New To Discus

[marksayer10@tiscali.co.uk]

HI ALL.

I AM NEW TO DISCUS. I HAVE KEPT A TROPICAL TANK FOR MANY YEARS AND TODAY I HAVE FINALLY MADE THE MOVE AND MOVED OVER TO DISCUS. I HAVE GOT RID OF MY OLD STOCK AND NOW GOT 2 X MALBORO REDS AND 2 X MALBORO YELLOWS AND 2 X RED TURKS, I HAVE ALSO PUT IN 5 RUMMY NOSE TETRAS AND STILL HAVE MY REMAINING 4 CORY CATFISH. THE TANK IS A 4 X 2 X 2. IS THIS TANK BIG ENOUGH FOR THIS STOCKING? WOULD I BE ABLE TO ADD ANYMORE FISH? I WILL BE FEEDING BEEF HEART AND BLOODWORM AND TETRA PRIMER. IS THIS ALSO GOOD ENOUGH?

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE WELCOME

MANY THX

 

[mark2109111]

I would say that your tank is a little overstocked on the discus side. I personally only have one breeding pair in my tank (55 gallon). I think that it would be wise to bring two back because once they are fully grown there will be no room for all of them. But if you do bring some back you can probably add a few more rummy noses. Good luck (p.s. your caps lock is on lol)

 

[simonas]

Hi Mark

I;d certainly say the tank is big enough. You could also add to the rummy nose.

Its all about the water mate lots of water changes and lots of food but I also think its the quality of the fish I bought 4 discus from a fish show in April and two from a london shop are thriving and 2 from a famous stockist are struggling. They are funny fish in that respect but well worth it
Good luck

 

[kevinjames]

agree with simonas, all about the water. in the long term when yours get to adult sizes you might be cramped a bit but for growing out that tank is fine.

how big are the fish you just bought? and whats your water changing and feeding schedule?

 

[marksayer10@tiscali.co.uk]

hi all.

the discuc are all around 4 inches in size. i generally do a 50 percent water change each week but i know i will have to do a water change at least twice a week. i used to feed once a day but i now starting to feed twice a day. using tetra prima in the morning and bloodworm or beefheart in the evening. the discus have now been in the tank for 2 days and they are out and about everywhere. always looking around and being very active. i am extremely happy with the fish so far and cant wait till they colour up properly. i know they have come from viatnam. i have also noticed that my 4 corys have been alot more active since i have changed my stocking.

many thx for your replys
kindest regards

 

[kevinjames]

where they from a shop or private breeder/supplier?

 

[marksayer10@tiscali.co.uk]

to be honest i got them from maidenhead aquatics in wrexham. i use that shop all the time and i get on real well witht he manager. he knows his stuff and has helped me set up for the discus and he gave me the best fish from the shoals they have.

one thing i have noticed is they will eat the tetra prima but not overlly fussed on it. now when i put beefheart in the love it. i may try and get myself some decent beefheart for them. anyone have any ideas of a good supplyer on the internet so i could buy some.

many thanks

 

[laura120381]

hi mark,

your stocking is fine. you could up the number of rummynose or the number of corys if you wish. i am assuming your tank is somewhere around the 200l mark?? remember that bloodworms are not particularly nutritious and should not be fed all the time as a staple diet. they do love them as a treat though!! they are also particularly fond of live daphnia and its great to see them chasing round after them!! feed mainly your tetra prima or similar high quality flake as a staple diet with beefheat, bloodworms, daphnia etc as a suppliment perhaps twice a week. discus are notoriously fussy over everything...food, water parameters, tank mates etc!! it might take a few different foods until you find one they like!!

you cannot be too meticulous with water parameters and water changes in a discus tank!! do as many as you can per week (your plan of a 50% and one other ...say 25% per week sounds pretty good!) and remember to dechlorinate and temp match the new water before adding it to the tank.

good luck,

L

 

[marksayer10@tiscali.co.uk]

hi laura. thx for the advice. i think i will have to get some daphnia and try it and cut down to twice a week for the bloodworm. my tank is about 350L. i have a internal filter running and a big extenal filter running also so hopefully that will keep the water good enough for them.

i am finding them to be pretty friendly fish towards me as i gotta admit i do sit down by the side of the tank and watch them and whenever they notice i am there they swin straight over to where i am sitting. prob hoping i will feed them but i see it as a nice thing.

well before i put the discus in on friday morning i done a good 50 to 60% waterchange and i done about a 20 to 25% one today. so fingers crossed.

anyone know at what size or age they will be fully coloured. my malboro reds and yellows are around 3 and a half to 4 inches so i guess they are around 12 to 18 mths old going by research and what people have said. and they have a fair bit of red or yellow showing but also alot of white as i guess they are a white sort of a colour as babies. my red turks are showing signs of good colour coming through but are slighty smaller,

many thanks for all your replys and advice

 

[laura120381]

hi again,

full adult colouration should be pretty visible at about a year old...perhaps yours are younger than you thought??

your stocking is fine as is your filtration and plans for water changes and feeding. you could definitely increase the numbers of your cories and tetras.

have fun and post us some pics if you can!!

L

 

[marksayer10@tiscali.co.uk]

hi again,

full adult colouration should be pretty visible at about a year old...perhaps yours are younger than you thought??

your stocking is fine as is your filtration and plans for water changes and feeding. you could definitely increase the numbers of your cories and tetras.

have fun and post us some pics if you can!!

L

here are a few pics. hope the links work

http/i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss302/marksayer10/P1030657.jpg
http/i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss302/marksayer10/P1030645.jpg
http/i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss302/marksayer10/P1030659.jpg

 

[kevinjames]

for store bought fish they are quite good quality. your resaerch is wrong on their age as id say they are no older than 6-9 months. their colours will get better in a week or two when they settle.

the maintanance with discus is so important for them to reach their full potential. their diet needs to consist of very many small frequent feedings. because of this the nitrates in your tank will creep up and water will need to be changed as much as you can.

as for diet which beefheart are you feeding (frozen blister packs or homemade mix). tetra prima is good and then artemia (brineshrimp). i feed frozen bloodworms every few days and id steer clear from live foods for a couple of reasons. firstly that discus are fussy buggers and if they get live food often they may turn their nose up at everything else, secondly is the risk of parasites, unless you know the food is clean. discus are prone to internal parasites so removing that risk is worth doing.

i wouldnt worry too much about your stocking yet. get the discus settled and happy then start to sort out the rest.