55 gallon Stocking

[NickR]

The tank is 30Lx18Wx24H, I am Wondering how many Discus I should be getting I've seen people see 6-7 to only 3 in a 55 im not really sure which one is right so hopefully i'll get a good awnser here. Also How many water changes will I have to do when I get these discus in here.

[SejRamkas]

Most people will tell you 5-6. It is a good rule of thumb to go by no more than 1 discus per 10 gallons. People are able to get away with more depending on maintenance routine. I'd say you could do 6-7, but you would have to be doing daily water changes of at least 50 percent and a lot of gravel vacuuming to keep them all healthy and thriving (or go with a bare bottom setup). The amount of stock will also depend on the amount of decorations you have in the tank and allotted free swimming space for your fish. Also, use aged water when doing water changes. If you dont know what that is use the search function. Above all do your research before "diving into" the discus hobby, because it takes some serious dedication of which is only elevated by overstocking a tank. I dont mean to scare you away by saying all of this I just want you to be informed before you waste money and are stuck wondering why your fish are dying.

[NickR]

I currently have a tank filled up with water and sand already and im not looking to do daily water changes of 50% how many water changes would 3 discus in a tank require?

[SejRamkas]

If you aren't looking to do daily water changes I wouldn't get into discus. I'm not saying it can't be done, but in my experience if you aren't willing to put in that effort you aren't ready to deal with the challenges keeping discus brings. That being said people successfully keep discus and only change the water 2-3 times a week, but they have been at the hobby for a while and know what they are doing. The trick is to figure out what works best for you and your fish. Take it from someone who has learned the hard way. I began by doing water changes 1-2x a week straight from the tap, and ended up with unhealthy fish and lost a few along the way. I then wised up and set up a water aging system and now do 50% water changes daily and my fish have never been happier.

I think you need to do some more research before you make the investment without educating yourself and end up costing yourself more money in the long run. There are plenty of people on here who are more than willing to help you if you are willing to do the research and take their advice.

[NickR]

Alright its just that I dont have the time right now to do 50% water changes daily I'll look into some other fish any suggestions? I would be willing to do Daily water changes but not 50% maybe around 20% 10%.

[mmorris]

You don't need to do daily wc's on adult discus. A wc of 50% 2-3 times a week will probably be fine on 5-6 discus in a 55 gallon. Three is not a good number because of pecking order issues.

[SejRamkas]

Just be prepared to invest a much larger investment if you want to buy adults. They start around 125 dollars each for decent ones from what I have seen. I have 4 in my 55 and I am still seeing aggression issues, so like mmorris said I would not do less than 5 discus in a 55 gallon.

[Skip]

What is your BUDGET TO BUY?

[NickR]

My budget is around $350 for Fish.

[NickR]

I know a place that sells Healthy Tank raised Adult Discus for 50$ about 2 hours from my house so I might go there and if they are looking good i will buy

[Skip]

Alright its just that I dont have the time right now to do 50% water changes daily I'll look into some other fish any suggestions? I would be willing to do Daily water changes but not 50% maybe around 20% 10%.

Maybe u should get angelfish... easier and cheaper

[GlennR]

You don't need to do daily wc's on adult discus. A wc of 50% 2-3 times a week will probably be fine on 5-6 discus in a 55 gallon. Three is not a good number because of pecking order issues.


I agree with Martha. Nick's budget is fine for 5 or 6 nice Discus. Why tell him daily WCs or get Angels?

[SejRamkas]

I know a place that sells Healthy Tank raised Adult Discus for 50$ about 2 hours from my house so I might go there and if they are looking good i will buy

Where are you finding healthy adult discus for 50 bucks?! I sure would like to know where this place is.... Even 3" juvi's I have seen are 60 most places. Any idea where this store sources their discus?

I just simply stated daily WC's because this is what is recommended by many people on here for growing out small discus which is something most people new to the hobby attempt to do incorrectly. I agree adults don't require this much work which you can see from the same post I also mentioned 2-3 50% WC's weekly.

[NickR]

Tropicalislandaquarium at long island in deer park if u wanna see the site put a . Com after that name and he doesnt ship fish only drive into buy I believe his baby turqoises are 23$ and I heard of a store in california that sells 3 inch discus for 10$ adults 30$ and arrowanas for 12$. Im not sure where the store got them from originally but hes been breeding them for awhile

[Skip]

Tropicalislandaquarium at long island in deer park if u wanna see the site put a . Com after that name and he doesnt ship fish only drive into buy I believe his baby turqoises are 23$ and I heard of a store in california that sells 3 inch discus for 10$ adults 30$ and arrowanas for 12$. Im not sure where the store got them from originally but hes been breeding them for awhile

it is bad idea.. to get these fish..

just fyi..

[NickR]

Yea idk about I heard about it from a youtuber

[Skip]

Yea idk about I heard about it from a youtuber

look.. you are in the best & safest forum for Discus info, buying and selling..

and if you want to listen to people from YOUTUBE>. that is your choice..

[NickR]

Im not buying from that store

[farebox]

I just purchased five 3.5" discus fish from Kenny's Discus for my empty 55 gallon BB tank, for under your $350.00 budget....

[NickR]

How much is each 3.5 inch discus from Kenny for Red turq?

[SejRamkas]

Typically the old adage "you get what you pay for" tends to be pretty spot on. Check out some of our sponsor's discus here (specifically Kenny and Hans) and you will see quality discus and the price that comes with them. Also remember this price is before shipping, so dont base that off of being similar price to a store you pick up in. I cant say from first hand experience that the store you are referring to has unhealthy or low quality because I haven't seen any of them, just seems a little too good to be true. You may want to take a look through these:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?46982-What-not-to-buy
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?33300-Selecting-Discus

[NickR]

I did see these and said I will check the Discus in the store to see if they go with the health conditions listed here based on that I will buy them or not.

[Skip]

I did see these and said I will check the Discus in the store to see if they go with the health conditions listed here based on that I will buy them or not.

http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k560/forgifs22/facepalm.gif

[NickR]

I really don't understand why your bashing me instead of helping before I buy them meanwhile thats the intention of this forum

[Skip]

I really don't understand why your bashing me instead of helping before I buy them meanwhile thats the intention of this forum

We have told u not to buy from lfs.. but from a sponsor. . But u still want to go to that store.. u are new and u don't know what a good discus looks like.. we know. Hence the help..

But can't help some one that doesn't want to hear or learn..

Best of luck to you.. I am out.. I will leave to others to guide ypu..

Ps.. this ain't bashing. Trust me .. it ain't this thread

[NickR]

We have told u not to buy from lfs.. but from a sponsor. . But u still want to go to that store.. u are new and u don't know what a good discus looks like.. we know. Hence the help..

But can't help some one that doesn't want to hear or learn..

Best of luck to you.. I am out.. I will leave to others to guide ypu..

Ps.. this ain't bashing. Trust me .. it ain't this thread
I did tell you the name of the place where im buying from TropicalIslandaquarium.com and they have a gallery of their discus and you can see if their is anything wrong with them from there I would presume

[GlennR]

Those look very nice for a LFS. Their tank is bare bottomed and the group is large. If their stock looks as good when you visit in person I would feel comfortable buying from them. I'd be very surprised if those all are only $50 each.

Let us know if you get them.

[NickR]

Alright Thanks.

[SejRamkas]

We are not bashing you, only informing you so you do not make a bad decision. A lot of times it can come off a bit harsh, but that is only because we see people all the time who don't listen to our advise and end up wasting their time and money keeping unhealthy fish and get turned off from the hobby because it is "too hard". I was even one of these people at the beginning when I got on here, but now know the importance of proper maintenance and starting with quality fish. It is cheaper in the long run to pay more to start with good quality fish and have a good maintenance routine from the beginning than to jump into it with cheap fish and not be prepared for the maintenance. We just want others to learn from our mistakes so they dont make the same ones we have previously.

That being said, those fish on the website do appear to be pretty good LFS quality. I seriously doubt they will be selling those for $50 for the adults. In fact i think i see a price tag of 99.99 for the checkerboard in the second picture, and possibly a 129.99 to the lower left of it. (these prices seem a bit more realistic for those fish). But the prices for the smaller juvi's are really good at 28.99-29.99 for what looks to be a 2.5-3" red turk. Just be sure you know what to look for when you see them in person, and ask the employee to feed them. If it doesn't eat don't buy it because you will have an even harder time getting it to eat once you move it to your tank.

[NickR]

Im pretty sure they eat cuz he breeds them from what I know but I will ask anyways thanks.

[BODYDUB]

Just take everyone's response with a grain of salt. Lots of posters are just trying to help and post up many ideas, some bad, some good. Don't let anyone deter you from discus, many people have screwed fish them up themselves yet preach the bible. Honestly a first timer will go through ups and downs with their first discus tank. I'd recommend starting with a 4" or larger fish, you're less likely to screw them up at that stage of their life. Some and I say some LFS have decent Discus, just do your homework and ask lots of questions before you purchase any fish, period..............

[NickR]

I got 5 Discus 4inches last night and I fed beefheart and there was about 2/4 of the cube at the bottom of the tank today im wondering if the discus didnt eat much of it I saw some bites out of it and they did eat some pellets wouldnt eat bloodworms or flake I know they usually dont eat flake but is that normal to not eat beefheart or bloodworms around the first couple days of the new home?

[NickR]

and should I use tongs to hold it for them or just let it break off and go around the tank?

[Red Turk]

So... 2/4 would be 1/2 right ? Haha
If they are only eating half cut the portion you are feeding in half to eliminate some waste.
When they are feeding more then increase your portion.

Its not unusual for new fish to go off their food while they are settling in. Be patient with them.
I havent read the complete thread so i can only assume you brought these fish from a LFS? .. What were they feeding them ? Always a good place to start.

In the mean time,monitor your water parameters religiously.
With so much food going uneaten i would assume you are vaccumming and doing daily WC's ?

[NickR]

As of now yes Im looking to get some loaches or corys to eat the uneaten food of the discus though. and I did get them from a lfs they were eating beefheart there and they did eat it at the store.

[GlennR]

You need to watch them eat, so you'll know which are eating and when they're getting full. You can't just dump the food in and leave, especially with new fish.

I'd hold off on adding the corys or loaches (or any new fish) until you know that all your Discus are eating well, and you know how much to expect them to eat. They will be picking leftovers off the bottom, especially the less aggressive ones, and you don't want bottom cleaners jumping on it before all the Discus are full.

You can add some cleaning fish later, but I'd wait until your Discus are settled in.

[NickR]

Alright and I did watch them eat they all were eating but after I saw them eating I left the room where the tank is

[NickR]

I just fed them again and they were going straight for the food now XD

[SejRamkas]

Sounds like you are off to a good start Nick. Please do post some pictures when you get a chance. Good call on going with fish that were already 4", because they will be a bit hardier than some of the smaller juvi's. Thats great that they are all eating, especially that quickly. It usually takes some time for them to adjust to the new tank and will go on a hunger strike for a few days sometimes. Since they are used to beefheart you may not have to do this, but I find my fish like smaller pieces better so I will take the frozen cube and use a cheese grater with the largest openings to grind the BH into smaller pieces into a container of tank water. This not only thaws the food (I dont think its good for them to eat it frozen), but also makes it more manageable for them to eat.

What is your water change schedule like? Are you going to be using aged water or straight from the tap?

[NickR]

Currently I do not have aged water using tap doing water changes 4 times a week right now. I may try that with the beefheart because they don't seem to eat it as much as pellets and regular flake I am putting in for tetras.

[SejRamkas]

I would really consider getting a water aging setup if you have room. Large container an airstone and heater is all thats needed. I started using aged water recently and it made an enormous difference in the health of my discus.

[NickR]

Could I use a 10 gallon for it?

[NickR]

Also my discus are looking really good no more hiding and getting more color slowly

[Red Turk]

r.e the 10 Gallon for ageing ... Not really.

You would only changing 10 Gallons out of a 55 at any one time.
This doesn't leave much time for the water to actually age as you want it to.. e.g de-gas and heat to tank temp if you are doing daily water changes and constantly having to refill the 10 Gal and start the process again.

Look at getting a barrel that is larger than your 55 and will allow you do changes while still ageing your water.
I use a dual barrel system that lets me change water out of one and lets the second do its thing in terms on ageing...then the first is filled and I change from the second .. never ending cycle haha but it works for me.

[NickR]

I dont think I will have room for that....

[SejRamkas]

I use a 55 gallon plastic food grade drum. They are all over craigslist for around 20 dollars. They dont take up THAT much space I have one in the pantry of my 1 bdrm apartment.... They are about 18" diameter I believe. This allows me to change as much as 100% on my 55 gallon and then I just fill it up and turn the pump and heater back on until the next time I need it.

[NickR]

Today while feeding one of three blue turqs started chasing two discus not sure what type a red white spotted pigeonblood what should I do? Is this normal?

[strawberryblonde]

It's totally normal for them to chase and pick on each other a bit. Discus are about the gentlest of the cichlids, but are still sometimes aggressive with each other. So long as the aggression is spread out among all the fish it's ok. When just one discus is getting picked on it can become a problem. That's why everyone said 5 discus is better than 3 in your tank. More fish means more spread of aggression.

I know you've been juggling the foods you're feeding them in an effort to figure out what works best. You said they are eating the flakes you put in for the tetras...what type of flake is it? Discus do eat and LOVE flake food, so if you can buy some that are made specifically for discus (there are several brands out there) then they'll be able to get good nutrition from them. Tetras will do just fine on Discus flakes...mine have been eating them for 2 years now.

For the beefheart, try only feeding it to them once a day, and feed it about an hour before your water change. That way they'll have time to eat as much as they want, and it won't have time to sit and rot in the tank. At 4" they'll do fine with one beefheart feeding per day so long as they are also getting discus pellets and flakes. Ohhhhhh, and you might want to check out Al's Freeze Dried Blackworms! He is the owner of these forums and my discus are addicted to his blackworms. You can read his sponsor thread here: Al's Blackworm Thread (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?91192-Freeze-Dried-Blackworms) and you can visit his store here: Al's Blackworm Store (http://www.aquaticsuppliers.com/)

Can't wait to see pics of your new discus. =)

[NickR]

Alright thanks its just regular tetracolor tropical flakes

[Pazzoman]

I will call them soon as Im curious with the prices...especially since I live in NY as well and really enjoy checking out different LFS around the area. However like mentioned any of the sponsors here on simplydiscus have a reputation of selling healthy and quality discus (based on the views of other members). Im looking to start my own discus tank and will more then likely purchase from a sponsor. As if anything happens that I need guiding all I have to do is hop on here and get on their store page for assistance. Good Luck

[Pazzoman]

hey i just called thier price range for adult discus fish (didn't ask for size) is from $130 to $170..... however for this week only till sunday thier having a 30% sale on all livestock. I will see if its close to me... will take the drive however probably wont buy any discus fish....or any fish lol

[NickR]

????