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Where could it come from?
the fish store usually. clean up plants you add. don't buy fish is my favorite strategy, once the tank is stocked and stable new fish get quarantined in a bare quarantine tank usually. Easier to clean up.

I had 3 quarantined guppies in my shrimp tank last winter that I forgot to put a heater in. They didn't get ich, they got really bad fin rot/fungus, died, which fouled the tank, the filter sort of kept up, the pH crashed the shrimp all died. And that was the end of my unheated shrimp tank. I'm in Texas. It gets hot in summer. I have a heater in my cory tank but it is not plugged in. I don't even have heaters in the others right now, AC runs pretty close to non stop in the day time. I will definitely run around and drop heaters in, probably in mid -october. All tanks. I'm not breeding for perfect tolerance of crazy Texas weather. There is nothing stable about it. Water might hold temp but we can't keep water around. It evaporates

And I thought Discus needed temps around 35C, but I haven't had any in years.
 
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it's actually the opposite...as most tropical fish that come from the "amazon" river actually come from streams that eventually join Rio negro/amazonas
it's the part you might see in movies looking brown with jacaré/crocodiles and mixes in with salt water in Santarém...
but just for an overview....
1656648788769.png

temp right now is 10C with a high of 25C...
but if I move more towards Manaus then I get a low of 23C at 6am with a high of 36C
BUT you will not find a single discus in these locations or anywhere in Rio amazonas tbh...
now if you were to go to itapiranga..cross north to uatumã and travel about 10/15km by boat...sure you'll find some...
so guess what? Discus don't come from the Amazon River at all ^^
 
it's actually the opposite...as most tropical fish that come from the "amazon" river actually come from streams that eventually join Rio negro/amazonas
it's the part you might see in movies looking brown with jacaré/crocodiles and mixes in with salt water in Santarém...
but just for an overview....
View attachment 162252
temp right now is 10C with a high of 25C...
but if I move more towards Manaus then I get a low of 23C at 6am with a high of 36C
BUT you will not find a single discus in these locations or anywhere in Rio amazonas tbh...
now if you were to go to itapiranga..cross north to uatumã and travel about 10/15km by boat...sure you'll find some...
so guess what? Discus don't come from the Amazon River at all ^^
My Discus come from I guy who breeds them in Nelson which is about 5 hours away from where I live.
 
yeah but now you understand my whole point of these myths? someone said discus come from the amazon river and another someone went to check temps let's say in Manaus
and decided 28C was the average temp so it would be the best for discus then someone else followed this then someone else after...then someone made a youtube video about it
something very simple...if you have a friend that speaks portuguese just ask him/her to go on youtube and search for live caught discus
and you won't find a single video of people catching discus in the Amazon River...now...
me honestly I believe your discus probably from being bred for generation after generation might now only be used to that stable 28C...
but it's not the same for wild ones...but even big shops will spread this heater BS even when they're getting shipments from breeders in south america...why?
The more people that follow this trend...the more heaters they sell...
Same goes for these X,Y canister filters
XL super T-Rex model, it's got so much flow it will devour the junk from your fish tank!!
but what people forget...more flow = movement/oxygenation = more algae
I'm yet to see a single canister filter with a oxygen remover/adjuster or with a degasser and just add your own oxygenation instead of it coming from a pump doing 1000gph
but hey...they got DR this or Fert that...or PH up/down/sideways to fix it after...
and people will do it...
go to the store...heys I want 2 fish....these guppies looks nice...
you need a heater!...you also need this and that food plus this one for the weekends so your fish can enjoy variety...you like going out to eat on weekends right? fish do too!
then you need pliers nets etc...(they will sell you the smallest ones nobody buys and the junk nets)
heys..now you need ph up/down and these test kits plus these strips...
said person goes home with his new 2 fish..nobody explained cycling and his fish died....
back to the store...yeah sorry...did you cycle the tank? forget guppies...we have these fish which are a little more expensive but they look so nice...they're called DISCUS!!
now...you only need an RODI...some ferts...some DR this and PHD that...did I sell you a heater? yeah that one isn't powerful enough for discus...grab this guy...

world goes round and round and at the end of the day it's all about $$...specially in fish stores...
I'd never trust 100% advice coming from a staff member in a store when they're trying to sell you stuff
 
yeah but now you understand my whole point of these myths? someone said discus come from the amazon river and another someone went to check temps let's say in Manaus
and decided 28C was the average temp so it would be the best for discus then someone else followed this then someone else after...then someone made a youtube video about it
something very simple...if you have a friend that speaks portuguese just ask him/her to go on youtube and search for live caught discus
and you won't find a single video of people catching discus in the Amazon River...now...
me honestly I believe your discus probably from being bred for generation after generation might now only be used to that stable 28C...
but it's not the same for wild ones...but even big shops will spread this heater BS even when they're getting shipments from breeders in south america...why?
The more people that follow this trend...the more heaters they sell...
Same goes for these X,Y canister filters
XL super T-Rex model, it's got so much flow it will devour the junk from your fish tank!!
but what people forget...more flow = movement/oxygenation = more algae
I'm yet to see a single canister filter with a oxygen remover/adjuster or with a degasser and just add your own oxygenation instead of it coming from a pump doing 1000gph
but hey...they got DR this or Fert that...or PH up/down/sideways to fix it after...
and people will do it...
go to the store...heys I want 2 fish....these guppies looks nice...
you need a heater!...you also need this and that food plus this one for the weekends so your fish can enjoy variety...you like going out to eat on weekends right? fish do too!
then you need pliers nets etc...(they will sell you the smallest ones nobody buys and the junk nets)
heys..now you need ph up/down and these test kits plus these strips...
said person goes home with his new 2 fish..nobody explained cycling and his fish died....
back to the store...yeah sorry...did you cycle the tank? forget guppies...we have these fish which are a little more expensive but they look so nice...they're called DISCUS!!
now...you only need an RODI...some ferts...some DR this and PHD that...did I sell you a heater? yeah that one isn't powerful enough for discus...grab this guy...

world goes round and round and at the end of the day it's all about $$...specially in fish stores...
I'd never trust 100% advice coming from a staff member in a store when they're trying to sell you stuff
Really, I just keep Discus. Do you? and how many have you got in your tank with fluctuating temperatures? What you say above is so full of holes I can't be bothered answering.
 
I like nano fish and keep quite a few different kinds..
Neons endlers loaches otos plecos rasboras 3 kinds of shrimp.
Discus size wise wouldn't match my other fish.
 
you do know that zebra plecos come literally from the same region as discus right? and again...no heaters ^^
 
you do know that zebra plecos come literally from the same region as discus right? and again...no heaters ^^
I suggest you start keeping Discus and see how you get on. Your ideas may have merit but at this stage I'm not willing to try it on my fish, I love them too much.
 
I would if I had a house...in a condo I'm happy my Maria doesn't complain more than she does about me having 2 tanks xD
and as everyone knows...happy wife happy marriage xD
 
you do know that zebra plecos come literally from the same region as discus right? and again...no heaters ^^
As rude as this sounds, you are really missing a key point here.

I have spent hours with Discus collectors, and spoken with Discus catchers. The water is warm. We over heat them in aquariums, especially when we keep the fancy forms, but the natural water temperatures are from 26-30. I kept my wild caughts at 26, and I've watched wild caught fish breed at 27. Air temperature needs to stay low for quite some time to bring down water temperature, especially with the vast volumes of water in Amazonia. Daytime sun maintains stability.

No heaters for zebra plecos is a trick of the trade. They are found in rushing water - really intense rapids zones. Almost all fish we keep from rapids or fast water have higher oxygen needs. They're adapted to the agitated water conditions, and we are generally incapable of having that much movement. So we cheat - cooler water carries more oxygen. In nature, the highly oxygenated water is warm, above 26. Again, my source is people who have been in the water quite often.

I have one warmish tank with Congo River Cichlids, currently unheated due to summer. It's a 120 US gallon. It has an 800 gph canister, and 2 large Aquaclear HOBS. There is a laminar flow powerhead, a Hydro-Wizard. If I put my hand in I can feel the tug of the water. Oxygen reducers? Go put your ankles in a babbling brook, my friend.

It get an hour of natural sun a day, and even at that, has no algae problems. So I don't get that point.

Over-generalization is a trap we tend to fall into. Stop for a moment, and imagine a Discus trying to live in a roaring current. Then get serious, and look at the sucker mouth of the Loracarid (great for inching along rocks, against a high current) and its habits of getting between rocks with its flattened body. A high bodied Discus built like a sailing ship can handle water that moves many times quicker than anything we have in home aquariums, but a zebra pleco is adapted for life close by a permanantly flusing toilet flow (cleaner water though).

I could take you for a walk around my Canadian home and show you several different habitats with different species assemblages in each, in this small region. Amazonia is vast, and the ecosystem is way more complex than you are presenting.

Btw- I loathe aquarium heaters, which have failed far too many times in my years with tanks. But every fish I keep gets the temperatures reputable collectors have reported them coming from, and I remain aware that when seasons change, so do I.
 
As rude as this sounds, you are really missing a key point here.

I have spent hours with Discus collectors, and spoken with Discus catchers. The water is warm. We over heat them in aquariums, especially when we keep the fancy forms, but the natural water temperatures are from 26-30. I kept my wild caughts at 26, and I've watched wild caught fish breed at 27. Air temperature needs to stay low for quite some time to bring down water temperature, especially with the vast volumes of water in Amazonia. Daytime sun maintains stability.

No heaters for zebra plecos is a trick of the trade. They are found in rushing water - really intense rapids zones. Almost all fish we keep from rapids or fast water have higher oxygen needs. They're adapted to the agitated water conditions, and we are generally incapable of having that much movement. So we cheat - cooler water carries more oxygen. In nature, the highly oxygenated water is warm, above 26. Again, my source is people who have been in the water quite often.

I have one warmish tank with Congo River Cichlids, currently unheated due to summer. It's a 120 US gallon. It has an 800 gph canister, and 2 large Aquaclear HOBS. There is a laminar flow powerhead, a Hydro-Wizard. If I put my hand in I can feel the tug of the water. Oxygen reducers? Go put your ankles in a babbling brook, my friend.

It get an hour of natural sun a day, and even at that, has no algae problems. So I don't get that point.

Over-generalization is a trap we tend to fall into. Stop for a moment, and imagine a Discus trying to live in a roaring current. Then get serious, and look at the sucker mouth of the Loracarid (great for inching along rocks, against a high current) and its habits of getting between rocks with its flattened body. A high bodied Discus built like a sailing ship can handle water that moves many times quicker than anything we have in home aquariums, but a zebra pleco is adapted for life close by a permanantly flusing toilet flow (cleaner water though).

I could take you for a walk around my Canadian home and show you several different habitats with different species assemblages in each, in this small region. Amazonia is vast, and the ecosystem is way more complex than you are presenting.

Btw- I loathe aquarium heaters, which have failed far too many times in my years with tanks. But every fish I keep gets the temperatures reputable collectors have reported them coming from, and I remain aware that when seasons change, so do I.
Got a number or a contact? I'd love to speak with one of these people in Brazil regarding temps etc...
Because I've swam in streams in the Amazon and trust me the water is NOT 20+...
The water in Wasaga beach is warmer than a stream in the Amazon and discus don't come from the Amazon River.
People tend to go by hearsay. Well I can tell you streams in the Amazon take some deep breaths and some dancing around to get in. But here are some pics from Amazon streams Ive been to. I got more if you really enjoy the scenery.
 

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The water in Wasaga beach is warmer than a stream in the Amazon and discus don't come from the Amazon River.
Can't argue with that logic. Nice Loracarid habitats, depending on the region. What were the readings you took?
 

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