in flux because a second and even subsequent pairs will further subdivide the available space. At feeding time they will tend to mix it up and will come together to feed and squabble. As long as they are nearly the same size and there is enough space(10 gal/fish) this arrangement can be allowed to go on indefinitely.
Remove pairs to their own tank if you want to raise some fry.
I have a little different opinion regarding wild discus. My main interest is in wild discus. They are my hobby. I only keep and breed some domestics to sell. My opinion is that of the three species Blue/Brown, Green and Heckel there are some subtle differences in their behaviors. Generally my observations have been that Blue/Browns usually are the most outgoing and boldest of the species and Heckels have always seemed to me to be the most cautious and retiring of the wild discus. Normally these species are found in different types of water and only occasionally occur together where their ranges and water types can mix at the edges of their ranges. Greens are not found any where near the other two species but are found in conditions similar to those required by Heckels. They can be as assertive as Blue/Browns but I have noticed that some types of greens are more dominating than others. If the three species are kept together, size will still be the most important as the largest of any of the three species will dominate any of the others that are smaller.
I have kept all three species together but I find that as in nature they are best kept with their own species.
the above post is pretty much true...
BUT. from my experience with discus(none wild) I can tell you that they DO separate according to color.....SOMETIMES.
When I set up my tank, I added a few, then a few more, so on...I have 9 at the moment, and I can say from my experiences in obsessively watching them for the first 3 months that they tend to stick with others of their own color during the small juvie stages, only coming together during feedings. The dominant ones of each little group bullied only others of the same color, showing no interest in other's of a different hue.
After time they began to kinda mix in with each other more freely, till today when I watch them they are one cohesive group...
BUT. from my experience with discus(none wild) I can tell you that they DO separate according to color.....SOMETIMES.
When I set up my tank, I added a few, then a few more, so on...I have 9 at the moment, and I can say from my experiences in obsessively watching them for the first 3 months that they tend to stick with others of their own color during the small juvie stages, only coming together during feedings. The dominant ones of each little group bullied only others of the same color, showing no interest in other's of a different hue.
After time they began to kinda mix in with each other more freely, till today when I watch them they are one cohesive group...
oh yeah....how big a tank do you have. Are you ready to do some serious water changing? Tank size and spare time are two things that are a definete consideration before buying discus...you're probably not gonna kick out the cash for the big-boys, so that means juvies are where it's at. They take ALOT of feedings(as many as 6x a day) and ALOT of water changes (I do 3 to 4 60% water changes a week), to keep em healthy, happy, and growing like crazy....
odd numbered groups are best....hence, 5 instead of 4.
odd numbered groups are best....hence, 5 instead of 4.
El Wad said. "odd numbered groups are best....hence, 5 instead of 4."
I have been a discus breeder most of my life and have heard people repeat the assertion that odd numbers are best. I have never seen any real evidence that this is true. Why do you or anyone else believe this?
I agree discus like to be kept in groups but I have never seen anything that indicated to me they prefer odd numbers to even numbers. Just stop and think about this a minute. Discus are a fish. Fish brains are not noted for any capacity for any ability to reason.
What I know for sure is that they are driven to feed and reproduce.
Also to whom it may concern. All domestic discus interbreed regardless of the color form. They are no different from Guppies or Betta splendens in this regard.
My comments are based on practical experience having raised thousands of discus in my life. They are, in the end, just another dumb fish. The domestic discus is as dumb as fish come. They don't stop to think; "What color they want to pair with or that an even number in a group means its going to be a bad scene, someone goes or the owner better buy another else we won't act like discus."
I love discus but lets be real.
I have been a discus breeder most of my life and have heard people repeat the assertion that odd numbers are best. I have never seen any real evidence that this is true. Why do you or anyone else believe this?
I agree discus like to be kept in groups but I have never seen anything that indicated to me they prefer odd numbers to even numbers. Just stop and think about this a minute. Discus are a fish. Fish brains are not noted for any capacity for any ability to reason.
What I know for sure is that they are driven to feed and reproduce.
Also to whom it may concern. All domestic discus interbreed regardless of the color form. They are no different from Guppies or Betta splendens in this regard.
My comments are based on practical experience having raised thousands of discus in my life. They are, in the end, just another dumb fish. The domestic discus is as dumb as fish come. They don't stop to think; "What color they want to pair with or that an even number in a group means its going to be a bad scene, someone goes or the owner better buy another else we won't act like discus."
I love discus but lets be real.
I'm sure you have MUCH more experience than I when it comes to discus.
My statements are what I believe, and have seen with my own eyes...in juvenile discus. Why would they not be able to differenciate between the colors and pattens of other fish different from themselves?
Nobody said they wouldn't breed with each other..and of course they will live with each other. I mean really, haven't we all seen about a thousand pictures of every different type of discus packed together into a huge show aquarium somewhere or another?
The question was if different types show agression towards other strains. I answered YES. They do. I've seen it with my own eyes. Up to a point. Fish ARE stupid. You're right on that one, and all of mine stayed with the same color for the first few months and then SLOWLY started to hang all together.
As far as the even/odd thing goes....I have an odd number and all of them are getting along fine. I had an even number, and ended up purchasing 1 more due to bullying by the dominant fish. Could just have been chance, but it worked for me. I believe what I've heard, and what I've seen. I'm sure there are a million tanks out there with even numbered fish in them, just as there are a million more with odd.
Point being: They wanted an opinion I gave it. Whatever your experiences and opinions may be, fine with me. I'm laying out what I've seen.
My statements are what I believe, and have seen with my own eyes...in juvenile discus. Why would they not be able to differenciate between the colors and pattens of other fish different from themselves?
Nobody said they wouldn't breed with each other..and of course they will live with each other. I mean really, haven't we all seen about a thousand pictures of every different type of discus packed together into a huge show aquarium somewhere or another?
The question was if different types show agression towards other strains. I answered YES. They do. I've seen it with my own eyes. Up to a point. Fish ARE stupid. You're right on that one, and all of mine stayed with the same color for the first few months and then SLOWLY started to hang all together.
As far as the even/odd thing goes....I have an odd number and all of them are getting along fine. I had an even number, and ended up purchasing 1 more due to bullying by the dominant fish. Could just have been chance, but it worked for me. I believe what I've heard, and what I've seen. I'm sure there are a million tanks out there with even numbered fish in them, just as there are a million more with odd.
Point being: They wanted an opinion I gave it. Whatever your experiences and opinions may be, fine with me. I'm laying out what I've seen.
I believe that for a 'group' of discus, thats 5 or more. I do not care about keeping them in odds and evens. Wether is be 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, its all the same.
IME one reason why they school with the same colours when young is basiclly and natural instinct in the wild to group up with your brothers and sisters for protection. But they should outgrow this.
IME one reason why they school with the same colours when young is basiclly and natural instinct in the wild to group up with your brothers and sisters for protection. But they should outgrow this.
