Discus

[anewbie]

Discus are a lot easier to keep than most folks make them out to be. First off, they don't require soft water. I've grown out numerous juvenile discus in water with a TDS of 300 ppm, give or take, without any issues.

This is true of pretty much any "soft water fish". I've also kept wild caught cardinal tetras, wild caught blue tetras, and several species of dwarf catfish, including corydoras in the same water (same tank). The same goes for pH. My pH is 7.5 and I know people who have kept discus in water with a pH as high as 8.5. Don't chase pH and don't waste your money (or water) on RODI equipment unless your water is very hard or you intend to breed them.

Discus do like warmer water. They will tolerate temporary temperatures as low as 26C but they won't do well long term below 28C. This is what restricts the type of fish you can keep with them. I agree with anewbie regarding space requirements and feeding practices. It's best to stay away from live or frozen worms as they are easily addicted and will refuse healthier fare. Good filtration and weekly water changes are also necessary.

I am curious what you think of freeze dried black worms which a lot of people push and i haven't found anything conclusive - they are of course similar to worms but probably less fatty due to freeze dried process (I think)

 

[emeraldking]

Hi & welcome to TFF...

This is true of pretty much any "soft water fish".

Well, I do have to agree that I also kept and still keep tetras in hard water. Same goes for those discus fish I've kept. Can't tell if all discus strains will do well in hard water. But I do believe that people have their own experiences with these fish.

I've kept discus in hard water as well for years. But those were the turquoise discus. But this strain is quite hardy. And I've kept them at 24°C without any problems. I even had offspring. I also had two other strains (cobalt blue and red pigeon) which went well but that was just about 6 months before I ended keeping them. I sold all to make space for my first goodeid tank which I didn't trust with the discus fish I had.
I can't tell that much about other discus strains for I only have kept three strains.
All good advice has already been mentioned by others. For they all want you to keep those future discus fish safe.