A Few Enquiries About The Keeping Of Discus.

[Xebadir]

Unlike certain other members of this forum who wont listen to advice about the keeping of discus, i Would like to ask the opinions of those more in the know before setting up a tank for such beautiful and large cichlids.

I was thinking along the lines of a tank 100-120 Gallons, With about 2ft depth and height(possibly more but i plan to look into the specs made for a tank this size first), So id guess the tank would be 5 or so feet long.

Im wondering about the substrate: I have heard many conflicting reports as to the pros and cons of having substrate and not, does anyone have any personal experience that helps in this regard. I am definitely thinking of planting significantly in some format whether i have to bogwood culture or pot remains on the back of the previous question.

As for water conditions im assuming that ideally the main thing is excellent quality while maintaining consistently perfect parameters. Is the best way to generate the water flow required some sort of small powerhead? What sort of methods of filtration do people recommend with keeping discus?

Another point of confusion: just how large do these fish grow? and what are the proviso's that can vary the size of these fish(stunting)?

What sort of bottom dwellers and dither fish could be kept in such a tank as mentioned above, while not causing problems for the discus: after all they are the focus of the tank. Could corydoras be a possibility? What sort of size discus shoal could be placed in this size tank? Also with colour variations: are we looking at simple genetic morphs of the same species or different subspecies? Is it really avisable to keep several colour morphs at the risk of breeding?

When buying discus what sort of things are important to look for in the fish to maximise the likelyhood of survival: what acclimatisation methods have you guys tried with or without success.

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[Iamca]

Hi,

"I was thinking along the lines of a tank 100-120 Gallons, With about 2ft depth and height(possibly more but i plan to look into the specs made for a tank this size first), So id guess the tank would be 5 or so feet long."

thats a fine size tank for 5 discus.

since the tank needs 2 be very clean are u thinking about breeding? anyways i use sand in my discus tanks keeps the waste on top and its easy 2 clean also with rocks the waste always finds a way 2 the bottom. I have plants with a sand substrate no problems.

for my discus tanks i use canister filters X the carbon, I know most people here wont agree. I have no problems with them at all and I have a breeding pair. however if the power does go out.. you should have a backup power supply something i dont have!

also my fish seem be most happy in slow moving water.

I keep a a pleco and a lot of neons... watchout with a pleco some will attach themselves 2 the discus and well you dont want that

I hope this helps a little.
CarineX




also sorry I forgot.. what are you water specs at home? discus need a low stable PH, soft water also.. at that size of a tank.. urll need a RO system.. I change my water once every 3 days... 50%... except for the fry tank thats another story!
carinex

 

[grayboy1]

Ive got a 6'x2'x2' tank. Its filtered solely by an undergravel filter which as around 3inches of pea gravel on it and 8 uplifts powered by a powerful airpump i use to run my fishhouse. I had my reservations before I actually started running an Undergravel filter for a tank this size, but I must say its nothing short of excellent. A tank your size could have an UG filter with 2 power heads and possibly spray bars if you dont want so much water movement. Of course this is not the only filter you could use, externals are an excellent choice too. Sand looks nicer but is not easier to clean. Yes the dirt is visible on the surface, but you have to be careful not to remove sand when siphoning and tbh, the whole process of cleaning and avoiding sand gets a bit tiresom. with a UG filter you just gently go over the top of the surface whilst cleaning and no harm is done. If you want to get an external try a fluval fx5, excellent filter I run 1 on my Mbuna tank!

Forgot to add, if you want real plants then UG filters are not good for this, although Im no expert on plants. Why not go for a tank stacked to the top with driftwood/bogwood and maybe a few of the expensive type synthetic plants. The more pricey ones look really good and are maintenance free


Heres a little video clip I made for my ID post you coud look at. sort of shows my tank although I was trying to film my fish rather than the tank layout

http/video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...048207785020482

 

[kev_kb]

Good sized tank for discus, you could keep a group of 8 discus, possibly 10 if you go easy on tank mates. Rams, Cardinal/Rummy tetras and some cories (only species that can handle high temps) all make excellent tank mates. You can also have smaller plecs such as bristlenose or King Tigers and others, avoid the commons and the larger ones as they may suck on the side of your discus.

You'll need to use water that is on the soft side, the best thing to do is match the water of your supplier when you find a good one. Your looking for nicely rounded fish, with red eyes that are in proportion to the body. If the eye looks kind large your looking at a stunted fish, look round a few discus and you will soon notice this. Make sure they swim to the top of the tank if you put your hand near it, if they don't walk away. Also get the supplier to feed them to make sure they are feeding well.

If you want to buy fish of around 4" or over then a planted tank with substrate should be fine, you'll still need to keep it really really clean though. If you want to buy smaller fish then IMHO a bare bottom tank is a must for best chances of success. Also if you want to make life easier on yourself a bare bottom tank is the way to go. As you say plants can be added on bogwood or in pots.

An external filter will be fine for the tank, and discus don't like fast water movement so an additional power head just isnt needed. They will grow to around 8" possibly slightly large, but they will be fine in your size tank.

There is nothing wrong with allow different colour to breed, it's more of a personal choice. I think keeping a group of one type is more pleasing to look at, but that's just me.

 

[grayboy1]

you only need an ro system if your local tap water is too hard, ie the gh and kh are beyond what discus want. if you blessed with soft tap water then an HMR filter is a good idea

 

[annka5]

I think the only question which you asked that jhasn't already been answered was about the size?
Basically, the final size will vary with the care they receive when growing, and genetics to some extent.
If you feed often (for smaller discus, lots of people recommend 6 times a day... just don't get the sack from your job in attempting that..), and a good balanced diet - a variety of frozen food, good flake or granules formulated for discus. You also need to keep the water as clean as possible to get the best sized discus as possible. Ultimately, the biggest I've heard of is 10" but PERSONALLY I think this isn't too plausible, and it was an internet-claim, shall we jsut say. 7-8" adult size would be more realistic.
You may find it best for quality and price to find a local breeder and buy direct from them, as often the discus in LFS are those which have been rejected as breeding stock, and are jsut not of the same quality. Also, many many LFS are fairly poor at keeping discus, at the very least feeding them inadequately on low-quality foodstuffs. When buying, try for alert-looking discus with eyes well in proportion to the body, a nice round shape, no signs of disease etc (check that they're breathing from both gills evenly - gill flukes are not uncommon)