Discus problem-
 

Hey ppl, am new to keeping discus.
I bought 3 discus 4-5 days ago, they are shy and breath rather rapidly, I cleaned the filters, did a water change, its not helping, also my heater is set to 29 c. They stay together in a place, and are rather not active. What can i do ? Btw, they dont eat at all, they see the food but are simply not interested. Its dried shrimp, i will try to get a hold of some specialized discus food, guess i should have long ago -.-

Is not unusual for Discus to refuse foods after being moved to new enviornment. This enviornment hopefully is a cycled aquarium of at least 50 gallons for three Discus . pH levels not much higher than 7.6 for Domestic fish,and test results should result in zero for ammonia and nitrites ,and nitrAte levels of 10 to 20 ppm. (all day, every day)
Lighting should not be too bright while fish are acclimating themselves to their new home which can take up to two weeks. Have seen Discus refuse foods for as long as a week after arriving to new enviornment and I would keep offering a wide variety of foods two or three times a day. If after 10 or 15 minutes,the fish do not eat that which is offered,, I would remove the uneaten food with gravel vaccum or turkey baster and try again later.
I have fed frozen bloodworms,Tetra color bits (soaked to soften), frozen brine shrimp, Hikari cichlid bio-gold pellet's, Ocean Nutrition flake and pellet foods,meal worms, Frozen bits of krill,Spirulina Brine shrimp, Cichlid crisps, New Life spectrum pellet foods small or medium size, depending on size of fish,and once or twice a week ,Frozen beefheart (thawed in a cup of aquarium water).
Might also ask those I got the fish from what they were feeding the fish, and try this as well as the foods mentioned.
Would not add anything to the aquarium in the way of chemicals other than dechlorinator such as PRIME with water changes that if the fish are small, should in my view be on the order of 50 percent three times a week until the fish reach around five inches,.
When the Fish are small, they need three to four small feedings per day to achieve proper growth and these frequent feedings should be done BEFORE a water change. Young Discus need foods high in protein for strong growth and due to high metaboloisim's which use up nutrients from foods offered quite quickly.
These frequent small feedings make the frequent water changes necessary to keep water quality at optimal levels, and to supply trace minerals for fishes development.
You may also like to visit SimplyDiscus.com members there have a wealth of knowledege on the care of these fish. Good luck with your Discus.

Thxs for the reply. Well, so you telling me i should try other foods and wait- ?
Btw, i forgot to mention. its a community tank with loads of loaches and a senegalus, they do well together ensured that no fish is bullying-

Yes, I would keep offering a variety of foods at around the same time each day and remove it if they do not eat it after 10 to 15 minutes. If water parameters are in order,, the fish will eventually eat.
Discus do not always appreciate the activity levels of loaches ,and the Discus do not compete very well for foods in my expierience, at least until they become more comfortable in their new surroundings.
Take care of your water,and the fish should do well.

One has a round thing bright in colour on the lower body part , small in size, but it does react like the others, hope that thing isnt goint to be a problem.
I am starting to worry now, they are highly inactive . And they pitch on a side, not balanced like !! I remember the day i put them in the tank, both of the, struggled to get out of the net, maybe it damaged the upper and lower part fins ? Is this going to be fine ?

What are readings for pH, ammonia,nitrites ,and nitrates? They should be as mentioned above. These fish are sensitive to fluctuating or poor water conditions.
What chemicals or medications have been or are being used? what size is the tank? How long has the tank been running with fish in it? How large are the Discus? Are there any fishes such as Plecos ,Chinese algae eater in the tank?
How often are you changing the water and how much do you change ? What type or brand of filter is being used? Is it rated for your size tank?
If fish are listing to one side,I would perform 50 percent water change and another 50 percent 12 hours later.
I have no idea what could be ailing the fishes without photos or more information and even then,,it is very difficult to accurately diagnose with any certainty what the particular problem is.
Will say that water changes are a good place to start.

Well, i dont have all the necessary instruments to conduct water tests, but my aqua has been running for over 2 years, there were angels before,.. And, i do have a pleco - Quite large one, but its always inactive, hidden in a cave- I also have 2 black ghost knifefish one very long and a medium one, but they do not cause any problem, they co habit- I did a 30 5 water change yesterday, to no avail-

Hey, well i currently have 4 discus, i had to do another tank, one is a bit aggressive.. I was told it may be a pair, can you help me in differencing between a male and a female - ?

Sexing discus is difficult until they are in spawning readiness and the papillae are visible; the papilla of the female will be noticeably thicker than the male. Check our profile for info on this fish, click on the shaded name.

As Byron said, sexing usually needs to be done when they're ready to breed and even then it can be difficult.

Your problem may be related to numbers. If you have one fish that is overly aggressive or dominant you're going to need more than four total; probably at least six. My blue diamond is very dominant and had to be kept separate from the others until I had a total of six. He terrorized the others when there were fewer, but once I had all six he went in with the them just fine. There are too many for him to target just one or two, so his aggression is disbursed.