I’ll be honest — I made a mistake moving my discus into the living room. Health-wise they were actually looking some of the best they’ve ever looked: I dewormed them when they went in, they’ve been getting regular water changes, and they’ve been eating loads more. But behaviour-wise? They were way too skittish in that environment. The floor vibrations, kids running about, and the tank being open on multiple sides meant they’d be calm one minute… then the next they’d be darting and hiding like something had attacked them. That stress is a slippery slope with discus, and I didn’t want to wait until “nothing wrong” became a real problem. So I moved them back to the studio and set up a tank that’s way more discus-appropriate: minimalist, bright substrate (because darker substrate can make them go dark), a vallisneria curtain for security, and a couple of movable rock “islands” so I can clean properly without gunk traps. The filter is mature, the setup is simple, and the goal is clean water and calm fish — without making it a sterile breeder box. Once they were in, lights off, little bit of cover added, and within hours they were already looking more confident. Lesson learned: observe the fish, don’t ignore what you’re seeing, and act fast before stress becomes the thing that takes them out.