Discus Questions

Gourami Lover88

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I hope to set up a discus tank in the next six months, but the web sites I have visited all have conflicting information, so I thought that this would be the best place to resolve those questions.

#1 Ph,some sites say 6.0 to 6.5 any more or any less, they die. Other sites say that they keep their fish at 7.5 with no complictaions.

The Ph at my house is about 7.0 would this be okay?

#2 Temperature, Some sites suggest 80 to 82 F, others state that 85F as a minimum

#3 Tank size one book says that a 24 US gal would be the mimimum for 6, other sites say 60.

I would like to have tank inbetween those two in the area of 35-45 Gal and only 4 Fish. Would that suffice?

#4 Water chages, In a non-breeding tank some sites say once a week at 25% , others state every day 10%

If any other questions come up Ill ask.

Thanks
 
PH 7 should be fine, mine is at 7.4 and is a little bit high.
I keep my tempreture at 28degrees
And do 2 water changes at 25% a week in a 180Litre tank.
But Im only very new to keeping discus myself and this is the advice ive been given. I'll wait for a discus guru to reply..or PM David he was VERY helpfull when I had a zillion questions to ask! :nod:
 
Hehe thanks Claire but I really have little experience with discus (just 2 months) but I was just passing on the info I gained from my personal experiences/newbish mistakes. Well like she said 82F will be a good temperature, if you are planning on a community tank with teh discus as the senterpiece. If it will be a species-only tank for just discus, feel free to raise the temp higher as there are no other fish to worry about. Actually species tanks are the best way to keep them as you will not be compromising their needs for those of other fish. Unfortunately didn't know this when I bought my first discus. 7.0 pH will be fine for juvies, although adults prefer it a bit lower. It's better to leave the pH the way it is since if you are getting the discus from an LFS they will already be acclimated to the particular water chemistry, and fluctuations often do more harm than the wrong pH. Water changes are best done twice to three times a week, 15-25% each time, although you can get away with once a week if it's a bigger water change (40%) and you have powerful filtration. As for tank size 40 gallons will be enough for 4 discus depending on what else you put in there. If it is a species tank you will be fine with a tank that size. Remember they prefer tall tanks (18" min) So you would be well off buying a hex or cube tank as opposed to a long tank. However the design is up to your own discretion as long as it meets the minimum requierments in terms of height.
 
Your pH is fine as long as you keep it stable. As for tempature I would keep it in the mid to high 80's. W/C's should be once a day if you have a good number of Discus or If you have just a few then 3 times a week should be fine.
 
Thanks for the help, but I have a few more questions.

#1 Lighting, a book suggests that very low light levels for a discus tank, but other sites who have pictures of their tanks look like they are well lit.

#2 Feeding, some sorces say that discus only accept live,frozen and beef heart is that true?

#3 Some sites say dont use carbon in filters because it will cuase disease in the tank, is that true?


Thanks
 
I feed my discus 'breeders premium discus pellets' so that is not live or frozen and they relish it!

as for light and carbon Im not sure sorry! Id like to find out as well!
 
Gourami Lover88 said:
Thanks for the help, but I have a few more questions.

#1 Lighting, a book suggests that very low light levels for a discus tank, but other sites who have pictures of their tanks look like they are well lit.

#2 Feeding, some sorces say that discus only accept live,frozen and beef heart is that true?

#3 Some sites say dont use carbon in filters because it will cuase disease in the tank, is that true?


Thanks
It can be better to diffuse the light with some floating plants, which also provide cover and help to calm the discus down (they are very nervous fish).

Some discus are raised on only frozen/live foods and thus refuse to even look at flakes/pellets. Others are raised on pellets and eat just that. Beef heart mix is great for the development of juvenile discus, I definitely recommend it as a staple food source in the discus' diet, of course supplemented with frozen brine shrimp/bloodworms or some type of live food.

Carbon does not cause diseases, that is rubbish. It serves to remove impurities from the water and some advertise that it removes odor, although I'm unsure of this claim.
 
Hi, instead of starting a new topic i thought i should just post my questions in this one. I am planning on keeping discus and setting up a 29g tank with 3 juvy discus mayb 4 depending on my budget. I am aware that they need 10g for each adult fish and i am hoping they would pair off so i could sell the other one back to the lfs for store credit or w/e. I am planning on keeping them in a bb tank with a hydro v sponge filter and a hang on filter. I have read on discus only forums that they do not use carbon cuz its a ticking time bomb. Is this true? How would it effect the discus. I also thought that juvy discus needed w/c daily. is this true? My ph for tap water that comes right out of the sink is 7.2 and my ph for my 55g community tank is also 7.2, so is 7.2 alright for discus? Oh n DAVID wat do u mean in this post "Actually species tanks are the best way to keep them as you will not be compromising their needs for those of other fish." thanks to all for helping
 
Hi, I also have another question. At my lfs they sell discus for 54.95 ea. But i know wat is fed to them and there water conditions and wat not. But on this website http://www.discusmadness.com/frames/mainframe.html The cheapest juvy discus is $20. Has anyone ever ordered from this website and do u think i should order from them or just go to the lfs n spend alot more money? thanx for ur input
 
PaintballFan07 said:
Hi, instead of starting a new topic i thought i should just post my questions in this one. I am planning on keeping discus and setting up a 29g tank with 3 juvy discus mayb 4 depending on my budget. I am aware that they need 10g for each adult fish and i am hoping they would pair off so i could sell the other one back to the lfs for store credit or w/e. I am planning on keeping them in a bb tank with a hydro v sponge filter and a hang on filter. I have read on discus only forums that they do not use carbon cuz its a ticking time bomb. Is this true? How would it effect the discus. I also thought that juvy discus needed w/c daily. is this true? My ph for tap water that comes right out of the sink is 7.2 and my ph for my 55g community tank is also 7.2, so is 7.2 alright for discus? Oh n DAVID wat do u mean in this post "Actually species tanks are the best way to keep them as you will not be compromising their needs for those of other fish." thanks to all for helping
Well I'm not sure about the whole carbon thing, but I seriously doubt it will harm the discus. I usually had carbon in my filter when I had discus w/o any problems. If you think it too risky then leave it out, personally I think carbon is pretty pointless anyway. The sponge filter won't be effective enough for discus, so I hope the power filter is quite efficient. Juvies do not need daily water changes. I don't think anyone has the time for this. 2-3 times a week is fine. Some who devote most of their time to raising and breeding discus prefer to do daily W/C as they find this is beneficial for the discus, but IMO it would be pretty stressful for them. A pH of 7.2 is fine if you're not planning on breeding. If you want to breed, you will need 6.0-6.5 by way of an RO (reverse osmosis) unit.

What I meant by that, paintballfan, was that if you have the discus in a community tank you won't truly be devoted to serving their needs. You will probably be tempted to lower the temperature on occasion to benefit the other fish, or feed just flakes/pellets because the guppies (or whatever else you have) seem to like it. Discus do better in a tank that is completely devoted to them and their needs, with higher temeperatures, lower acidity, cleaner water than is needed for most other fish.
 
David said:
PaintballFan07 said:
Hi, instead of starting a new topic i thought i should just post my questions in this one. I am planning on keeping discus and setting up a 29g tank with 3 juvy discus mayb 4 depending on my budget. I am aware that they need 10g for each adult fish and i am hoping they would pair off so i could sell the other one back to the lfs for store credit or w/e. I am planning on keeping them in a bb tank with a hydro v sponge filter and a hang on filter. I have read on discus only forums that they do not use carbon cuz its a ticking time bomb. Is this true? How would it effect the discus. I also thought that juvy discus needed w/c daily. is this true? My ph for tap water that comes right out of the sink is 7.2 and my ph for my 55g community tank is also 7.2, so is 7.2 alright for discus? Oh n DAVID wat do u mean in this post "Actually species tanks are the best way to keep them as you will not be compromising their needs for those of other fish." thanks to all for helping
Well I'm not sure about the whole carbon thing, but I seriously doubt it will harm the discus. I usually had carbon in my filter when I had discus w/o any problems. If you think it too risky then leave it out, personally I think carbon is pretty pointless anyway. The sponge filter won't be effective enough for discus, so I hope the power filter is quite efficient. Juvies do not need daily water changes. I don't think anyone has the time for this. 2-3 times a week is fine. Some who devote most of their time to raising and breeding discus prefer to do daily W/C as they find this is beneficial for the discus, but IMO it would be pretty stressful for them. A pH of 7.2 is fine if you're not planning on breeding. If you want to breed, you will need 6.0-6.5 by way of an RO (reverse osmosis) unit.

What I meant by that, paintballfan, was that if you have the discus in a community tank you won't truly be devoted to serving their needs. You will probably be tempted to lower the temperature on occasion to benefit the other fish, or feed just flakes/pellets because the guppies (or whatever else you have) seem to like it. Discus do better in a tank that is completely devoted to them and their needs, with higher temeperatures, lower acidity, cleaner water than is needed for most other fish.
thanx for ur reply david. This tank will be devoted to the discus, and a sponge filter would be pointless? Should i keep them in a bare bottom tank or can i add plants and stuff so they can hide? Is it a bad idea to have them in a tank with sand substrate? thans for ur help
 
Sand is not a bad idea, but in a species tank bb is always better cause it is easier to keep clean, and less maintenance. But that is your choice. A sponge filter would not be completely pointless, but it would be insufficient on its own.

As for your other question prices vary according to where you are located. I bought my discus for $20 each at my LFS. IMO anything over $50 for a juvie is a ripoff, unless you are getting it from a professional breeder who offers a guarantee.
 
David said:
Sand is not a bad idea, but in a species tank bb is always better cause it is easier to keep clean, and less maintenance. But that is your choice. A sponge filter would not be completely pointless, but it would be insufficient on its own.

As for your other question prices vary according to where you are located. I bought my discus for $20 each at my LFS. IMO anything over $50 for a juvie is a ripoff, unless you are getting it from a professional breeder who offers a guarantee.
ok, the sponge filter would not be on its own. i was gonna use it and a 30g hang on back filter. I am kinda sketchy on buying the discus from the internet but mayb since the lfs is privately owned i could talk to the owner into giving me 3 for $135. Hope so that way i have more money to spend on food n wat not
 
I think that 20gal would be to small for 2 since they will get to be about 8in, I think that they shouldnt be in any thing less than 30.
 

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