Darken for few minutes

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Blossp
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Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2022 10:41 am

Darken for few minutes

Post by Blossp »

I've kept my Stendker discus out of the hospital section since they're generally doing alright.
They did stop eating for a bit a few weeks ago, but after tweaking the temperature, everything's back on track.

However, one of my red scribbelt discus suddenly turned dark, only to return to normal the next minute - you can see it in the pic.

Occasionally, a few of them act weird for short periods - maybe a few minutes, a few times a day. They freeze, look down, and turn dark. It takes about 2-3 minutes, then they're back to normal.

Anyone experienced something similar?
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lunar
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Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2022 1:24 pm

Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by lunar »

Re: Darken for few minutes

Got to say, that's bizarre. Never seen a discus change color like that red one. As for the head standing, I'm thinking it's the tank size. Those discus of yours look amazing, but I think they need more space. They're all 4+ inches, so I'd say a bigger tank is in order. Try a 90-150 gallon tank and I bet they'll stop this behavior.
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seaquake
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Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by seaquake »

Re: Darken for few minutes
I'm getting old and my eyes might be playing tricks on me. That white stuff on your filters, is that normal? Those sponges look a bit off.
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Blossp
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Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by Blossp »

Re: Darken for few minutes

Originally posted by Blossp

I intentionally haven’t put this into the hospital section as majority of time my Stendker discus are doing fine...

I check under microscope and I think it's the same white slime that builds up on the glass.
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elixir
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Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2022 6:37 pm

Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by elixir »

Re: Darken for few minutes

My discus go through weird phases too. One of them turns dark out of the blue, but as soon as I approach the tank, he thinks food's coming and instantly lightens up. He eats normally, seems fine, been with me for a while, so hard to tell what's going on. Curious to hear others' thoughts
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Jazzman
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Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:14 pm

Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by Jazzman »

Re: Darken for few minutes
I've had similar experiences with my discus too. They'll darken up for a bit, then suddenly lighten up again. I've noticed it's mainly my blueish discus that do this, like my leopards. My pigeon bloods and goldens, on the other hand, never seem to darken. With mine, it usually happens when they're protecting their territory during feeding time. My take is that they darken as a sign of aggression towards the other discus.
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seaquake
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Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by seaquake »

Re: Darken for few minutes

Those discus look healthy, but that biofilm's a concern. Too much food or a small tank, maybe. Your sponges need more O2 for the BB to work properly - that slime's not helping. What's your water change schedule like? Do you age the water before adding it?
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wilde
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Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by wilde »

Re: Darken for few minutes

Those sponge filters need some love. Squeeze them out regularly and they'll work much better, especially with that biofilm buildup.
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elixir
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Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by elixir »

Re: Darken for few minutes











Squeeze out your sponge filter regularly and it'll work so much better.


Don't overdo it though
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Blossp
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Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2022 10:41 am

Re: Darken for few minutes

Post by Blossp »

Re: Darken for few minutes











Squeeze out your sponge filter regularly and it'll work so much better.


That sponge does look suspicious, unlike my other tanks with normal brownish sponges. I'll check it closer, microscope didn't show anything out of the ordinary. Honestly, I don't think it's the culprit, but it won't hurt to rule it out. I've got a hunch it might be diet-related, something in my heart mix. I'll make some changes and see if that helps.
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