aggressive discus

[USMCfishcrzy]

I have 7 discus in a 125g. One discus is being very aggressive towards the others all the time chasing them around the tank. They all are between 2 1/2 and 3" long. My question is should I get rid of the aggressive one or just let them be

 

[roydooms]

That is perfectly normal for discus. They are setting up a pecking order. and usually the biggest and most aggressive one is on top. Oftentimes the pecking order changes. I'd be more concerned if they are not showing this behavior.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

Awesome that makes me feel way better. Anything I should watch for. Can they stress eachother out and cause problems?

 

[roydooms]

Usually if you have less than 5 discus that the aggressiveness will have a bad effect on the fish at the bottom of the pecking order. Sometimes death. But you have 7. You should be fine. If the aggressive one is just chasing the others around and not nipping on their fins or hurting them then there is nothing to worry about. It's going to be different though when your discus starts pairing. The pair will be aggressive towards other fish and will defend a spot where they chose to lay eggs. It seems like you have juvenile discus so you are far away from that. Nothing worry about for now

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

I have 5 tanks just for the discus if they end up pairing off. How do they usually take to reach full size?

 

[roydooms]

I have 5 tanks just for the discus if they end up pairing off. How do they usually take to reach full size?

It depends. If you're power feeding and changing at least 50% of the water everyday, then they'll grow a lot faster. When you do this a bare-bottom tank is advisable for easy cleaning.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

I do have in a community tank with a pretty good clean up crew. But I haven't been doing the 50% water changes. Which I will start now

 

[roydooms]

I have mine in a community tank as well and my tank is heavily planted. Also, high amount of nitrates will contribute to slow growth and/or may stunt discus. You would want to keep your nitrates below 20ppm. With my tank I have to do two 50-70% PWCs a week.

 

[USMCfishcrzy]

How long does the whole pecking order thing last?

 

[roydooms]

As long as you have discus. Like what I said, it is natural for them to do that. The peck order may change often times. You'll always see discus showing their dominance towards others. Seeing them do that means they are comfortable enough to establish a peck order.