About Discus

[roseykat5]

ive been researching for a few mths and wanted to make sure im prepare for them i wanted to get about a 50 gal or 55 i cant remeber what size it is and was gonna get the clone from my tank and put cardinals in with them but get cardinals first with plants and then get dicus but wht i wanted to know is can you get one at a time i will start 2 first time but one at a time til i get 4 it is quite costly to get four at once price average 45 each

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

ive been researching for a few mths and wanted to make sure im prepare for them i wanted to get about a 50 gal or 55 i cant remeber what size it is and was gonna get the clone from my tank and put cardinals in with them but get cardinals first with plants and then get dicus but wht i wanted to know is can you get one at a time i will start 2 first time but one at a time til i get 4 it is quite costly to get four at once price average 45 each

Sorry, but it is kind of hard to understand what you are trying to say, so I will try and answer your questions the best I can.


Yes, either a 50 or 55 gallon should work, thats about the minimum size tank you want for a group of 5 Discus. I would've also recommended exactly what you said you where going to do, cloning the tank and then adding all of your other fish before the Discus. The only thing that sounds a little risky is adding them 2 at a time. I did this, and they got quite depressed and quite aggressive. I believe it is much easier on the fish if you add them at the same time. Keep on researching, you are on the right track!

 

[roseykat5]

wow it sounds like a costly thing ....can u get like 2 in one store and then 2 other store and quartine in one tank for mth or what or best to get all from same tank i just thought maybe genetic wise not to inbreed them too much ... get what iim saying ... im sorry for my bad grammer oon puter ... ..

 

[cheesy feet]

Discus shouldn't be 45 pounds each, either the fish shop is overpricing or they are high quality sub/adults.
It's best to buy of a local breeder, theres always one close if you look around enough...They should know what they're doing, unlike most pet shops which don't, and their prices will be much cheaper.I wouldn't pay any more than 25 pounds for a standerdish (made up word ) discus when young, and adults maybe 50 pounds max, and only if they're good looking and at least 6 inches...Picking out what discus you get is crucial, I'm seeing so many bad strains and stunted discus.

Another plus point with the breeders is you get to see their fish, which is not just fun but also gives you an idea of what their offspring is going to look like.

Discus aren't just expensive to buy, they're expensive to keep...If you waters not ideal you should invest in an RO (reverse osmosis) unit, which isn't that cheap nor efficient but does the job.The top quality flake, granules and frozen food isn't cheap either, and they should be fed at least 3 times a day, and thats for fully grown adults.Fry should be fed at 8x a day...I would buy sub adults/adults (around 4-9 inches) as its hard work carrying out daily, maybe every second day, water changes for quite young discus (4 inches or less) and then you have to keep up with feeding, making sure you feed exactly the right amount.

Run your tank for a couple of months and get all water params perfect, pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are the main.pH should beanywhere between 6-7.6, and maybe even lower for wilds.You can lower pH with bogwood and peat...Keep doing researching.

 

[angelmouse]

Try and source some younger discus 3-4" they are much cheaper and soon grow and settle better than adults, if you add one at a time chances are the newbie will get bullied, best to add together to avoid having to quaretine each time.
regards Angel