Help With New 55 Gallon Discus Tank

[thomas10051988]

i have had a 55 gal 4 foot tank running for about 6 months with a few danios for maturing the filter. now that all the parameters are correct i was hoping to start adding a few discus i have several questions:

(1) whats the easiets/ cheapest way to make soft water and is it actually nessacary for tank bred blues and reds

(2) do i have to have a bare bottom as i was hoping for sand

(3) do i have to have dull lighting or will thay get used to the bright lighting for plants

(4) what tank mates would be suitable if any

thanks for helping

tom

 

[thomas10051988]

any help would be great

 

[cheesy feet]

i have had a 55 gal 4 foot tank running for about 6 months with a few danios for maturing the filter. now that all the parameters are correct i was hoping to start adding a few discus i have several questions:

(1) whats the easiets/ cheapest way to make soft water and is it actually nessacary for tank bred blues and reds

(2) do i have to have a bare bottom as i was hoping for sand

(3) do i have to have dull lighting or will thay get used to the bright lighting for plants

(4) what tank mates would be suitable if any

thanks for helping

tom

1-It depends on what your tap waters pH is, lowerign the pH might not be needed, but if it is in the extreme an Reverse osmosis unit would be worth it.If you only want to lower the pH a little lots of bogwood and peat in the filter is the way to go.If you could get your hands on some mopani that would be even better as it is more natural
2-What size discus are you planning to get? If they're only small it would be easier to go bare bottom so you can suck out waste easily, with sand you'll be sucking both up, unless you have a very steady hand.
3- Once again I wouldn't start of with young discus in a planted tank because all the elements may cause stunting, if you go for larger discus(4 inches or more) they'll be under less risk, but they will still require at least 2 x weekly water changes.The plants you should go for (Amazon swords, vallis etc) should be fine in 1-2wpg, so lots of light isn't necessary
4-Depends what you like?

 

[Colin_T]

If you want to soften the water then get a reverse osmosis unit or use rain water. However, captive bred discus will tolerate a wide range of water quality. If you get the fish from a local source they will probably be in the same water as you have.

Discus will be fine in a tank with gravel or sand. Use a gravel cleaner to keep the substrate clean.

They will be fine in a brightly lit tank. Before you turn the tank lights on in the morning open the curtains or turn the room lights on. Wait 30 minutes or more before turning on one of the tank lights. Then after another 30 minutes or so turn the other lights on.
At night turn the lights off one at a time and before you turn the last tank light off, make sure the room light is on. Then turn the last tank light off and wait 30 minutes before turning the room light off. This will prevent stress and shock caused by the tank going from complete dark to complete light, (and vice versa).

Suitable tank mates include anything that won't pester the discus and can tolerate the warm temperature. Most tetras will be ok temperament wise, however they will age quicker in the warm water. Corydoras and Suckermouth Catfish are usually fine. Other South American dwarf cichlids are also fine, eg: Apistogramma species.

Keep the discus tank in a room where there is constant movement. A lounge room is ideal as people regularly walk past the tank. It stops them becoming shy and spooked. Fish that are kept in a dark quiet room rarely do well.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Some tank mates to consider:

Blue Ram
Corydora
Big Tetras (Cardinals, Bleeding Heart, Lemon, etc.)
Some types of plec work well, I believe Bristle Nose plecos normally have the best success rate.

In that tank, a small Angelfish should be okay also but keep an eye on aggression. Once it gets bigger then 4" you may need to swap it for another one though. De-worm it before putting it into the tank. I got some nice Discus from a local Discus enthusiast a while back. He had Angelfish in his tank and was a large scale Angel breeder. He told me that Angelfish are very robust, and they aren't as shy as the Discus. The Discus see this behavior exhibited by the Angelfish and feel much safer, thus resulting in less shyness.


Those are my favorites, and all I can think of at the moment. I am pretty sure a few more things can be mixed.