4 Foot Discus Tank

[australia]

I am going to setup a 4 foot/160 liter Tank for Discus, i am going to use a canister filter and a air pump filter to help clean my tank more and create a good air flow.

i am planning on having no subtrate eg rocks, gravel ect, what should i have in my bare tank with the Discus? i want adults so how many can i have in my tank? i also am interrested in breeding them, how do i Discus breed? eg are they mouth breeders? and are they easy to breed?

 

[helterskelter]

to get a pair you goning to eith buy a breeding pir or buy 4-5 young fish and rear them up and when two fish pair up then sell the others and stick to just one adualt pair in a 4ft.

Your need to to 2-3 water changes a weeks esp if the breed and you have young fish.
If you do breed you also need 3-4 rearing tanks as you never have enough space for them all in just a 4ft tank.

You should try getting a breed cone Google images link

The parents feed the fry on the body slime for the first few days, and then you should be hatching brine shrimp, how ever both are very polluating and should be doing almost daily water changes.

Worth investing in a RO unit and all the extra buffers etc etc to atain the low pH levels needed.

 

[australia]

to get a pair you goning to eith buy a breeding pir or buy 4-5 young fish and rear them up and when two fish pair up then sell the others and stick to just one adualt pair in a 4ft.

Your need to to 2-3 water changes a weeks esp if the breed and you have young fish.
If you do breed you also need 3-4 rearing tanks as you never have enough space for them all in just a 4ft tank.

You should try getting a breed cone Google images link

The parents feed the fry on the body slime for the first few days, and then you should be hatching brine shrimp, how ever both are very polluating and should be doing almost daily water changes.

Worth investing in a RO unit and all the extra buffers etc etc to atain the low pH levels needed.

okay thanks buddy, can you please explain to me about the buffers?

 

[helterskelter]

Not a clue as i've never had anything to do with RO.

But RO stripp's every thing from the water and you have to add some chemicals back into the water which i belive the buffers stablises the water permaters to what u need. sure osme will explain as i know very little in this field.

 

[australia]

Not a clue as i've never had anything to do with RO.

But RO stripp's every thing from the water and you have to add some chemicals back into the water which i belive the buffers stablises the water permaters to what u need. sure osme will explain as i know very little in this field.

yeah i just read up on the RO, they seem to make it impossible to stabilize your ph ect?

 

[australia]

i am now looking into some Discus at a online store, i am stuck with what specie i should get? i want to get 4 of them to pair up i hope, what should i pick from this shop here:

Livefish.com.au ?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

My first piece of advice is...don't plan on breeding Discus until you've had experience owning them first. Discus are notoriously easy to stunt, and it's always recommended that people new to Discus purchase adults for experience before trying to raise fry / juvi Discus.

Secondly, if you want to breed them it would prob. be advisable that you actually have breeding tanks for your pair...keeping a breeding pair in the same tank with non-breeding adults will most likely lead to fighting and other serious headaches. Which of course means more money / space / time devoted to caring for multiple tanks.

Next, when you say "species" I'm assuming you mean color variety. There are actually very few species of Discus (although the exact number is argued over). Choose what you like, but if you are serious about breeding it would be advisable to either a) purchase an already proven pair , or b ) buy 6 of the same color strain and let them pair off. You can mix color strains, but the results may or may not be desirable. Discus are extremely difficult to sex.

Also, be prepared to spend a lot of money. Getting quality Discus often means that you'll have to spend a fair amount of cash purchasing directly from a breeder. Be sure that you have familiarized yourself enough with what makes a Discus good quality...i.e. proper body shape, lower "peppering" for pidgeon blood varieties, etc.

Whether or not you need a RO/DI filter will depend on your own tap water parameters. RO water can be remineralized using commercial products or by "cutting" it by mixing in a correct ratio of tap water. Remember that playing with your water chemistry will require a long term commitment to always premixing your replacement water, replacing filter resins, and securing an alternate soft water source if there is a problem with your unit.

Research research research! Discus are extremely beautiful fish, but do require more commitment than your standard aquarium fare.

 

[kev_kb]

Excellent post Aphotic Phoenix.

Just wanted to add you should keep a group of 5 at least, lower numbers can have problems with aggression. Also you tank maybe a bit small, you should give each adult discus 10g each with a min tank size of around 50-55g, also it should be at least 18" tall.

I also don't think its a good idea to buy them online, find a local breeder for the best quality fish. Also search the forum and google for Discus, theres lot of good info out there.

 

[annka5]

IMO, the posts above are spot-on.
One further thing to bear in mind: you need to ensure you're going to be breeding real quality discus. The only way to do this is to start with quality parents, and this will be your difficulty in terms of $$ and availability. You'll also need to make sure you know the breed standards - round shape, eye in proprtion to body, etc etc etc.
There aren't many people likely to be selling high-quality discus ideal for breeding at a sensible cost, IMO. so you'd be in for a long wait to find something suitable.

 

[australia]

im going to buy 6 and let them pair off! thanks for the advice? any other great advice u guys have?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

im going to buy 6 and let them pair off! thanks for the advice? any other great advice u guys have?

I would just like to recommend that you be ready to hatch these eggs if you really want to breed them. The tank needs to be kept bare-bottom, with the two Discus and best to have no other company. You will need more then one grow out tank (not including the 160 liter.) And, these will need to be big too! I think most other important information has already been answered. BTW I doubt you are going to get breeding quality Discus off of a website, keep looking!

 

[australia]

im going to buy 6 and let them pair off! thanks for the advice? any other great advice u guys have?

I would just like to recommend that you be ready to hatch these eggs if you really want to breed them. The tank needs to be kept bare-bottom, with the two Discus and best to have no other company. You will need more then one grow out tank (not including the 160 liter.) And, these will need to be big too! I think most other important information has already been answered. BTW I doubt you are going to get breeding quality Discus off of a website, keep looking!

okay thanks alot, how do i hatch the eggs? i thought the parents done the job?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

im going to buy 6 and let them pair off! thanks for the advice? any other great advice u guys have?

I would just like to recommend that you be ready to hatch these eggs if you really want to breed them. The tank needs to be kept bare-bottom, with the two Discus and best to have no other company. You will need more then one grow out tank (not including the 160 liter.) And, these will need to be big too! I think most other important information has already been answered. BTW I doubt you are going to get breeding quality Discus off of a website, keep looking!

okay thanks alot, how do i hatch the eggs? i thought the parents done the job?

Sorry, what was I thinking? I have my head all wrapped around angel breeding instead of Discus breeding. If you want to hatch them naturally then you should be okay. I doubt they will get eaten.