i have a 240 gallon tank with discus and i really want to make it a planted tank...but ive heard that planted tanks would give discus peppering. Is this true? i really want to decorate my tank up with plants but afraid that it will pepper my discus. thanks
discus peppering in planted tanks?!?
- Thread starter bleezynheem
- Start date
Hi,
this is Heiko Bleher and it all depends what discus you will keep.
If you have wild discus, I suggest hardly any plants, lots of driftwood and maybe some very large Echinodorus (swordplants), which can grow out of the water, or Cyperus in the back, is ok, and or some floating plants. But for sure no heavy planted aquarium , discus are group fishes and need lots of free swimming areas.
For tank raised discus you can have some plants in the tank, but still, need to have also free swimming areas so they can move in the group.
These are just some short introductions from one who does this for a life time and collects....
Heiko Bleher
www.aquapress-bleher.com
this is Heiko Bleher and it all depends what discus you will keep.
If you have wild discus, I suggest hardly any plants, lots of driftwood and maybe some very large Echinodorus (swordplants), which can grow out of the water, or Cyperus in the back, is ok, and or some floating plants. But for sure no heavy planted aquarium , discus are group fishes and need lots of free swimming areas.
For tank raised discus you can have some plants in the tank, but still, need to have also free swimming areas so they can move in the group.
These are just some short introductions from one who does this for a life time and collects....
Heiko Bleher
www.aquapress-bleher.com
bleezynheem;1649007; said:
I don't know a ton on discus but my lfs has bare tanks with discus and they're peppered. I always thought it was a hormone/breeding issue with captive bred special strains.
Peppering can be from a few different things.
Depending on the grade of your discus, it can be a natural part of their pattern - though you won't see it in a bare bottom tank, anytime you add a darker substrate or background, the discus will try and match that (usually what's below them, rather than behind them) sort of like what a chameleon does.
Peppering can be a sign of stress, but in my experience (many years of breeding) when a discus is stressed it will show bars and start to turn black.
It's been almost 5 years since I've kept discus, but if memory serves me right pigeon blood's do not stand nearly as much a chance of peppering as solid strains.
Either way, it's pretty much set in stone that most of the discus on the market are going to drastically change in color based around what substrate you have in the tank, and a good amount of them only show their optimal intended color that they've been line bred for in bare bottom tanks.
Doesn't mean it's going to affect their behavior patterns or health, though.
Depending on the grade of your discus, it can be a natural part of their pattern - though you won't see it in a bare bottom tank, anytime you add a darker substrate or background, the discus will try and match that (usually what's below them, rather than behind them) sort of like what a chameleon does.
Peppering can be a sign of stress, but in my experience (many years of breeding) when a discus is stressed it will show bars and start to turn black.
It's been almost 5 years since I've kept discus, but if memory serves me right pigeon blood's do not stand nearly as much a chance of peppering as solid strains.
Either way, it's pretty much set in stone that most of the discus on the market are going to drastically change in color based around what substrate you have in the tank, and a good amount of them only show their optimal intended color that they've been line bred for in bare bottom tanks.
Doesn't mean it's going to affect their behavior patterns or health, though.
I'm sorry, I got those two confused.
Pigeon blood's are the ones that will pepper more severely, lined variants will show stress bars, and depending on which strain of solid variant you have - you can get either or.
Pigeon blood's are the ones that will pepper more severely, lined variants will show stress bars, and depending on which strain of solid variant you have - you can get either or.
I'd say no. I've been doing Discus about 10 years and I've only ever had one go pepper on me and, of course it was a PB. But, I've had other PB that have never.
