Hi, I'm new here so bare with me, please. We recently setup a new tank...within the last two weeks. Everything was going fine. Then over the weekend...my kids bought me a discus as a mother's day gift. Which is great but ... I want to be sure my tank is ok for a discus to be in. Can anyone help me?
Need help with new tank and Discus
- Thread starter Back43
- Start date
abstract
Fish Herder
i'm sorry to tell you but discus are NOT beginner fish at all....more like one of the most expert-type fish you will find in fish stores.....they need higher than normal water temperatures (mid 80's), PERFECT water conditions, low pH, and a big tank....they also will NOT tolerate a new tank (tanks need to mature so that bacteria are able to handle the amount of waste produced) and they will especially not tolerate large amounts of chemicals in the water (which I am just assuming you used to lower the pH)...
my recommendation would be to take the fish back to the store ASAP before it ends up dead....there are plenty of beginner fish that would work out great for you (danios, guppies/platies/swordtails, certain tetras, etc)....also, we need to know the size of your tank before we can give any other advice...i fyou do not know the size in gallons, let us know the general dimensions and we can help you out....any other questions feel free to ask!
i have been typing this post for a couple minutes now (work interruptions
) so i'm sure someone probably beat me to this info!!
my recommendation would be to take the fish back to the store ASAP before it ends up dead....there are plenty of beginner fish that would work out great for you (danios, guppies/platies/swordtails, certain tetras, etc)....also, we need to know the size of your tank before we can give any other advice...i fyou do not know the size in gallons, let us know the general dimensions and we can help you out....any other questions feel free to ask!
i have been typing this post for a couple minutes now (work interruptions
) so i'm sure someone probably beat me to this info!!Thanks for replying. By a "fishless cycle"...I'm assuming you mean running the filters with no fish added. Yes I did do that for 3-4 days before adding any fish. We have angels, tetras gourami's...and this new discus.
I forgot to add...it's a 55 gallon tank. We had a discus for several years...years ago. But we are just now getting back into the fish world again.
I forgot to add...it's a 55 gallon tank. We had a discus for several years...years ago. But we are just now getting back into the fish world again.
abstract
Fish Herder
being that she is new to this...i'm sure she doesn't know what you are referring to by the fishless cycle...so perhaps posting a LINK with your questions next time will helpWilder said:
for some great information, check out the posts at
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showforum=58abstract
Fish Herder
actually, in short, a fishless cycle is when you add a source of ammonia for the bacteria to "feed off of" .... when fish waste is broken down, ammonia is released....in a new fish tank, there is no bacteria present to consume the ammonia, so fish often die from high levels of ammonia.....in an established tank (or one that has been "cycled" as we call it), there is enough bacteria to consume the ammonia and nitrites (nitrites are a byproduct of ammonia breakdown) controlling the quality of water...Back43 said:
you should still do weekly (or every two week) water changes of 25% or so to reduce these levels...in addition, you should go out and buy test kits for ammonia, nitrities, and nitrates - the 3 most important levels to monitor in your tank...if you still have more questions after reading through the few beginner articles I linked to, let us know!
One minute... I assume you are new to the hobby (sorry if I've got it all wrong 
)? How big is the tank? Is it cycled? What are your parameters (ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte and pH)? Discus can be extremely fragile fish and not the best fish for a beginner. They also require a large tank as, though they don't realy get THAT big, they should be kept in a group. They also need a high temperature and more water changes than other fish. All in all, this is the worst fish to start with. Do you already have the fish in your tank? If yes, don't play around with the pH - you'll kill it. Fluctuations in pH are worse than a high but constant one. Also, take the temp up to at least 80 deg F as I suspect you'll have it around 76 which is the normal for most tropicals. If your tank is less than 30 gallons, ammonia is at anything above 0 and nitrIte is anywhere above 0, you need to take the discus back to your local fish store immediately or it will die. Get back to us on all the parameters and the tank size and I'm sure someone will be able to help some more. Good luck!
edit: oops - I guess I didn't refresh the page
)? How big is the tank? Is it cycled? What are your parameters (ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte and pH)? Discus can be extremely fragile fish and not the best fish for a beginner. They also require a large tank as, though they don't realy get THAT big, they should be kept in a group. They also need a high temperature and more water changes than other fish. All in all, this is the worst fish to start with. Do you already have the fish in your tank? If yes, don't play around with the pH - you'll kill it. Fluctuations in pH are worse than a high but constant one. Also, take the temp up to at least 80 deg F as I suspect you'll have it around 76 which is the normal for most tropicals. If your tank is less than 30 gallons, ammonia is at anything above 0 and nitrIte is anywhere above 0, you need to take the discus back to your local fish store immediately or it will die. Get back to us on all the parameters and the tank size and I'm sure someone will be able to help some more. Good luck!edit: oops - I guess I didn't refresh the page
Ok...I guess my idea of a fishless cycle wasn't what it should have been. At any rate...what can I do at this point? I am going to remove some water....I've read that 25% should be removed. Any ideas/help would be wonderful. I can't return this fish...it was sold to my son with no guarantee.
Returning the discus will not involve getting your money back if that's what you're talking about with the guarantee... If you want to save the fish, give it to them for free. It will not survive.
How many of each of the fish you mentioned do you actualy have and did you add them all after the 3 days of running the tank?
How many of each of the fish you mentioned do you actualy have and did you add them all after the 3 days of running the tank?
So seeing how I didn't do the fishless cycle correctly...is there anything I can do at this point to try and save my fish short of returning them? I know the fish store my son bought this fish at. They will take it back but will not give my son any money back for it. It's a no guarantee fish in their store policy. And seeing how it's a Mother's day gift..I'm just trying to save the fish. It's acting fine...shy and timid. But does come out in the rest of the tank and wander around abit...several times a day. I have not seen it eat yet...but I've read it can take 2-5 days for the discus to resume eating???
abstract
Fish Herder
since you cannot return it, and you already have some fish in there i assume the tank is at least somewhat cycled (that's a good thing)....the first thing you need to do, which was already stated, is raise the temp to at least 80 degrees (try not to change it more than 2-3 degrees per day)....second, the 25% water change will be a good thing ....discontinue the chemicals to change the pH - as stated, a constant pH is better even if it is high.
if you added the tetras, angels, etc all at the same time you should be testing for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates daily and possibly do 10-20% water changes if the levels are high (ammonia and nitrites should be ZERO, and nitrate should show a reading but be kept relatively low)....until your ammonia and nitrities are zero, you should do small water changes daily (or every 2 days) to alleviate any stress to your fish....keep us updated on what happens and post more if you have more questions - i will continue to monitor this thread throughout the day...
if you added the tetras, angels, etc all at the same time you should be testing for ammonia/nitrites/nitrates daily and possibly do 10-20% water changes if the levels are high (ammonia and nitrites should be ZERO, and nitrate should show a reading but be kept relatively low)....until your ammonia and nitrities are zero, you should do small water changes daily (or every 2 days) to alleviate any stress to your fish....keep us updated on what happens and post more if you have more questions - i will continue to monitor this thread throughout the day...
abstract
Fish Herder
is there any posibility that the store will hold on to it for a couple weeks until you get your tank settled? surely they would do something like this for the good of the fish! give it a try, i'm sure they will be very cooperative if you explain the circumstances!Back43 said:
Basically, if you want to stand any chance of saving your fish, you ened to realise that it will take up to 6 weeks, maybe more, for the tank to fully cycle and be safe for your fish. The discus should actualy be added after 6 months but now that you have it, you'll have to try to save it.
Do you have a test kit? In fact, first of all, do you know about cycling (I'll explain if you don't)?
Meanwhile, do a 25% water change with de-chlorinated water at a similar temperature to that of our tank. Also, you'll eventualy want to buy a gravel vacuum if you don't have one already. While your tank cycles, and with such fragile fish, you may actualy have to do a water change daily for the next 6 weeks. Just be aware of this and realise that this will be necessary if you want the discus especialy to survive.
Do you have a test kit? In fact, first of all, do you know about cycling (I'll explain if you don't)?
Meanwhile, do a 25% water change with de-chlorinated water at a similar temperature to that of our tank. Also, you'll eventualy want to buy a gravel vacuum if you don't have one already. While your tank cycles, and with such fragile fish, you may actualy have to do a water change daily for the next 6 weeks. Just be aware of this and realise that this will be necessary if you want the discus especialy to survive.
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