How long for pecking order to settle?

solarkey · Post by **solarkey** » Tue Apr 12, 2022 4:56 pm

I recently rehomed my least favorite fish, going from 15 to 7. I kept the six largest and the tiny runt, mainly because my wife has a soft spot for him - she thinks he's adorable.

I figured the pecking order would settle within a day or two, but a week later, I'm still seeing bullying. I know six is the minimum for discus, so I thought seven would be okay, but two of my favorites are getting picked on. My male, the one I'm planning to breed, has nip marks and stress bars, so I need to act.

My setup is seven 4-4.5" altum floras in a 75-gallon tank. Any suggestions would be appreciated - I'm not in a position to buy more fish right now. I'm thinking of adding some driftwood to break up the line of sight, as it's pretty bare in there with just sponge filters and heaters.

solarkey · Post by **solarkey** » Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:02 pm

Here's my guy - excuse the blurry pic, my camera's on the fritz. You can see the stress bars, and where he got nipped. My favorite fish, and he's really taking a beating.

sonyx · Post by **sonyx** » Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:34 pm

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

I'm still dealing with the same issue, and I'm surprised it's taking this long. My for-sure breeding male is showing stress bars and nip marks - I've got a pic, but excuse the quality, my camera's busted. You can see the stress bars and the nipped areas, and this guy's my favorite.

solarkey · Post by **solarkey** » Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:57 pm

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

Originally posted by sonyx

Rotated

[ATTACH]133751[/ATTACH]

Thanks for the feedback, still getting the hang of this pic thing

sonyx · Post by **sonyx** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 1:56 am

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

I had the same issue with posting pics on here.
It's Portrait:

It's Landscape:

I found this thread that explains why pics post upside down or sideways on the forum: https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showthre ... -the-forum&

The thing is, most of our devices know which way is up when we take a pic, but Koiphen doesn't. It assumes you're holding it in landscape mode.

solarkey · Post by **solarkey** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:27 am

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

Thanks for the help, I think it's just my old phone acting up. Portrait pics upload as landscapes and vice versa, really appreciate the assist though.

solarkey · Post by **solarkey** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:02 am

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

I've made a slight adjustment this morning - put the largest fish (the one causing the most trouble) behind a divider. So far, it seems like it's had a bit of a calming effect, but it's still early days.

FishNe · Post by **FishNe** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:06 am

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

Honestly, I'm not sure what to suggest, Josh. Why not try a temporary tank swap and put the bullied fish in with a different group? It's a new environment for him, and who knows, it might just help him avoid the aggression for a bit.

wilde · Post by **wilde** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:33 pm

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

Honestly, I don't think the stress bars on your guy are that concerning. They're pretty light, and they'll likely fade as he matures.

Discus are cichlids, and let's face it, bullying is just part of who they are. Every time you make a change to the tank, like adding or removing a fish, the pecking order is gonna get shaken up all over again. And then there's that little runt of yours - sometimes those little guys can be pretty feisty and pick on the bigger fish.

solarkey · Post by **solarkey** » Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:56 pm

Re: How long for pecking order to settle?

I'm familiar with the aggressive nature of cichlids, having kept Africans in the past - those guys were brutal. However, I'm concerned that a week after the change, my favorite fish is still showing stress bars and losing scales, which had almost completely disappeared before. I appreciate your insight, but I'm still going to keep a close eye on the tank.