Calling All Discus Keepers Help Please

[heatherbibby]

Hi

After having to setup one of our tanks again i thought about going down the discus route,however i have never had any of these fish before and as i know a lot of the discus keepers hang out on here i thought i would look for some advice off the experts before googling some more.

What i wanted to know was

Are they a fussy fish,food,water conditions ect

What size minimum tank do you need to keep them in(if it depends on the type please tell me for each one)

How long they can live for

Do they not like any particular other fish

And anything else which would be of use.

thanks very much

Heather

 

[beechey]

water is the key , really for me keep it clean and about 30 degrees really, i try and clean them every 4 days or so ... but have left them for about 3 weeks before.without cleaning them..
ive had mine about 1.5 years now got 10 in all.... never kept any tropical fish before, only ever had one discus fish die on me..

where are you from? would be a good idea if you can find a breeder in your area as there general alot cheaper than fish shop prices as there all about £80.

 

[kev_kb]

Are they a fussy fish,food,water conditions ect

They are fussy, but keep the water and the fish will be ok. You need soft water at 30C with constant water chemistry, re pH and softness. Match your supplier for best success. You'll probably need to soften your tap water and the best way to do this is with an RO unit. Plenty of info already posted on here about water conditions for Discus.

What size minimum tank do you need to keep them in(if it depends on the type please tell me for each one)

50G and min 18inches tall.

How long they can live for

Around 10 years if provided with the correct conditions.

Do they not like any particular other fish

Anything calm, slow and suited to the discus water requirements are ok as tank mates.

And anything else which would be of use.

Consider the initial cost and the cost in time too. They are worth the effort IMO but not everyone will agree. Search the forum for Discus posts theres plenty of good info, be prepared to spend a few weeks if not months researching before buying any.

 

[heatherbibby]

thanks very much useful advice from both of you.I allready have a large tank which we have had to setup again due to illness and i will be leaving it a few more weeks anyway before i put fish in to give it time to all settle and for the plant life to get established.Which brings me onto my next question

what plants are best for discus?

Thanks

heather

 

[kev_kb]

As a Discus newbie I would really suggest a bare bottom tank and only keep plants attached to bogwood. It really does make things so much easier and your less likely to stunt your new Discus.

Running a fully planted tank and running a Discus tank are two different things that each need to learned and mastered IMO. I wouldn't mix the two until your very confident in each.

 

[beechey]

yep i agree do your discus first then once there settled then try the plants.... im trying to get nice healthy plants now with the co2 ,, the discus are easy compaired to the plants.....