Setting Up A Planted Discus Tank

[Rlon35]

I am in the process of moving, and I'd like to set up and maintain a large planted discus aquarium. I have done some research. I know that I want to filter partially with peat and use RO water. I have decided on tank mates, through research. I am planning on starting with juvenile discus, feeding once a day, and performing water changes of 30-40 percent every 5 days. A couple times a month, I will have a fasting day. I may learn that this is not the best approach, but I can't change the water every other day, and I have pieced together what I have read about the maintenance apporach in planted discus aquariums. At any rate, my question concerns the sequence of tank set-up with regard to plants and mates.

I though I'd plant the tank, use some cycling products, then add my algae eaters. After waiting a while, I will start stocking my main fish. As I intend to keep rams and cardinals with the discus, in what order should I introduce each species??? Rams get a little hyper when they are used to a tank, so this may stress the discus. Should I add the school of cardinals, the discus, then the rams? I am just curious what would be the best course and why?

 

[Rlon35]

Just to insure some responses, I'll give you a gift. This youtube video is just about the coolest planted discus tank I have ever seen anyone setup. This guy is a genius.

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=rshW7CBwDYM

 

[mike os]

best advice I can give you is forget juveniles & planted/community tanks... seriously it is not worth the grief. Do one or the other, ie juveniles or plants & as you cant change water often enough forget juveniles.

Never fast juvenile fish.

 

[Rlon35]

best advice I can give you is forget juveniles & planted/community tanks... seriously it is not worth the grief. Do one or the other, ie juveniles or plants & as you cant change water often enough forget juveniles.

Never fast juvenile fish.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So, what if I went with adult discus and had a separate non-planted tank to place a couple after they pair off? Thanks for the feedback...I would think, getting your point, that you also need to feed juveniles more than oce per day...

 

[mike os]

more than once...like 6-8x a day,

even adults really need feeding 2-3x

bare tanks are best for breeding & rearing.... but thats a way off yet.

 

[rabbut]

My seven "rules" to keeping Discus healthy and active (I've added a couple of new ones )

1) Keep their tank and water clean. Aim for twice weekly 50% waterchanges on juviniles and weekly 50%'s for adults with bare tanks for juviniles as a beginner keeper

2) Keep them heavily filtered. Aim for a turn-over of 8X and hour minimum through canisters. Some will tell you to avoid flow, but I don't find it a problem with mine. If you find a problem with it, play with the outlet, aiming it in different directions and towards objects to break it up, rather than reducing the flowrate.

3) Keep them well fed on a varied and high-protien diet. I feed mine Vipakraft Discusin (Tetramin ATM due to a shortage but they aren't as fussed for it so I'll be switching back when it's ran out) and Tropical Quintette frozen food. Go with a 50-50 split where possible with 2 feeds daily minimum. Mine usualy get 4 feeds a day

4) Keep them warm, between 28 and 32 centigrade, 30 being the ideal.

5) Keep them in groups of 5+. This will spread the agression and reduce stress. A stressed Discus will starve itself to death over a few months

6) Keep them in a mature tank, that has had other fish in for 6 months or more before adding the Discus wherever possible, unless you are well precticed in their care. (This is a new one)

7) Research untill the Cows come home. Don't fall into the same trap I did, and jump in feet first. If you do this you will struggle and wonder why all your fish are dieing. When you can answer every Discus question that comes up on here, you are ready to try some People that call these fish hard to keep usualy do so because the fish went over due to their ignorrance in failing to research these fishes needs properly (also a new "rule")

I do not pretend to be a Discus expert, as I'm not, and those rules aren't so much rules, more guidelines, that I have formulated through my personal experience of keeping these fish and it is what works for me Different keepers use different methods, and we rarely agree on whats best

Unfortunately all the stock you mention so far would do best in a mature tank I'd fishless cycle it, as none of those will survive a fish-in cycle. This involves a few weeks with bottled ammonia and water test kits before starting to stock if these are the fish you whish to keep Those cycle bottles are all snake oil (bar bactinettes and bio-spira if you can find them) and a waste of money

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Rlon35]

1) Keep their tank and water clean. Aim for twice weekly 50% waterchanges on juviniles and weekly 50%'s for adults with bare tanks for juviniles as a beginner keeper ^^^^^^^


If I started with my mature planted tank, adding a bit more filtration to it, how often would you do water changes with mature discus? How many would you keep in a 55g tank? My mature, heavily planted tank presently has 5 giant danios, a few otos, a gold nugget, 2 blue rams, 3 black neons, a golden algea eater (that is basically useless), some mystery snails, guppies, etc. I would likely have to get rid of the danios, but the tank parameters seem to be good for discus. I filter through peat, and the tank PH ranges between 6.0 to 6.8. The Temperature varies from 80 to 82, so I'd obviously have to turn that up just a bit. I presently perform weekly 30 percent water changes, with RO water from the supermarket. I fertilize with flourish products. The replies offered got me thinking that I would be best off starting a discus tank in this tank, then starting a larger tank with smaller fish, getting it planted lushly, then perhaps transfering or ordering more discus for the big tank. I could get a feeder cone to minimize the waste situation after feeding. I could turn in the Danios and Guppies for credit, raise the temperature, and add half a dozen cardinals, more rams, and about 3-4 discus. Feedback? I would eventually like to breed fish that I can support my hobby with, and discus seem to be a good choice. I could get a 50 gallon bare bottom tank, eventually separating the pair into the third tank. At any rate, I am really interested in starting this process, but I know it shouldn't be taken lighlty and realize I have much to learn. Thanks for the feedback...

 

[Rlon35]

1) Keep their tank and water clean. Aim for twice weekly 50% waterchanges on juviniles and weekly 50%'s for adults with bare tanks for juviniles as a beginner keeper ^^^^^^^


If I started with my mature planted tank, adding a bit more filtration to it, how often would you do water changes with mature discus? How many would you keep in a 55g tank? My mature, heavily planted tank presently has 5 giant danios, a few otos, a gold nugget, 2 blue rams, 3 black neons, a golden algea eater (that is basically useless), some mystery snails, guppies, etc. I would likely have to get rid of the danios, but the tank parameters seem to be good for discus. I filter through peat, and the tank PH ranges between 6.0 to 6.8. The Temperature varies from 80 to 82, so I'd obviously have to turn that up just a bit. I presently perform weekly 30 percent water changes, with RO water from the supermarket. I fertilize with flourish products. The replies offered got me thinking that I would be best off starting a discus tank in this tank, then starting a larger tank with smaller fish, getting it planted lushly, then perhaps transfering or ordering more discus for the big tank. I could get a feeder cone to minimize the waste situation after feeding. I could turn in the Danios and Guppies for credit, raise the temperature, and add half a dozen cardinals, more rams, and about 3-4 discus. Feedback? I would eventually like to breed fish that I can support my hobby with, and discus seem to be a good choice. I could get a 50 gallon bare bottom tank, eventually separating the pair into the third tank. At any rate, I am really interested in starting this process, but I know it shouldn't be taken lighlty and realize I have much to learn. Thanks for the feedback...

 

[angelmouse]

I started with 5x 3-4" juvie discus in a planted tank 55 gal tank. It can be done but i had 3x water changes weekly and fed 5x a day, syphoning any leftover food and mine are now healthy adults. It is hard work because of food particals getting trapped between plants and rotting ,and young discus need pristeen water conditions. Best to start with few plants and add more later. This is not ideal and bare bottom tanks are best but can be done if you keep the tank and water clean, but discus need to be 3-4"+ otherwise there is a large possibility they can be stunted. I added my tankmates first and waited til all was nicely settled before adding discus. Breeding Discus is hard work as daily waterchanges are needed.
regards Angel

 

[rabbut]

If I started with my mature planted tank, adding a bit more filtration to it, how often would you do water changes with mature discus?

50% a week would be what I would consider minimum for adults, though your listed stocking is fairly heavy, so twice weekly would be what I'd recomend There are a few issues on the current stock, some you have noticed and others you haven't...

How many would you keep in a 55g tank?

5 is minimum for a new keeper, but if you were keeping Discus only, you could get away with 6

My mature, heavily planted tank presently has 5 giant danios, a few otos, a gold nugget, 2 blue rams, 3 black neons, a golden algea eater (that is basically useless), some mystery snails, guppies, etc. I would likely have to get rid of the danios,

Correct, the Danios will have to go, allong with the "golden algea eater", aka the Chinese Algea Eater, an 8" long adult fish that is known for killing it's tankmates to eat them as dinner past 6" in length The Ottos should be fine, but they have been known to latch onto large fish... The Gold Nugget Plec will have to go aswell . I have had these latch onto the Discus for their slime coat. This damages the Discus and will make them more prone to infection if it does not kill them in itself The Guppies, Rams and Black Neons should however be OK

but the tank parameters seem to be good for discus. I filter through peat, and the tank PH ranges between 6.0 to 6.8. The Temperature varies from 80 to 82, so I'd obviously have to turn that up just a bit. I presently perform weekly 30 percent water changes, with RO water from the supermarket. I fertilize with flourish products.

I would argue that the pH is too low for most tank-bred Discus, I find they strop if the pH goes below 7... You want to aim for 83 degrees Farenheight if thats what you work in What ratio of RO to Tap water do you use, and what additives do you use with it? Also, what are the readings from your tap water? That pH on the other hand could be too high for breeding them...

The replies offered got me thinking that I would be best off starting a discus tank in this tank, then starting a larger tank with smaller fish, getting it planted lushly, then perhaps transfering or ordering more discus for the big tank. I could get a feeder cone to minimize the waste situation after feeding. I could turn in the Danios and Guppies for credit, raise the temperature, and add half a dozen cardinals, more rams, and about 3-4 discus. Feedback? I would eventually like to breed fish that I can support my hobby with, and discus seem to be a good choice. I could get a 50 gallon bare bottom tank, eventually separating the pair into the third tank. At any rate, I am really interested in starting this process, but I know it shouldn't be taken lighlty and realize I have much to learn. Thanks for the feedback...

If you are successful in breeding, you will be getting arround 150-300 fry every fortnight off your pair, so factor that into future plans Most shops and Hobbyists won't be interested in them untill they get to 4" and Wholesalers will offer as little as possible for them. By my reconing, you will need about 8-10 4ft tanks if you breed them, but no doubt Mikeos, a Discus breeder of 10+ years will be along again soon to tell you what he does in this respect

I'd get 5 Discus only with the store credit, as adding more fish before the Discus will overstock the tank These fish are 8" in diameter if they are Asian bred fish , 12" if they are German origin stock. They are also messy eaters and produce loads of waste

All the best
Rabbut