Bars on wild heckel

[Mitchellrliu]

Hi everyone!

I acquired 2 wild rio negro heckels 2 about a month ago. It’s acclimating really well, eats very well and all.

My question is: its bar is more often than not, disappear. Is it normal? Or is it a sign that they arent happy or sick?

They are kept just the two of them, since other discus are tank bred and acted aggressively toward the wilds.

 

[tlindsey]

It varies could be stress from being bullied , ill, even mood and water parameters could make color change.
You have just have 2 so there will be a hierarchy between them as with all Cichlids.

 

[tlindsey]

Just saw your pics keep your eye on tankmates.

 

[neutrino]

Discus typically let you know when they're unhappy. Stressed, sick or unhappy behavior would include closed fins, all bars dark, not eating, facing the back of the tank or into a corner. I'm extrapolating from the two photos that yours aren't doing these things and they're not being bullied, but they may not be confident with their tankmates or surroundings yet.

The bars can come an go according to mood, lighting, substrate, cover and hiding places, etc. Won't try to write a care sheet, just some random thoughts-- Heckels come from warm black water, low pH, overhead shade, and they school in the wild, sometimes a few hundred. Yours may be fine, may still be getting used to their surroundings. Or they may not be especially unhappy, but also not especially comfortable with something. Could be simple as bright light with no cover, could be something else, could be nothing they won't get used to.

Despite a lot of discus keepers preferring bare tanks, I found mine were happier with aquascaping, including substrate. Ime clear bottom made them a little nervous, actually, not that they can't get used to it, considering how many keep them in bare tanks.

 

[Red Cichlids]

They look pretty happy to me. I like the fins up, bright eyes, and being towards the front of the tank. (I think I just said what Neutrino said backwards.)

 

[Mitchellrliu]

i think mine is happy with the water since i keep the water pristine and low in PH and 0 ammonia, altho hardiness is a bit to replicate since the tap water is pretty hard.

I find that the issue is due to the lack of same species to school. It's very difficult to find a wild discus here in Indonesia and i only managed to get 2 over these years of searching. I put tank bred discus with them but they seem to be more aggressive and ended up bullying the wilds so i took them out

 

[neutrino]

It's not the ideal for young discus, but pairs can work when they get along with each other.

 

[nanoer]

Your Heckels are fine. The mid bar is a display of mood. They show it when happy, pissed off, or in danger. I have 14 of them and they dont really display it in normal mood. Look at the right corner. Only 1 Heckel had his mid bar. Fyi, the yellow discus are red spotted green.