Who Gives A Fish Forums

Black backgrounds are clutch. Mine's got one too, and it makes the fish feel safer. Also, if you're running CO2, check the levels. Too much can make them skittish even if the water's perfect. I dose 1 bubble per second in my planted 75.

Bright lights can definitely stress them out, especially if they're new to the tank. I've got a similar setup, 90 gallons with Fluval Plant 3.0, but I dim it to 50% for the first month. Try reducing the intensity or adding floating plants like frogbit to diffuse the light. How long have they been ...

Thanks for the tips, folks. Gonna try reducing light first and see if that helps before adding more plants or fish.

Duckweed is taking over my 20 gallon tank, it's covering the surface completely. I've got a sponge filter, moderate lighting, and do weekly water changes. How do y'all keep it in check without nuking the whole tank?

Yo, I feel you on the stress thing. Last time I left mine for 10 days, I freaked out. But they were fine! I used an auto feeder for pellets, kept the lights on a 6-hour cycle, and had a neighbor check in once to top off the water. Tank's 55 gallons, sand substrate, no CO2. Just make sure your filter ...

Check your filter flow rate too. A Fluval 407 might not be enough for a 75-gallon with that many fish. I run two filters on my 90-gallon to keep things crystal clear. Also, how old is your filter media? If it's too old, it might not be trapping particles effectively.


Spot on. Flow rate is key ...

Agree with the oxygen point. I added an air stone just in case, and the flaring dropped. Also, check for stray currents—my discus hated the flow from my old powerhead. Switched to a gentler pump, and they chilled out.

Let us know how it goes! Discus can be finicky, but once they click, it's worth the wait.

Sometimes it's just a matter of time. Are they showing any signs of aggression or ignoring each other? My pair took almost a year to bond. Also, try upping the protein in their diet, like adding beef heart. It can help trigger breeding behavior.

Re: Local Pet shop closed?

In Rutherford county NC, about 60 miles west of charlotte and 60 miles east of asheville, we're in a pretty unique situation. We only have one pet store, a mom and pop shop. No big box stores here, just a small Walmart with limited pet items. This one store gets a lot of ...