A Few Questions Before I Get Started :)

[Sydney]

Hello all! :D

Next March, for my birthday, I am hoping to get a larger tank (a 55 gallon to be exact) and make it an Amazon Biotope :) Of course, I would like a few discus. ;)

I know March is far away, but before I bring in a new species, animal, fish tank, etc I like to do plenty of research :)
My plan is a 55 gallon amazon biotope, with 3 Discus, 1 Angel, 3 pairs of dwarf cichlids (which I have experience keeping and breeding) a school or two of tetras, and some panda or sterbai cory cats. Does this sound reasonable? I would do large weekly or bi-weekly water changes and have a large canister filter... Would like to have the tank planted as well...
My main questions are - Should I add the three discus first? I have a good source where I can get some juvies that are aprx. 6 months old. I was thinking it would be best to get the discus, and keep them in a bare bottom tank until a year old so I can easily feed 3-4 times a day and do daily water changes (if these are really needed) and make sure they have proper growth. Then at 1 year old I would plant the tank and start to slowly stock the tank.
Also - we have well water, with a PH of 7.6 from the tap (also what my tanks' PH is) not sure about KH or GH. I have been told by an ex discus breeder that Seachem Discus buffer would be good to add. If I add this, is there any reason to use RO water?
Last question of the night - I am in 4-H and show goats at the fair and also at other shows. I have my fairs at the end of August-early September, and also a few shows in the spring. I think the earliest start in April? Anyways, during fair season and show time, I will be REALLY busy for about a week at a time, and it just wipes me out. So I honestly don't know how well I will be able to do daily water changes. (Some are across the state and I don't think my parents would change water for me). If I can get the tank in march, when would be the best time to buy the juvie discus to be able to meet their needs and miss when I'm showing? Or would the be OK with me lacking in maintenance for a while every once in a while?

Thanks everyone! :D

[Elliots]

Sydney, please start reading SD before you start. 3 Discus will probably not do well in a 55 gal. You need 5-6 usually as a minimum. Also many more water changes.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Sydney, please start reading SD before you start. 3 Discus will probably not do well in a 55 gal. You need 5-6 usually as a minimum. Also many more water changes.

+1

Sometimes people find they want to raise discus before they do the research and later regret it due to all the special needs like water changes, food, larger tanks, etc.

But as Elliot mentioned, do your homework first and if after all your reading you still want to raise discus, then the forum will be here when you begin.

[Skip]

forget the 55g.. its only 12" deep.. get 75g.. you will be alot happier and so will your fish.. more room to mover around each other..

[Nick Klimkowski]

forget the 55g.. its only 12" deep.. get 75g.. you will be alot happier and so will your fish.. more room to mover around each other..

+1

A 75 will give you more room for your discus to grow out, also I would be doing water changes daily instead of weekly water changes.

-Nick

[Sydney]

Sydney, please start reading SD before you start. 3 Discus will probably not do well in a 55 gal. You need 5-6 usually as a minimum. Also many more water changes.

I've been reading lots of stickies and articles online. What do you mean many more water changes? I am willing to do daily water changes for the juvies, and weekly or bi-weekly water changes for adults. Not sure if I made that clear in my OP or not.

I was talking to an ex-discus breeder, and he said 3 discus would be fine. But the more reading and looking around on here it looks like 5-6 would be the best.

[Sydney]

forget the 55g.. its only 12" deep.. get 75g.. you will be alot happier and so will your fish.. more room to mover around each other..

Question - what if I can't get a 75 gallon around here? Non of the LFS carry them, and I haven't seen any on craigslist. If I can't get a 75, does that mean no discus for me? I want to take the best care possible, and if they are too large for a 55 gallon, then I will wait till I can get a larger tank...

[wild4discus]

5-6 discus is the recommended minimum. A 55 gallon tank is the bare minimum for 5 discus alone. A 75 gallon or larger is better. If you can't dedicate the time to provide the basic care requirements such as daily WCs, I suggest not getting discus. In your travels, going a week without WCs could be trouble. Juvies don't tolerate climbing nitrates well. To answer your water question, check your water pH after aging (aerating with air pump and airstone or a powerhead) after 24-48 hours to see if you have a pH swing. If you do, do Wcs with aged water. You don't necessarily need to add buffers to your water. Discus can be acclimated to harder water. Discus need stable water conditions and do not tolerate frequent changes in water chemistry well. Discus buffer is phosphate based, so you could end up with algae blooms. Just because it has a picture of a discus on it doesn't mean it's a good product for discus.

[John_Nicholson]

I raised my first 6 discus out in a 55, but it had no other fish. I started out with the gravel and quickly figured out that gravel and raising discus do not play nice together. 55, bare bottom, 6 juvi's will work fine.

-john

[Sydney]

5-6 discus is the recommended minimum. A 55 gallon tank is the bare minimum for 5 discus alone. A 75 gallon or larger is better. If you can't dedicate the time to provide the basic care requirements such as daily WCs, I suggest not getting discus. In your travels, going a week without WCs could be trouble. Juvies don't tolerate climbing nitrates well. To answer your water question, check your water pH after aging (aerating with air pump and airstone or a powerhead) after 24-48 hours to see if you have a pH swing. If you do, do Wcs with aged water. You don't necessarily need to add buffers to your water. Discus can be acclimated to harder water. Discus need stable water conditions and do not tolerate frequent changes in water chemistry well. Discus buffer is phosphate based, so you could end up with algae blooms. Just because it has a picture of a discus on it doesn't mean it's a good product for discus.

So, what you're saying is you you don't think I should get discus because of me being gone for a week at a time sometimes? Especially if I can't find a 75 gallon tank. Like I said - I can dedicate doing daily water changes, when I'm here.

[Sydney]

I raised my first 6 discus out in a 55, but it had no other fish. I started out with the gravel and quickly figured out that gravel and raising discus do not play nice together. 55, bare bottom, 6 juvi's will work fine.

-john

I would definitely go bare bottom while growing them out. Seems like the only way to get them to proper size.

[Elliots]

Check with your LFS. Most likely they can order a 75 gallon or larger tank for you. I do not know where you are located but there must be a LFS somewhere near where you live to get a tank. It is a one time purchase so travel if necessary but remember that you need to take the tank home or arrange delivery. You should really buy the largest tank you have room for and can afford to start. The larger the tank the better for your fish and the better for you in the future.

[dirtyplants]

If you are growing out and if you are indeed gone for a week then you will need a larger tank, to assure nitrates do not clime to much and evaporation is not an issue. 55 gallon for six fish is fine, providing you monitor the water quality carefully. If planted then not enough room for six. Substrate is dependent on what is used as substrate. Sand, MVP, or fertilized gravel mixes, require different maintenance schedules and grooming. Is some one feeding your fish for the week or more of absence?

[wild4discus]

So, what you're saying is you you don't think I should get discus because of me being gone for a week at a time sometimes? Especially if I can't find a 75 gallon tank. Like I said - I can dedicate doing daily water changes, when I'm here.

What I'm saying is you could potentially have problems. Discus are sensitive fish, especially juvies. If you are gone for a week and the tank goes without any maintenance, nitates could get high enough to cause them stress, make them more suseptible to disease, or die in the worst case scenario. If you can't have someone do the WCs for you while you are gone, you may want to consider an auto exchange system and then you would probably be fine. As far as feeding you could get an auto feeder for around $20.

[sharkbite]

A larger tank is more stable and will require fewer water changes. Always get the largest tank you can handle. It will cast less in the long run. I have a 180g. My schedule only allows for weekly water changes.sometimes more. Keep reading and planning. You are well ahead of most alresdy .

[Sydney]

Check with your LFS. Most likely they can order a 75 gallon or larger tank for you. I do not know where you are located but there must be a LFS somewhere near where you live to get a tank. It is a one time purchase so travel if necessary but remember that you need to take the tank home or arrange delivery. You should really buy the largest tank you have room for and can afford to start. The larger the tank the better for your fish and the better for you in the future.

They'd had one in before. It's a tiny LFS and the price was much higher than it should be. I would pay it if I had to, but would rather not. Know what I mean?

[Sydney]

If you are growing out and if you are indeed gone for a week then you will need a larger tank, to assure nitrates do not clime to much and evaporation is not an issue. 55 gallon for six fish is fine, providing you monitor the water quality carefully. If planted then not enough room for six. Substrate is dependent on what is used as substrate. Sand, MVP, or fertilized gravel mixes, require different maintenance schedules and grooming. Is some one feeding your fish for the week or more of absence?

Yup gone for a week. Sometimes if I have back to back shows I'll be gone for two. Home at night (depends on how close to the house they are) but wiped out. Someone will be feeding the fish, but only twice a day. Right now it doesn't sound like the best idea to get discus, the more I think about it. I would be afraid of them being stunted or dieing.

[Sydney]

What I'm saying is you could potentially have problems. Discus are sensitive fish, especially juvies. If you are gone for a week and the tank goes without any maintenance, nitates could get high enough to cause them stress, make them more suseptible to disease, or die in the worst case scenario. If you can't have someone do the WCs for you while you are gone, you may want to consider an auto exchange system and then you would probably be fine. As far as feeding you could get an auto feeder for around $20.

I've been thinking about setting up an auto water change system, but my room is all the way on the other side of the basement from the sink, so not sure if my parents would let my make a system of pipes across the basement LOL. An auto feeder is a good option though.

[Sydney]

A larger tank is more stable and will require fewer water changes. Always get the largest tank you can handle. It will cast less in the long run. I have a 180g. My schedule only allows for weekly water changes.sometimes more. Keep reading and planning. You are well ahead of most alresdy .

And is that for adults, or juvies? Are they growing well?

[Sydney]

A larger tank is more stable and will require fewer water changes. Always get the largest tank you can handle. It will cast less in the long run. I have a 180g. My schedule only allows for weekly water changes.sometimes more. Keep reading and planning. You are well ahead of most alresdy .

And is that for adults, or juvies? Are they growing well?