discus hiding from tank light

[elixir]

Noticed my discus darting behind plants whenever the tank light turns on. They're in a 75-gallon with sand substrate, driftwood, and Amazon swords. Water's at 84°F, pH 6.8, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. Using a Fluval 3.0 light on a 10-hour cycle. Anyone else deal with this?

[vital]

Yo, same issue here. Mine chill in the shadows till lights dim. Got a 55-gallon with blackwater setup, tannins dark as coffee. Try cutting the light intensity or duration, bro. My Fluval's at 50% for 8 hours now, and they're way less sketchy.

[sillyboy]

Mine do that too! 60-gallon with sponge filter, temp at 86°F. They hide under the driftwood like it's a game. Maybe they're just drama queens?

[butteredBiscuit]

Yo, same issue here. Mine chill in the shadows till lights dim. Got a 55-gallon with blackwater setup, tannins dark as coffee. Try cutting the light intensity or duration, bro. My Fluval's at 50% for 8 hours now, and they're way less sketchy.

Solid advice. I dropped my Nicrew to 6 hours and added floating plants. Now they're out more, munching on beef heart like it's a buffet.

[guyah]

Discus are low-light river fish in the wild. Your setup's too bright. Reduce intensity to 30-40%, add tall plants like vals for shade. My 90-gallon has dim LEDs on a sunrise/sunset timer, zero hiding issues.

[Hartan]

Mine used to bolt when lights hit. Switched to a Finnex planted+ 24/7 mode, which mimics natural light cycles. Now they're out all day in my 120-gallon, even with the rays shining. Maybe try gradual changes?

[Dkade]

Discus are low-light river fish in the wild. Your setup's too bright. Reduce intensity to 30-40%, add tall plants like vals for shade. My 90-gallon has dim LEDs on a sunrise/sunset timer, zero hiding issues.

Exactly this! Wild discus avoid direct light. My tank's got duckweed covering 70% of the surface, and they're way more active now. 82°F, weekly 50% water changes.

[Swiftsea]

Check your light spectrum too. Blue-heavy LEDs freak them out. I use a warmer 6500K bulb in my 75-gallon, and they don't even flinch at lights-on anymore. Also, feed them right after lighting up—distracts them from the change.

[elixir]

Thanks, all! Gonna tweak the Fluval settings and grab some floaters this weekend. Appreciate the tips.

[fixin]

Light stress triggers cortisol spikes. Documented in studies. Your Fluval 3.0's PAR values are excessive for discus. Set it to 30% max, 6-hour photoperiod. Add Indian almond leaves for shade. 75-gallon should have at least 50% cover.