Discus Question

[UK_Dave]

I am hoping that at some point after the new year, once I sort out the larger tank, to get a couple of discus

But before I even think about this I need to ask some questions, as at the place near me, they are a bit expensive...The minimum being £25 right up to £150 for a breeding pair!

So, can anyone point me in the direction of where I can get the best information on them, or even post some info please, for example size, best substrate, etc.

The main thing I want to know is tank mates, as I dont want to have just a tank with only discus' in there, or put it with other fish that end up in being a brawl going on!!

At the moment I have:
1 x common plec
2 x Angel Fish (I understand these may be an issue)
1 x gourami
2 x Clown Loach, soon to be more once I have sorted their white spot

Well, this is all I have for the time being, as I dont want to add more fish at this moment in time due to white spot as said, but I will be looking for some more fish that use the top of the tank more

Are there any rules or something about the owning of these fish. As its alot of money to buy a gorgeous fish like this, only to kill it for some stupid reason, or give it stress thats un-needed due to the wrong tank mates

Thanks

 

[arobinson1984]

What size is the tank?

Discus can be kept with other fish but are best kept in species only tanks.

Discus tanks usually have no substrate, just a bare glass bottomed tank. Discus are also a very challenging fish to keep. I have kept fish for 4 years now and I wouldn't consider myself experienced enough to keep discus.

Discus juveniles require DAILY 90% water changes as they require absolutely pristine conditions. As the discus matures and gets older the water changes can be reduced but I believe even adults require AT LEAST 2 x 90% water changes a week.

Hopefully somebody with alot of experience of discus will come along and be able to give you more detailed info soon

Andy

 

[UK_Dave]

thats alot of changes needed! Maybe, if thats the way to keep them then I may have to give them a miss...I have enough on my hands already with the other animals, and a nipper on the way, so having to do daily water changes to that extent seems alot just for a fish like that

I dont mean it in a heartless way, but if that is whats needed then I believe I may not be able to give it the life it deserves...To be honest, for that amount of work, it would be better to just leave it for a while and sort out a marine tank, seems like the same sort of work (although the marine wont happen for a long time yet)

As for size, I was looking at building a 7ft atleast...at the moment I have a 4ft 70 UKG tank

 

[arobinson1984]

The tank is big enough but as said they do take a hell of a lot of looking after.

They are absolutely stunning fish but do require a lot of dedication, probably not the best with a nipper on the way lol

There are a few discus keepers on this forum so hopefully somebody will be able to help you with more info.

Andy

 

[UK_Dave]

if there is an easier way, or a way that doesnt involve so much water changing, then I would happily have a couple...As you said, and I agree, they are beautiful fish!

I just wanted to know more info before I thought of it due to the price for starters, I dont want to spend alot on a fish to kill it quickly by accident! I dont even like losing any fish, even if they only cost me a couple of quid, let alone £25 worth!

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

If you can't keep up with the maintenance juvy discus require in order to grow properly, then I would suggest getting adult Discus. As arobinson1984 already stated, you can, in a lot of cases get away with doing once weekly, or bi-weekly water changes on an adult tank. Getting away with easier maintenance without sacrificing water quality is going to similar in Discus tanks and all aquariums alike: Keep stocking levels low (5 Discus in your 70, with very few other fish, none would be ideal.) Over filter as much as possible. Canisters or even a large sump will help to handle your bioload. Keep the tank barebottom for easier cleaning, or the other option is to keep it heavily planted (as plants will help to use the nitrogen in your tank as a food source.)

IMO the only guys that are compatible with Discus in the stocking list you have are the Angelfish. These will also need to be de-wormed before you mix them with the Discus, and in some cases will need to be removed if they get too aggressive (which is not unheard of.)

Clown loaches are not a good mix, as them being nocturnal they tend to bug and spook the sleeping discus at night.

There is a chance with common plecs (and with a lot of plecs) that they will latch onto the Discus side, and suck off their nutrient rich slime coat. Although this isn't always the case it is not ideal and I would not risk it. If you wish to have a Pleco I suggest getting a bristle nose for the tank instead, these are much safer with Discus .

The Gourami would most likely melt in the heat a Discus tank needs to be kept at (28-30C)

 

[Bluetooth]

I have recently dropped into discus keeping and have to say its probably as easy as other fish ive kept. Im not being bolshy or anything but its been pretty easy so far (touch wood).

I got 2 red turq discus at a very cheap price of £13 a peice and they were about 3" but are doing fine. I keep my discus around 28-29 and only have 2 bn's and 4 albino corys. Now most discus people will say albinos arent suitable as theyll melt but mine are more active and have no issues with them at all.

Most discus keepers ive seen say dont keep angels with discus as 1. angels can be quite agressive (the name is a serious misnomer lol) and 2. some people beleive that the angels have bacteria/bugs inside them that discus are extremely sensitive to. Im not willing to test this out if its true as i dont want to lose the 4 discus i have (totalling £70 down the drain if the worst happened).

Again, most discus keepers like to keep their tanks bare bottomed to assist in cleaning and such however ive gone down the alternate route, if you check the journals and photos bit above this forum youll see my thread with pictures of my discus and tank, i have 25kgs of unipac sand, the tank is filtered by a aqua one advance 1250 external and a fluval u3 internal. I think its totally up to you what you prefer but i HATE bare tanks, i tend to think its more stressful for a fish being kept in a bare tank than a busy tank.

Regarding tank mates there are a few options.. one being geophagus, i think brasiliensis or whatever variety it is but i cant rightly remember as there was a recent article in PFK by heiko bleher (the big discus man) who detailed good tank mates for discus (with some amazing pictures also)

I think the main thing with discus is to READ as much as you can.. id suggest a good place for information but i dont want to get in trouble so PM me and ill send you the website.

Also one thing regarding water changes, ive had my tank up and running for like... 4 months and ive done... 3 water changes probably? might help that i have plants in the tank but i checked my nitra night before last and it was only just at 40. I hear that for small discus you need that at 0 which is pretty much fresh water everyday but i wouldnt know, havent raised any discus before.

Like ive said, read as much as you can, thats your best bet i think.

 

[mp0033price]

Hi. I just wanted to say your fish are BEAUTIFUL. I'm new to this and am trying to find out as much as possible before starting my son's tank (It's his Christmas gift..) It's a 29 gallon and I was going to crack out the filter and heater from the kit and start this in a bucket with ammonia til Christmas day.. Now that I've saw your fish, I want to exchange for the 55 gallon so I can have discus.. I love them! But I'm afraid they may be too intimidating to a new fish hobbiest. I don't know what to do. I don't wanna end up with two tanks so new into the hobby, but I really like those.. Are there any dwarf or mini's that you can keep in a 29 gallon???

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Hi. I just wanted to say your fish are BEAUTIFUL. I'm new to this and am trying to find out as much as possible before starting my son's tank (It's his Christmas gift..) It's a 29 gallon and I was going to crack out the filter and heater from the kit and start this in a bucket with ammonia til Christmas day.. Now that I've saw your fish, I want to exchange for the 55 gallon so I can have discus.. I love them! But I'm afraid they may be too intimidating to a new fish hobbiest. I don't know what to do. I don't wanna end up with two tanks so new into the hobby, but I really like those.. Are there any dwarf or mini's that you can keep in a 29 gallon???

Unfortunately there are no mini/dwarf Discus. I would personally recommend setting up your 29gallon and learning a little about the hobby, getting used to tank maintenance, etc. before diving into Discus. You could probably get away with a Discus tank with lots and lots of research, but it will be easier for you in the long run to start with something a little more forgiving. A Discus tank would make a great gift for next x-mas Just my .02 cents.

 

[mp0033price]

Thanks Connor! I appreciate the info. I probably will start out with something hardier and CHEAPER.. But I am keeping my sites on those beautiful discus and I'll be figuring out where the Christmas 2010 tank will go in my home while exploring the hobby in my 29 gallon. You are right; it's hard to not get anxious in this hobby though...

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

You are right; it's hard to not get anxious in this hobby though...

I definitley agree with you on that one . Good luck with your 29 gallon. If you like Discus maybe you would like to give Angelfish a try. These guys are similar to Discus, but a little easier. A pair would suite your 29 gallon beautifully.

 

[Bluetooth]

What DiscusKeeper has said is the perfect advice. I would go with angelfish as they come from the same river tributaries in the amazon that discus do and therefore require the kind of same water parameters that discus do. The saving grace with angels is they are a lot more forgiving regarding softness of water, ph, temp etc etc.

What id do if i was planning on discus is get some angels for that 29 and then treat them like discus, feed them a good diet or custom make some food for them etc, make sure you run the same maintenance you would with discus and also get the water to their parameters.

If you can cope with the angels using discus requirements you wont have any issues if you decide to move up to them, but the one thing i would stress is that you read up on as much info as you can about discus. These fish cost a lot of money and need special attention so just jumping in isnt an option, especially when you have £100s invested into your fish.

 

[kenny fish fanatic]

excellent advice above but i would exchange the 29 tank and get the 55,as i know 6 month down the line you will wish you got bigger,i get lots of pleasure out of my discus,they feed out of my hands,and i dont find them that hard to keep as once you get into a routine,you shouldn't have any problems as long as you do regular water changes.this is just my opinion,,kenny

 

[always4lora]

Is the maintenance the same for wild and captive bred? i have a 120g and change 50% weekly and it's a killer! would hate to do something like that twice a week.

 

[Bluetooth]

afaik wilds are the same maintenance but a lot less forgiving regarding stats, my discus are certainly tank bred as ive seen them swimming about living happily at 27 degrees, wilds need perfect water with no fluctuation in stats and next to no nitrates.. so probably more water changes unless you have a load of plants