Just in: 5 adult (5-6"±) Manacapuru Blue

[mattjm1121]

this past thursday i got my order of 5 manacapuru blue discus from snookn21 (john k) and they've just started cautiously feeding. tank is a somewhat loose blackwater biotope (manzanita branch, sand, few rocks, leaf litter and water lettuce)--

54 gallon corner (reef ready, wet/dry filter):
10 silvertip tetra
4 skunk cory cats
5 blue discus (ordered four but john sent me a fifth for free :))
50% water change 2x/week
84-85°F

i have a couple of questions:
should i feed 2 or 3x per day?
how long should each feeding time last? does it depend on the food? (my foods: hikari discus bio-gold, homemade seafood/fruit/veggie mix, and from ken's fish: beef heart flakes, spirulina flake, freeze dried black worms)
so far, the discus look a rather dull brown (although they look much better then when they were first introduced). should they color up with more time and feeding?

they're still a bit camera shy so i'll post pics soon

sorry for the long post! i'd appreciate any advice.

thanks,
matt

[Second Hand Pat]

Matt, since they are brand new please up the WCs to daily. At least 50%. I do not like the color change you describe. Guessing you did not qt first :(. Also are you having a mini-cycle? Please test your water parameters.

[Second Hand Pat]

Also do they seem interested to food?

[mattjm1121]

thanks pat,

no i did not not qt because i didnt qt because i being that they were all from the same source and there were no other discus in the tank. they were a bit more dull when i first introduced them but everything from they're color to appetite has gotten increasingly more promising so i pretty much wanted to know if it should keep getting better. should i still do the daily water changes? if so, for how long?

[Second Hand Pat]

Matt, at least a week until they'll are eating well and would recommend every other day because you are overstocked on your tank. Also we qt with dithers, not just other discus. As wild discus settle their colors improve over time. Post pics when you can. I would feed three times a day.

[mattjm1121]

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i managed to snap a couple of crappy iphone pics as they were feeding on beef heart flakes

[Second Hand Pat]

Cool, good to hear they are eating but then John's fish always did eat for me in short order.

[mattjm1121]

Matt, at least a week until they'll are eating well and would recommend every other day because you are overstocked on your tank. Also we qt with dithers, not just other discus. As wild discus settle their colors improve over time. Post pics when you can. I would feed three times a day.

shoot i would've qt'd them but what i understood is that the qt was only necessary to protect new discus from old ones and vice versa. so you suggest every other day water changes for the first week or from here on out. they just finished feeding rather aggressively on beef heart flakes so i hope it keeps up!

[mattjm1121]

and again, how long should each feeding session be?

[Second Hand Pat]

I suggest daily for the first week and then every other day if they look good and are eating well.

[Second Hand Pat]

About what they can eat in about 5 mins or so. I tend to allow 30 mins to so with flake as they like to graze.

[mattjm1121]

its been like night and day with their behavior today. this morning they were still very shy and cautious and rather dull looking. after the first feeding they became much more active, but still timid when i approached the glass. now after their third feeding and 50% water change, they're as active and bold as as their silvertip tank mates and schooling very heavily as well! they've also brightened up nicely since earlier in the day. i hope they keep on coming along!

[musicmarn1]

Can't wait to see that in next post pics!

[Second Hand Pat]

Excellent Matt, sounds like they are enjoying their WCs. If you test your water you might find you are having a mini-cycle.

[winn0923]

Good job. I like johns fish most of the time because they take to flakes really fast. Get those discus thick and juicy. They should lose the dark barring once they are happy!


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[winn0923]

Also what's the dimension of the 54 corner? Might be too cramped once they pair up


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[mattjm1121]

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checked up on the water and everything is fine. i did another 50% water change. they've started feeding from my hand! ;)

for some reason, i can't upload pictures bigger than these so this is the best i can do

[mattjm1121]

i have a couple more questions. i have pretty soft water as per the api gh/kh test kit (2-3° for both) and a ph of 7.2. would it be worth it to lower the ph to maybe 6-6.5? the ph is a bit higher than its been in the past before the discus came in because of the peat moss i used in my water aging barrels and tank filter create a darker blackwater environment. i still have the peat in both the barrel and tank filter currently but i guess its worn out. should i replace it? how should i go about doing this so as not shock the fish? and since the water in my aging barrel is pretreated with peat moss, is it redundant to have it in my tank filter as well? thanks in advance

[winn0923]

i have a couple more questions. i have pretty soft water as per the api gh/kh test kit (2-3° for both) and a ph of 7.2. would it be worth it to lower the ph to maybe 6-6.5? the ph is a bit higher than its been in the past before the discus came in because of the peat moss i used in my water aging barrels and tank filter create a darker blackwater environment. i still have the peat in both the barrel and tank filter currently but i guess its worn out. should i replace it? how should i go about doing this so as not shock the fish? and since the water in my aging barrel is pretreated with peat moss, is it redundant to have it in my tank filter as well? thanks in advance

Don't really need peat moss w your tap water parameter... Unless you like the black water look




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[mattjm1121]

thanks! i actually do want to have a darker blackwater look but i'm scared of shocking the fish if i were to, say do a water change with water pretreated with fresh peat moss. i put in fresh peat moss in the storage barrel last night and it dropped the ph in the barrel all the way down to 6. would doing a water change with this water cause too much of a ph shift?