Seriously Tempted To Get A Discus

[fishnovice]

After seeing everyone else's discus pictures I'm seriously tempted to get one but thought I'd check with those of you who keep them first as I believe they are somewhat fussy.

1. Would a large discus be OK in a cichlid tank with sev, jewels and convicts or are discus wimps who will get bullied If cichlid tank is no good, could it live with a 3 spot gourami?
2. Do discus need special food or will thye eat flake?
3. Anything else I should know about them?

 

[markandhisfish]

discus wouldnt mix with those well at all. your username implies that you are quite new to keeping fish? if that is the case i would recomend waiting a while before thinking about discus. altho not quite as delicate as their reputation ,they do require a higer level of care than most fish , and are pretty unforgiving of mistakes .

their BASIC care is

rather than a single specemin they need to be in groups ( 6 or more)
they need higer temp than most fish , 28 to 30 degrees C
they require a higher protein diet , as they have quite poor metabolism
tankmtes should be calm , peacefull and able to handle the higher temperature
for optimum health and growth there are lots more water changes involved than most fish , as a rough guide 25 to 30% every 2nd day is fine for adults, even more so for growing out small fish with daily waterchanges being the norm . in fact some keepers will do larger daily waterchanges
adults should be fed around 3 times a day , juveniles around 4 or 5

also discus are more prone to parasites such as worms , another eason why the tank and water must be kept so clean .

if you give them there basic needs then they are not overly hard to keep , however they are not forgiving of mistakes .

 

[ajs2294]

As Mark stated a single discus doesn't really work anywhere. Generally you need a group of 5 or more. Discus are shy fish and do not get on well with other chiclids for the most part. It is recommended that if its your first time having discus you just keep the group of discus in a tank no other species. They also are very picky eaters and you will need to use several different foods over multiple daily feedings 3+ including frozen foods.

 

[fishnovice]

As Mark stated a single discus doesn't really work anywhere. Generally you need a group of 5 or more. Discus are shy fish and do not get on well with other chiclids for the most part. It is recommended that if its your first time having discus you just keep the group of discus in a tank no other species. They also are very picky eaters and you will need to use several different foods over multiple daily feedings 3+ including frozen foods.

Thanks for your advice guys. I can see now why those who go in for discus generally end up getting rid of all their other fish because discus are not compatible with anything else it seems. Decided they are not for me, I'll stick to more common cichlids. I love all my current fish and would never part with them.

 

[markandhisfish]

its not so much that they cant be mixed with other fish , its just that more care is needed when mixing them , and the list of suitable tankmaytes is much shorter . ideal tankmates include cardinal tetras and rummynose tetras