discus hiding near heater

[Vista]

Noticed my Discus are always huddled near the heater. Tank's at 84°F, 55 gallons, sand substrate, driftwood, and some Amazon swords. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate around 10 ppm. They're eating fine but seem stressed. Anyone else deal with this?

[dynamo]

Mine did that when I first got them. How long have they been in the tank? Sometimes it's just a comfort thing, especially if the heater's in a quieter spot. What's your water change routine?

[barks]

Noticed my Discus are always huddled near the heater. Tank's at 84°F, 55 gallons, sand substrate, driftwood, and some Amazon swords. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, nitrate around 10 ppm. They're eating fine but seem stressed. Anyone else deal with this?

Yeah, mine did that too. Turned out the flow from my canister filter was too strong. They chilled near the heater 'cause it was the calmest spot. Maybe check your flow?

[Vista]

Thanks for the tips. They've been in the tank about 3 weeks. I do 30% water changes twice a week, using Seachem Prime. Filter's a Fluval 307, but I'll dial down the flow and see if that helps.

[dynamo]

Three weeks is still pretty new. They might just need more time to settle. What's the lighting like? Bright lights can freak them out, especially if there's not enough cover.

[barks]

Yep, lighting's huge. I run mine on a dimmer schedule, like 6 hours max. Also, what's the heater brand? Some of the cheaper ones have sketchy temp swings that can mess with them.

[dynamo]

Yep, lighting's huge. I run mine on a dimmer schedule, like 6 hours max. Also, what's the heater brand? Some of the cheaper ones have sketchy temp swings that can mess with them.

Good point. I've had issues with Aqueon heaters before. Switched to Eheim and it's been solid. Vista, you might wanna double-check the temp with a separate thermometer.

[Vista]

Heater's a Cobalt Neo-Therm, and I've got a separate digital thermometer reading 84°F consistently. Lights are on for 8 hours, but I'll try cutting it back. Appreciate the help, guys.

[barks]

Cobalt's usually reliable, so that's good. Maybe throw in some floating plants to dim the light naturally. Frogbit or dwarf water lettuce works great for that.

[dynamo]

If they're still hiding after adjusting the flow and light, might be worth checking for tankmates bullying them. Even peaceful fish can sometimes hassle Discus.