Discus

[SLIM]

Hi

Im an experience fish keeper but soon will be looking into setting up a whole new tank for Discus.

Iv never kept Discus so im in need of someone experienced to educate me on any "special requirments" Discus need, other than the obvious like crystal clean well filtered water 0 nitrite 0 ammonia etc etc...

Things i need to know are...

Ideal temperature?
PH, is PH important? if so what PH do they require? Or will they adapt to any PH as long as its stable like most farm bred fish?
Diet?
Stocking numbers? Iv read 1 Discus per 5 Gallon. Is this correct?
And tank mates? Im thinkin a couple of Lnumber plecs and some emperor tetras. Or will they eat tetras?

Am i missing anything? Please educate me on anything and everything you think i need to know about keeping Discus.

Thank you in advance

SLIM

 

[finchfarm]

I've been reading a lot about Discus lately, and just purchased two myself today. I'm not an expert, I'm a beginner in Discus as well, but I can answer a few of your questions based on what I've read.

Discus live in the Amazon very close to the equator, so the water is pretty warm all year round. I've seen temperature recommendations anywhere from 80ºF to 84ºF. I personally have my heater set at 80ºF.

pH is pretty important, especially in wild Discus. Captive bred Discus will be a little more hardy and will be more forgiving of different pH ranges. I've seen some different pH ranges for Discus depending on if you want to breed them or have a showcase tank. For showcase, I've seen a pH between 5.5 and 7 is best. My tank is about 6.0, though I'd like to get it up to around 6.5. pH is lower for a breeding tank.

I asked my LFS what they feed their Discus before I bought them. They said they feed them live food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen beef heart, and a formulated Discus flake.

I'm not sure about stocking numbers. I've always heard "an inch of fish per gallon", but I don't know if this applies to all fish.

For tank mates I've heard good things about Bristlenose Plecs, Corys, Hatchetfish and the larger tetras. A Discus may eat smaller tetras. I've heard some kinds of catfish aren't good for Discus, because they'll attach to the Discus and suck the slime coat off or injure the fish, so I don't know about the Plec you asked about in particular. I've heard mixed opinions on things like Angelfish and Silver Dollars. Some say their fine to have with Discus, some say their not good choices.

 

[SLIM]

I've been reading a lot about Discus lately, and just purchased two myself today. I'm not an expert, I'm a beginner in Discus as well, but I can answer a few of your questions based on what I've read.

Discus live in the Amazon very close to the equator, so the water is pretty warm all year round. I've seen temperature recommendations anywhere from 80ºF to 84ºF. I personally have my heater set at 80ºF.

pH is pretty important, especially in wild Discus. Captive bred Discus will be a little more hardy and will be more forgiving of different pH ranges. I've seen some different pH ranges for Discus depending on if you want to breed them or have a showcase tank. For showcase, I've seen a pH between 5.5 and 7 is best. My tank is about 6.0, though I'd like to get it up to around 6.5. pH is lower for a breeding tank.

I asked my LFS what they feed their Discus before I bought them. They said they feed them live food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen beef heart, and a formulated Discus flake.

I'm not sure about stocking numbers. I've always heard "an inch of fish per gallon", but I don't know if this applies to all fish.

For tank mates I've heard good things about Bristlenose Plecs, Corys, Hatchetfish and the larger tetras. A Discus may eat smaller tetras. I've heard some kinds of catfish aren't good for Discus, because they'll attach to the Discus and suck the slime coat off or injure the fish, so I don't know about the Plec you asked about in particular. I've heard mixed opinions on things like Angelfish and Silver Dollars. Some say their fine to have with Discus, some say their not good choices.

Brilliant thanx finchfarm thats a massive help, thats the exact info i was after
Im really looking forward to keeping Discus! Im moving my community from there 260L to a new 450L soon which means il have a spare 260L tank to stock with discus. Cant wait. Also gona treat myself to a Fluval FX5
My tap water PH is about 7.2 so i think il be ok there, that was my main conern tbh.
I always have frozen food to hand so thats not a prob. Il also get some special Discus flake food too. Can you recomend any brand?
As for temp, i think il set mine around 80-81 like yourself, 82 at the very highest.
Oh and emperor tetras by the way are quite large for tetras so hopefully they should be fine, also maybe a couple of zebra plecs
Thanx once again for your input

If anybody else has anything to add that you think i may need to know, then please leave a comment

SLIM

 

[mark2109111]

I've been reading a lot about Discus lately, and just purchased two myself today. I'm not an expert, I'm a beginner in Discus as well, but I can answer a few of your questions based on what I've read.

Discus live in the Amazon very close to the equator, so the water is pretty warm all year round. I've seen temperature recommendations anywhere from 80ºF to 84ºF. I personally have my heater set at 80ºF.

pH is pretty important, especially in wild Discus. Captive bred Discus will be a little more hardy and will be more forgiving of different pH ranges. I've seen some different pH ranges for Discus depending on if you want to breed them or have a showcase tank. For showcase, I've seen a pH between 5.5 and 7 is best. My tank is about 6.0, though I'd like to get it up to around 6.5. pH is lower for a breeding tank.

I asked my LFS what they feed their Discus before I bought them. They said they feed them live food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen beef heart, and a formulated Discus flake.

I'm not sure about stocking numbers. I've always heard "an inch of fish per gallon", but I don't know if this applies to all fish.

For tank mates I've heard good things about Bristlenose Plecs, Corys, Hatchetfish and the larger tetras. A Discus may eat smaller tetras. I've heard some kinds of catfish aren't good for Discus, because they'll attach to the Discus and suck the slime coat off or injure the fish, so I don't know about the Plec you asked about in particular. I've heard mixed opinions on things like Angelfish and Silver Dollars. Some say their fine to have with Discus, some say their not good choices.

Brilliant thanx finchfarm thats a massive help, thats the exact info i was after
Im really looking forward to keeping Discus! Im moving my community from there 260L to a new 450L soon which means il have a spare 260L tank to stock with discus. Cant wait. Also gona treat myself to a Fluval FX5
My tap water PH is about 7.2 so i think il be ok there, that was my main conern tbh.
I always have frozen food to hand so thats not a prob. Il also get some special Discus flake food too. Can you recomend any brand?
As for temp, i think il set mine around 80-81 like yourself, 82 at the very highest.
Oh and emperor tetras by the way are quite large for tetras so hopefully they should be fine, also maybe a couple of zebra plecs
Thanx once again for your input

If anybody else has anything to add that you think i may need to know, then please leave a comment

SLIM

you should be able to keep 5 adult discus in your 260lt

 

[SLIM]

I've been reading a lot about Discus lately, and just purchased two myself today. I'm not an expert, I'm a beginner in Discus as well, but I can answer a few of your questions based on what I've read.

Discus live in the Amazon very close to the equator, so the water is pretty warm all year round. I've seen temperature recommendations anywhere from 80ºF to 84ºF. I personally have my heater set at 80ºF.

pH is pretty important, especially in wild Discus. Captive bred Discus will be a little more hardy and will be more forgiving of different pH ranges. I've seen some different pH ranges for Discus depending on if you want to breed them or have a showcase tank. For showcase, I've seen a pH between 5.5 and 7 is best. My tank is about 6.0, though I'd like to get it up to around 6.5. pH is lower for a breeding tank.

I asked my LFS what they feed their Discus before I bought them. They said they feed them live food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen beef heart, and a formulated Discus flake.

I'm not sure about stocking numbers. I've always heard "an inch of fish per gallon", but I don't know if this applies to all fish.

For tank mates I've heard good things about Bristlenose Plecs, Corys, Hatchetfish and the larger tetras. A Discus may eat smaller tetras. I've heard some kinds of catfish aren't good for Discus, because they'll attach to the Discus and suck the slime coat off or injure the fish, so I don't know about the Plec you asked about in particular. I've heard mixed opinions on things like Angelfish and Silver Dollars. Some say their fine to have with Discus, some say their not good choices.

Brilliant thanx finchfarm thats a massive help, thats the exact info i was after
Im really looking forward to keeping Discus! Im moving my community from there 260L to a new 450L soon which means il have a spare 260L tank to stock with discus. Cant wait. Also gona treat myself to a Fluval FX5
My tap water PH is about 7.2 so i think il be ok there, that was my main conern tbh.
I always have frozen food to hand so thats not a prob. Il also get some special Discus flake food too. Can you recomend any brand?
As for temp, i think il set mine around 80-81 like yourself, 82 at the very highest.
Oh and emperor tetras by the way are quite large for tetras so hopefully they should be fine, also maybe a couple of zebra plecs
Thanx once again for your input

If anybody else has anything to add that you think i may need to know, then please leave a comment

SLIM

you should be able to keep 5 adult discus in your 260lt

Oh really? How many adult Discus could you keep in a 450L do you think?

 

[MBOU]

See! Now you're talking! Lol.

The trouble with discus is making sure they all get on with each other, the more discus you have, the more chances for squabbles to break out.

I would probably have 8 discus in 450L, personally i think 5 big adults would be squashed in 260L, just because they can be really active.

Your tap water pH at 7.2 is fine unless you want wildcaught discus, though you need to check your general hardness and carbonate hardness (GH and KH) as well.

I would personally get the tank cycled, add a shoal of Emperor Tetras, getting that shoal up to a sensible size over 2-3 weeks after cycling before adding discus.

Depending on which tank you go for, I think 15-20 Emperor Tetras and two lots of young discus, a trio and a pair if 260 liters or two groups of five with a week or two between them.

You are better off buying juvenile fish, maybe 5-7cm size and growing them up, if kept well, discus grow really fast but if you want a happy tank, they are better off growing up together.

I wouldnt keep the temperature about 27- 28 deg C (80-81 F) unless they are breeding, but even then, if you want other fish, i'd not have the temperature that high.

I also wouldnt bother with Zebra Plecs, would be far too gutting if they did breed and your discus ate the eggs or babies!! And they will cost you more than your discus!

Hmmm what else...

I would personally go for a big shoal of cories! I found that their shuffling about the floor encouraged thediscus to search for food too.

For best behaviour, I would use a sand substrate and a sinking pellet food like NovoDiscus or Prima. The way discus search for their food is to blow into the sand so that it billows up and then grab the food in front of their face. Its really funny to watch and keeps them busy for ages!

Another thing I really hate is beefheart! Unnecessary and disgusting in th water, unless you need to power feed you discus... Bloodworms, Krill, Mysis, Artemia/Brine Shrimp and Prawn are best bet!

Also, I would, if you can, get your discus from the same place, much safer in terms of health for the discus.

Try Jakes Discus, used to be Wycombe Discus. It will be too far to drive to now in Morecambe Bay, but he has all the discus available on his website, he is a really great guy and will get exact photos, all his fish are spot on quality and he owns his own courier service so you know they would reach you fine!

http/jakesdiscusaquatics.co.uk/

 

[ian]

Even though mentioned by MBOU, you really need to be checking you GH, your need Discus in soft water. If you have hard water they won't last 5 mins. It's more about the GH/KH than Ph IMO. Obviously they can't be kept in a Ph of 8, but they can be kept in a wider Ph range than GH range. They also do better in water with a low TDS, IE RO water, as the TDS is really low.

Saying that, there are more Discus coming over from Germany that are tank bread in tap water thats moderate hard.

 

[mark2109111]

I've been reading a lot about Discus lately, and just purchased two myself today. I'm not an expert, I'm a beginner in Discus as well, but I can answer a few of your questions based on what I've read.

Discus live in the Amazon very close to the equator, so the water is pretty warm all year round. I've seen temperature recommendations anywhere from 80ºF to 84ºF. I personally have my heater set at 80ºF.

pH is pretty important, especially in wild Discus. Captive bred Discus will be a little more hardy and will be more forgiving of different pH ranges. I've seen some different pH ranges for Discus depending on if you want to breed them or have a showcase tank. For showcase, I've seen a pH between 5.5 and 7 is best. My tank is about 6.0, though I'd like to get it up to around 6.5. pH is lower for a breeding tank.

I asked my LFS what they feed their Discus before I bought them. They said they feed them live food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen beef heart, and a formulated Discus flake.

I'm not sure about stocking numbers. I've always heard "an inch of fish per gallon", but I don't know if this applies to all fish.

For tank mates I've heard good things about Bristlenose Plecs, Corys, Hatchetfish and the larger tetras. A Discus may eat smaller tetras. I've heard some kinds of catfish aren't good for Discus, because they'll attach to the Discus and suck the slime coat off or injure the fish, so I don't know about the Plec you asked about in particular. I've heard mixed opinions on things like Angelfish and Silver Dollars. Some say their fine to have with Discus, some say their not good choices.

Brilliant thanx finchfarm thats a massive help, thats the exact info i was after
Im really looking forward to keeping Discus! Im moving my community from there 260L to a new 450L soon which means il have a spare 260L tank to stock with discus. Cant wait. Also gona treat myself to a Fluval FX5
My tap water PH is about 7.2 so i think il be ok there, that was my main conern tbh.
I always have frozen food to hand so thats not a prob. Il also get some special Discus flake food too. Can you recomend any brand?
As for temp, i think il set mine around 80-81 like yourself, 82 at the very highest.
Oh and emperor tetras by the way are quite large for tetras so hopefully they should be fine, also maybe a couple of zebra plecs
Thanx once again for your input

If anybody else has anything to add that you think i may need to know, then please leave a comment

SLIM

you should be able to keep 5 adult discus in your 260lt

Oh really? How many adult Discus could you keep in a 450L do you think?

I would say as many as 10 if you keep up on your water changes.

 

[SLIM]

See! Now you're talking! Lol.

The trouble with discus is making sure they all get on with each other, the more discus you have, the more chances for squabbles to break out.

I would probably have 8 discus in 450L, personally i think 5 big adults would be squashed in 260L, just because they can be really active.

Your tap water pH at 7.2 is fine unless you want wildcaught discus, though you need to check your general hardness and carbonate hardness (GH and KH) as well.

I would personally get the tank cycled, add a shoal of Emperor Tetras, getting that shoal up to a sensible size over 2-3 weeks after cycling before adding discus.

Depending on which tank you go for, I think 15-20 Emperor Tetras and two lots of young discus, a trio and a pair if 260 liters or two groups of five with a week or two between them.

You are better off buying juvenile fish, maybe 5-7cm size and growing them up, if kept well, discus grow really fast but if you want a happy tank, they are better off growing up together.

I wouldnt keep the temperature about 27- 28 deg C (80-81 F) unless they are breeding, but even then, if you want other fish, i'd not have the temperature that high.

I also wouldnt bother with Zebra Plecs, would be far too gutting if they did breed and your discus ate the eggs or babies!! And they will cost you more than your discus!

Hmmm what else...

I would personally go for a big shoal of cories! I found that their shuffling about the floor encouraged thediscus to search for food too.

For best behaviour, I would use a sand substrate and a sinking pellet food like NovoDiscus or Prima. The way discus search for their food is to blow into the sand so that it billows up and then grab the food in front of their face. Its really funny to watch and keeps them busy for ages!

Another thing I really hate is beefheart! Unnecessary and disgusting in th water, unless you need to power feed you discus... Bloodworms, Krill, Mysis, Artemia/Brine Shrimp and Prawn are best bet!

Also, I would, if you can, get your discus from the same place, much safer in terms of health for the discus.

Try Jakes Discus, used to be Wycombe Discus. It will be too far to drive to now in Morecambe Bay, but he has all the discus available on his website, he is a really great guy and will get exact photos, all his fish are spot on quality and he owns his own courier service so you know they would reach you fine!

http/jakesdiscusaquatics.co.uk/

Wow thanx for the great advice MBOU. And thanx Ian and Finchfarm, this is the exact input i was looking for.

So... Looks like the 450L will be the Discus tank rather than the community upgrade.

Like you guys suggested, im thinkin 8-10 juvenile Discus, 20 Emperor tetras and 10 Corys. Sand Substrate (prob argos) and lightly planted (low tech)
I already have Julii's in my community, can anybody suggest another nice attactive cory for my Discus tank?

MBOU, you suggested 27-28 deg C (80-81 F) was too high unless breeding, what temp would you suggest??
The usual 25C?

Also you and Ian commented on PH GH and KH..
Well like i said before, my PH is 7.2, my KH is 8 drops, and my GH is 14 drops (using API)
What do you guys think about that?
I know thats pretty hard water. Too hard???
I really really dont want to use a RO unit if i can really help it.
Im open to any other ideas to soften my water if thats what i really need to do.

The place i plan to get my Discus from is a very good local seller which im 90% sure are captive bred. And im also pretty sure they have been kept in the same water as all his other fresh water fish. Everytime i go in they always seem happy healthy and thriving. Hopefully they have adapted to slightly harder water through captive breeding.
Of course il ask him before buying.

SLIM

 

[MBOU]

I couldnt tell you what those test results meant off the top of my head, will try and remember to double check at work tomorrow

I kept discus in tapwater, i also managed to breed them and get wrigglers before some other blasted discus got in there and ate them. (they honestly are devils for eating each others eggs!).

The trouble is that its long term that the damage is done. Its also so muc harder, with RO i was doing one waterchange a week of 30%, with tap water it was cheaper and easier to change... ish... but was doing 2-3 waterchanges a week. In the long run, not worth it.

All the heavy metals and high nitrates in the tapwater and the hardness takes its toll. I know other people have done it and their discus did great for 2-3 years then just wasted away... they were wormed, ate like pigs etc but it wound up being such hard work doing 3 waterchanges a week that he skipped changes...

As for temps, i meant 26-28 degrees celsius is perfect for keeping discus, obviously with other fish you might need to take into account what they need too, hence the 26... but anything over 28 degrees celsius is more when they are spawning.

 

[SLIM]

I couldnt tell you what those test results meant off the top of my head, will try and remember to double check at work tomorrow

I kept discus in tapwater, i also managed to breed them and get wrigglers before some other blasted discus got in there and ate them. (they honestly are devils for eating each others eggs!).

The trouble is that its long term that the damage is done. Its also so muc harder, with RO i was doing one waterchange a week of 30%, with tap water it was cheaper and easier to change... ish... but was doing 2-3 waterchanges a week. In the long run, not worth it.

All the heavy metals and high nitrates in the tapwater and the hardness takes its toll. I know other people have done it and their discus did great for 2-3 years then just wasted away... they were wormed, ate like pigs etc but it wound up being such hard work doing 3 waterchanges a week that he skipped changes...

As for temps, i meant 26-28 degrees celsius is perfect for keeping discus, obviously with other fish you might need to take into account what they need too, hence the 26... but anything over 28 degrees celsius is more when they are spawning.

Why was you doing 2-3 water changes a week with normal tap water? Wouldnt one 50% weekly water change be enough?
As for heavy metals and Nitrates, well my tap water only has 10ppm Nitrates present and was planning on planting enough so the plants absorb this. As for the heavy metals, all i can do is use a good conditioner like Prime which will help bind these metals.

I would use a RO unit if i could, i just know the other half wont go for it. They produce too much waste water and our water is on a meter so water changes will be too costly for us. Took me long enough to convince her to put another big tank in the living room lol