Is This Really What You Have To Go Through To Own A Discus?

[Brette]

I was reading a discus forum and saw this:

Care:

• 50% daily water change with aged (dechlorinated, warmed, aerated) tap water.
• Wipe down inside of tank with paper towels at least every week.
• Rinse prefilter daily, sponges and internal filter once a month.

Do some people actually do a 50% water change every day just so that they can have these fish? These are not small tanks they're kept in either. 55 gallons minimum i think.

 

[tenohfive]

Think thats with younger discus - they need perfect water conditions when they're young as if they don't they'll end up stunted. Once they're fully grown I believe they're okay with weekly water changes - but don't quote me on the above, thats just from what I've overheard on here - not experience.

 

[drobbyb]

When I was raising discus I wouldl do a 50% water change every 3 days in a 55 gallon tank. I also filtered through purigen (it's a polymer that absorbs everything including DOS (disolved organic solids), ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and everything carbon absorbs. Expensive product, but it's rechargeable soaked in bleach. My discus did fine like this.

 

[Brette]

When I was raising discus I wouldl do a 50% water change every 3 days in a 55 gallon tank. I also filtered through purigen (it's a polymer that absorbs everything including DOS (disolved organic solids), ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and everything carbon absorbs. Expensive product, but it's rechargeable soaked in bleach. My discus did fine like this.

Sounds like a ton of work. i wonder what happens to many discus after the novelty of owning one wears off. I think they're beautiful but I certainly couldn't devote that much effort to a fish. Dogs on the other hand... To each his own I guess.

 

[Jim Curtis]

I do daily 50% water changes for my Discus tanks.

 

[petertr]

Not me.

20% water changes every 3 days when I first got them, and probably every 4 days now they've settled in.


They're perfectly happy, and as the tank is far from overstocked (5 discus in a 300L tank), and over-filtered, the water quality is excellent

 

[angelmouse]

Not me either,1-2x weely now adults. Only fry and young discus need daily water changes, tank wipedowns and daily sponge cleaning to stop stunting and that is mainly down to the high protein food fed to young that rots if waste is not hoovered up daily and growth stunting hormones that the fish secrete from their skin into the water(but i am not sure if there is proof of this as of yet).
regards Angel

 

[Tolak]

It's been said that discus breeders never go on vacation. Keeping them is much less work than breeding, but much more work than more hardy species of cichlids.

Yes, breeding discus is that much work. The breeders I know are either retired, or have a semi-automated or automated water change system.

 

[mike os]

I was reading a discus forum and saw this:

Care:

• 50% daily water change with aged (dechlorinated, warmed, aerated) tap water.
• Wipe down inside of tank with paper towels at least every week.
• Rinse prefilter daily, sponges and internal filter once a month.

Do some people actually do a 50% water change every day just so that they can have these fish? These are not small tanks they're kept in either. 55 gallons minimum i think.

What utter rubbish

Assuming you just want to keep them

50 gal tank, 6 fish, cleaned weekly with about 50% a week waterchange ( assuming adults), clean filters as required will generally work, more is required for wilds and breeding or juviniles.

 

[Brette]

50 gal tank, 6 fish, cleaned weekly with about 50% a week waterchange ( assuming adults), clean filters as required will generally work, more is required for wilds and breeding or juviniles.

This is doable. I'm glad you posted because like many of us, I'm always planning my next tank upgrade and was disapointed to read that discus require so much work. I guess the best thing for someone like me would be to buy to fully grown adults.

 

[drobbyb]

50 gal tank, 6 fish, cleaned weekly with about 50% a week waterchange ( assuming adults), clean filters as required will generally work, more is required for wilds and breeding or juviniles.

This is doable. I'm glad you posted because like many of us, I'm always planning my next tank upgrade and was disapointed to read that discus require so much work. I guess the best thing for someone like me would be to buy to fully grown adults.

It's really not that bad. I have 8 tanks and I do 2 water changes every week to all of them. It takes about an hour and a half 2 times a week.

 

[petertr]

50 gal tank, 6 fish, cleaned weekly with about 50% a week waterchange ( assuming adults), clean filters as required will generally work, more is required for wilds and breeding or juviniles.

This is doable. I'm glad you posted because like many of us, I'm always planning my next tank upgrade and was disapointed to read that discus require so much work. I guess the best thing for someone like me would be to buy to fully grown adults.

Its not that bad. Considering my water is incredibly hard and alkaline - and Im still only doing 25% water changes every 4 days, and only cleaning filters every couple of weeks.

The young discuss are thriving

 

[tenohfive]

50 gal tank, 6 fish, cleaned weekly with about 50% a week waterchange ( assuming adults), clean filters as required will generally work, more is required for wilds and breeding or juviniles.

This is doable. I'm glad you posted because like many of us, I'm always planning my next tank upgrade and was disapointed to read that discus require so much work. I guess the best thing for someone like me would be to buy to fully grown adults.

Or bribe your husband/wife/kids/neighbourhood homeless to do the water changes having bought juvi's (for alot less money I believe.)

 

[Jim Curtis]

I have 5 discus in a barebottom tank. Peter, if you didnt have the gravel and actually saw how much crap they left on the bottom of the tank beleive me you would be inclined to vac/waterchange more often.

 

[petertr]

I have 5 discus in a barebottom tank. Peter, if you didnt have the gravel and actually saw how much crap they left on the bottom of the tank beleive me you would be inclined to vac/waterchange more often.

The water stats are perfect though? I do vac, and yes, there's a lot of crap in there - but no nitrite or ammonia at all.