Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've got a breeding pair of Discus in a 55-gallon tank, and I'm not sure about the lighting. Right now, I'm using a basic LED strip, 6500K, 8 hours a day. They're spawning but the fry aren't surviving past day 3. Could the lighting be stressing them? Tank's got sand substrate, a few Amazon swords, and a sponge filter. Water's at 84°F, pH 6.5, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate.

Lighting can definitely mess with breeding pairs, especially if it's too bright or inconsistent. I'd cut it back to 6 hours and dim it if possible. My pair did way better under softer lighting, like a Fluval Plant 3.0 at 50% intensity. Also, check for shadows—fry need hiding spots. How often are you doing water changes? Daily 10% changes helped my fry survival rate.

Olive wrote: ↑Fri Aug 08, 2025 4:54 am Lighting can definitely mess with breeding pairs, especially if it's too bright or inconsistent. I'd cut it back to 6 hours and dim it if possible. My pair did way better under softer lighting, like a Fluval Plant 3.0 at 50% intensity. Also, check for shadows—fry need hiding spots. How often are you doing water changes? Daily 10% changes helped my fry survival rate.

Yep, second this. My Discus bred under a Nicrew Classic, but I had to dial it way down. Also, what's your feeding routine for the fry? They need infusoria or baby brine shrimp almost hourly the first few days.

Kinda weird vibe with the LED strip, ngl. I'd switch to a planted tank light with adjustable spectrum. My pair chilled out big time after I swapped to a Chihiros A series. Also, sand substrate's good, but you gotta vacuum it weekly or it'll mess with your water quality. Fry are sketchy about dirty bottoms.

I've had success with T5HO lights but kept 'em on for only 5 hours during spawning. Fry survival jumped when I added floating plants like frogbit to diffuse the light. What's your tank's background color? Darker backgrounds reduce stress. Mine's black, and the pair seems way less skittish.

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Gonna try dimming the lights and adding some frogbit. I've been doing 20% water changes every other day, but I'll bump it to daily. Also, the background's blue—might switch to black if that helps.

Blue backgrounds aren't terrible, but black's definitely better for reducing glare. How's your feeding schedule for the adults? A mix of frozen bloodworms and beef heart keeps mine in breeding condition. Also, consider a dimmer switch for your LED strip—cheap fix if you don't wanna buy a new light yet.

butteredBiscuit wrote: ↑Fri Aug 08, 2025 7:00 am Kinda weird vibe with the LED strip, ngl. I'd switch to a planted tank light with adjustable spectrum. My pair chilled out big time after I swapped to a Chihiros A series. Also, sand substrate's good, but you gotta vacuum it weekly or it'll mess with your water quality. Fry are sketchy about dirty bottoms.

LOL, 'weird vibe' is right. My Discus side-eyed me for weeks until I got a proper light. But seriously, adjustable spectrum's key. Also, fry need stupid-clean water—like, zero nitrates. You testing daily?

Yo, ditch the strip light, fam. Get something with sunrise/sunset settings. My pair went from zero to hero after I switched to a Finnex 24/7. Fry survival's like 80% now. Also, you using RO water? Tap's gotta be sketchy for breeding.

I'd second the Finnex recommendation. My breeding tank's got one, and the pair's way more active. How's your tank placement, though? If it's near a window, ambient light could be stressing them even with the LEDs off. Mine's in a basement corner, zero natural light.