Shy discus not eating

[swervo513]

Hey Yall,

I have a small group of discus (5) in a 180 gal tank. four of them are eating but one of them has not been observed eating. I tried so many different types of food but I have not seen him eat. Funny thing is he looks healthy and just follows the other discus around when they eat. Odd behavior to say the least. Here is a pic of him. (the blue and red pattern). Maybe hes just shy.

 

[halvyt]

Is the discus turning dark or are the stress bars becoming really pronounced? Is the fish clamping its fins? Have you noticed any heavy breathing? How long have you had the discus in that tank? Whats the water parameters in your tank...temp, ammonia, nitrite, nitrates??? Its really hard to give you any real advice without knowing more and the picture isnt the best in the world either. What I can recommend to you right now is this....Huge water change, at least 75% and wipe down the sides of the glass before you change the water. Make sure the temp is 85F and try feeding some bloodworms.

Again its hard to tell whats going on but doing the water change is always the first step in dealing with discus. Hopefully that will help. If you just got them then they could be stressed and should come around in a few days but if you start seeing him turn colors, clamping his fins or breathing really heavy then you might have problems. Anyways hope this helps and good luck.

 

[3dees]

when I added my discus to my tank all the fish ate except one. he looked great and came out with the others when I dropped the food in but would'nt eat. this went on for about a month and I figured he was a goner. then one morning he started eating like he was making up for missing all those meals. today he is fine and getting big like the others. discus can act strange at times. if the fish looks and acts normal then just give it some time.

 

[swervo513]

Thanks for th advice guys. I will do the water change. He does not seem stressed and is acting normal other than that. Sounds exactly like 3dees discus. No fin clamping or heavy breathing. Only difference was that he had a rough acclimation. Got it like a week ago and he only was floated for about ten minutes as I was in a rush. I know bad idea on my part. He seems ok and parameters are normall. I will do a water change and scrub side of tank when I get home.