Discus Questions

[flyhawk]

1- would plastic be ok or not?i would also do some live plants like swords,and my plastics would be soft without any hard edges.
2-are undergravel filters ok with discus? i also have a penguin 350(filterring a 55 gallon tank)
3-are neons and pearl gouramis ok with discus?
4-i do about 10 percent-20 percent waterchanges daily. is this enough?
5- my layer of gravel is relatively thich(about two-4 inches) would this trap to much waste? i vaccum my gravel.
6 - does my lighting have to be subdued, or can i keep it bright for the live plants?
sorry for all the questions, but they were building up!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
Flyhawk

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

1- would plastic be ok or not?i would also do some live plants like swords,and my plastics would be soft without any hard edges.
2-are undergravel filters ok with discus? i also have a penguin 350(filterring a 55 gallon tank)
3-are neons and pearl gouramis ok with discus?
4-i do about 10 percent-20 percent waterchanges daily. is this enough?
5- my layer of gravel is relatively thich(about two-4 inches) would this trap to much waste? i vaccum my gravel.
6 - does my lighting have to be subdued, or can i keep it bright for the live plants?
sorry for all the questions, but they were building up!!!!!!!!

Thanks,
Flyhawk

Plastic plants are okay with Discus, as are live plants. My only concern is about the plants. I believe that if you have an under gravel filter this can sometimes enable the plants from creating a good root system. I really don't like to recommend UG filters either. They are pretty outdated, and a lot of times gravel can become loaded with debris and cause bacteria to suffocate and die.

Neon Tetra are okay with Discus, as long as they are large and the Discus can't eat them.

If you want to try the Gourami go for it. Pearl Gourami are relatively peaceful but still keep an eye on them. Exactly how many are you thinking of keeping?

20% daily water change is fine for the tank. How big is it?

Lighting is fine the way it is. You normally want to have a tank dimmed for wild fish, but even then it isn't a necessity.

 

[flyhawk]

i have a 55 gallon tank with the undergravel filter already installed, and 9 neons that have grown pretty large.
iwas thinking of keeping either 1 or three pearl gouramis
is my pengin filter enough for tthe 55 with the undergravel? im not worried about the plants, because i was thinking of swords which ive grown well before, and anubias, which i dont even put the roots in the gravel.

 

[angelmouse]

cardinals tetras are better cause they are abit larger you can try neons but large discus sometimes see these as lunch.
i had a gourami in with my discus for a while and they really didn't like him even though he did'nt cause harm, seemed to make them more timid and hide away, go with tetras,corys, rams, rummy nose tetras are really good discus tankmates
plastic or real plants fine.
filters need to be good due to access waste from there diet and size of fish.
, undergravel filters are not enough imo go a different route, an external is best.
gravel and plants no problems
regards Angel

 

[flyhawk]

im so happy to have a response from you people, it makes me fell special
i would have a penguin 350 running in conjunction with the undergravel filter, not the ug filter all alone!

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

im so happy to have a response from you people, it makes me fell special
i would have a penguin 350 running in conjunction with the undergravel filter, not the ug filter all alone!

Should be okay then!

 

[flyhawk]

hope my humor didnt offend you guys
thanks a ton
oh, and what type of food do you people give your discus?

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

hope my humor didnt offend you guys
thanks a ton
oh, and what type of food do you people give your discus?

I feed mine:
Blood worms
Brine shrimp
Glass worms
Mysis shrimp
Occasional Turkey heart
Discus pellets


Try to feed them everything you can. Sometimes the fish are picky but a varied diet is the best diet.

 

[kev_kb]

2-are undergravel filters ok with discus? i also have a penguin 350(filterring a 55 gallon tank)
4-i do about 10 percent-20 percent waterchanges daily. is this enough?
5- my layer of gravel is relatively thich(about two-4 inches) would this trap to much waste? i vaccum my gravel.

2 - I'd say no to the undergravel filter. Get an external filter.

4 - More than enough!

5 - 4" is way too thick. I'd probably not use this much in a normal tank let alone a Discus tank. Go bare bottom or use a thin layer of sand or gravel. Whatever you decide on you've gotta keep it spotlessly clean.

 

[flyhawk]

well i dont have the money to get an external- so if you guys then say that discus just arnet for me , then i guess ill wait until i can by my sel some good filters.

 

[rabbut]

If you can't afford an exturnal, are you shure you can arrord discus? You need a group of 5 to start, and round my way, that is more than the cost of an exturnal...

Diet wise, varied and regular feedings (as Discuslova said) are the way to go. Mine get Tropical quintette and Discusin pellets in roughly a 50-50 mix. There are five different types of frozen food in the quintette

I'm soon also going to be offering Whiteworm as an occasional treat as my cultures pick-up.

All the best
Rabbut

 

[flyhawk]

well, agood canister is about 200-300 dollars, and i cant afford that.but i would save my money up over time to buy some nice discus
thanks for the replies about the food
i problably just wont do discus for a long time till im really ready>

 

[data276]

well, agood canister is about 200-300 dollars, and i cant afford that.but i would save my money up over time to buy some nice discus
thanks for the replies about the food
i problably just wont do discus for a long time till im really ready>

good idea, I was interested in discus untill I read about how much care they needed, I get lazy and am quite happy with my little livebearers . so what do you plan on doing with the tank that was for the discus? a nice community tank with a shoal of 20 neons and possibly a few other nice fish?

 

[flyhawk]

well, i wasnt planning on doing discus anyways for a long time
for now im working on my tank being a neon-gourami tank