Should I take the leap?

[SteveCA]

I have been tormented by the lure of Discus for over 4 decades now. Here is my story. At the age of nine, I got into tropical fish. I raised and bred veiled tail angels, bubble nest builders, and many other tropicals. Several years later, I stumbled across some discus at the Fairy Lake Discus Palace in San Francisco and fell in love. Unfortunately at the time, I realized that I could not afford Discus. I always swore that someday I would have the means and then I would get into the hobby. Of course, along the way, life happens and I was busy with everything except discus. Several times along the way, I researched setting up a discus tank, but stopped short because my lifestyle includes a fair amount of travel. Of course we had kids along with all the trimmings. For the past 4 years my interest has resurfaced and I really want to set up a 100 gallon tank for Discus. I've been lurking here for several years but always felt that I couldn't give my Discus the care that they need and deserve. That's because we take several family trips a year that lasts 7-14 days. I love family vacations and cannot give them up in favor of what is sure to be a wonderful hobby. I can probably get the longer trips down to three or four per year, but they will always be there.

So my question is "can I even entertain this hobby" knowing that I will be MIA several times a year? I'd love to hear from those that have made travel and Discus happily co-exist if that is even possible. Being so close to Kenny (he is 7 miles from my home) I am so tempted every time I see his posts of incoming shipments. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Steve

[Andy27012]

If you have someone who you trust to care for your fish while you are away I would think you would be ok. If you do decide to I would strongly suggest you purchase adults as juvies require daily care and are not as hardy as adults. It will also be driven by what type of tank you want, bb, planted etc and how it's setup. If you want to spend the money you can have a tank that changes iwater with a turn of a lever and will auto feed the fish.

[SteveCA]

If you have someone who you trust to care for your fish while you are away I would think you would be ok. If you do decide to I would strongly suggest you purchase adults as juvies require daily care and are not as hardy as adults. It will also be driven by what type of tank you want, bb, planted etc and how it's setup. If you want to spend the money you can have a tank that changes iwater with a turn of a lever and will auto feed the fish.

I have friends that can check on the fish but I woudn't trust them to clean up the tank. I like the idea of a tank that is easy to WC and am willing to invest the money to make WC easy. Where can I get information on that?

[SortSay2003]

I have friends that can check on the fish but I woudn't trust them to clean up the tank. I like the idea of a tank that is easy to WC and am willing to invest the money to make WC easy. Where can I get information on that?

Hi Steve,

Welcome to SD. Being so close to Kenny, I would suggest going over to see him and see how his set up is for wc. Kenny brings in 30-40+ boxes (maybe 600-800 discus) every month so you would think Kenny has some sort of auto drain/refill set up for big wc. Kenny may also know some ppl that you can contact for help on the set up.

FYI: I was away for one week last year and had no issue with my discus (all from Kenny:) upon returning....Key is to feed lightly, then BIG wc (at least 80%) before you leave. This way they don't create a lot of waste and toxic environment for themselves.

Good luck:)

[SteveCA]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to SD. Being so close to Kenny, I would suggest going over to see him and see how his set up is for wc. Kenny brings in 30-40+ boxes (maybe 600-800 discus) every month so you would think Kenny has some sort of auto drain/refill set up for big wc. Kenny may also know some ppl that you can contact for help on the set up.

FYI: I was away for one week last year and had no issue with my discus (all from Kenny:) upon returning....Key is to feed lightly, then BIG wc (at least 80%) before you leave. This way they don't create a lot of waste and toxic environment for themselves.

Good luck:)

Sam


Thanks for your reply. I am very excited to hear that discus can do well for many days of absence when following the protocol you mentioned. Funny, I always assumed that vacations are a no no and that discus afficionados were somehow homebodies that never left their fish for any extended period of time. I just now searched for vacation and found a wealth of information about preparing the fish and the tank for vacation. Damn, had I known this, I would have jumped into the hobby years ago when I first visited Kenny. That was six years ago! Well now I'm set and need to research all the stuff I need to make this hobby a success. I do know that I will need to have a simple and easy way to change lots of water quickly. I will not do buckets so I will need efficient draining and filling mechanisms for my tank.

Thanks a bunch! I am so happy that I will someday have discus in my home. Better late than never....

[Kirbs]

My wife and I are ones to travel too! We are usually gone 10 to 14 days a couple of times per year. I don't feed a day or two before we leave and then a massive water change the day before. I don't have somebody feed them and they are fine when I get back! Neighbors just check on them!

If I'm purchasing fish I usually get them when I get back and way before I'm leaving again so they have time to get situated before I leave again. It takes a little more planning if I'm getting young ones though.

[John_Nicholson]

Buy some healthy adults and you can probably make this work. I would not try it with anything small.

-john

[Rudustin]

I travel often. I have eight tanks of Discus. I used to have my housekeeper feed them when I traveled. That was a huge mistake. I lost a lot of discus that way. Now when I do travel I feed lightly two days before I leave and a 100 percent water change on all the tanks. As a matter of fact I am leaving for five days and that is exactly what I am doing now. They will not be fed until I return. The tanks stay clean and they get another massive water change when I return. They are healthy and happy and they actually grow slightly despite the fact they haven't been fed. I do have sub adult or adult discus I might add. I wouldn't attempt the same thing with juvenile discus. I hope you take the plunge. Rufus

[DISCUS STU]

I've gone on long trips of this type, 18 days, about every four years and have fed lightly with automatic feeders and some assistance from friends. I occasionally ask them to add some baking soda to make sure I don't have ph crashes.

While I would prefer that I didn't have to leave my fish I have little choice and have been doing this for years before I found out from some on this forum that how not do-able it may be (lol). So yes it is do-able. I've never really had an issue even with the longer trips. While it's not perfect, it works.

I go on seven day trips about twice a year and have one sub adult tank, 55 gals, with four 3.5" fish that will be fed automatically twice a day with Tetra Bits and Hikari Discus Bio Gold though I might be able to get away with little to no feedings. All tanks will receive large water changes both before and after I leave. The other tanks of adults will not be fed. I've been doing this for years and it's worked out well for me.

My setups favor heavy filtration with Eheims 2217 and 2215's in circuit and UV sterilizers and Amazon Swords in planters, the tanks are BB.

This is just one Discus keeper's experience.

[rickztahone]

I once heard some advice from a fellow member and it stuck for some reason. He simply said, "Discus shouldn't run your life when you are away". Discus are very hardy, and can go a week easy without eating. However, I would take the advice of some members here suggesting to only try this with adults. Their metabolism is much slower and can handle the absence of food better than smaller discus. Just have someone in place to do some emergency water change in case something bad happens, like a heater blowing out, or a fish jumping and breaking a lid or something along those lines. Those things can't be helped and it would be nice to have someone checking in on them.

[SteveCA]

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I cant tell you how excited I am to learn this news (at least it is news to me):o. Discus have been on my wish list since 1968 and on my bucket list since 2009. I had always known that discus required very careful and consistent care so I assumed that they werent hardy. Therefore I assumed that travel and discus couldn't co-exist.

I am 7 months away from being and empty nester so timing is perfect. I only wish I had all this information a few years ago as my older son (now in college) is really into tropical fish and often inquired about getting discus after I showed him videos of these beautiful creatures. I wrongfully told him that it was impossible given our disposition towards travel. He is going to be so jealous. I wish I could have gotten into this hobby when he was home and able to care for them. He has a gorgeous tropical aquarium in his apartment at college and loves caring for his fish.

Anyway, I need to get the ball rolling, find a good location for my tank and start the fishless cycle. We are in a severe drought here in Northern CA so my water company will not be happy. I recently installed artificial lawns so hopefully my water usage wont change that much. I do need to set up an easy water change system to facilitate painless water changes. I know myself well enough to know that if its easy, i will do it often and if it is hard, well you know the rest.... Any advice on how to do this would be much appreciated.

BTW, how long does it take for 3 inch juveniles to grow into adults? I may be able to make that work with good planning but if not, I will definitely heed the advice to buy full grown adults. I do think that it would be really cool to watch juveniles grow under my care though.

Thanks again for all the thoughtful replies!

[rickztahone]

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. I cant tell you how excited I am to learn this news (at least it is news to me):o. Discus have been on my wish list since 1968 and on my bucket list since 2009. I had always known that discus required very careful and consistent care so I assumed that they werent hardy. Therefore I assumed that travel and discus couldn't co-exist.

I am 7 months away from being and empty nester so timing is perfect. I only wish I had all this information a few years ago as my older son (now in college) is really into tropical fish and often inquired about getting discus after I showed him videos of these beautiful creatures. I wrongfully told him that it was impossible given our disposition towards travel. He is going to be so jealous. I wish I could have gotten into this hobby when he was home and able to care for them. He has a gorgeous tropical aquarium in his apartment at college and loves caring for his fish.

Anyway, I need to get the ball rolling, find a good location for my tank and start the fishless cycle. We are in a severe drought here in Northern CA so my water company will not be happy. I recently installed artificial lawns so hopefully my water usage wont change that much. I do need to set up an easy water change system to facilitate painless water changes. I know myself well enough to know that if its easy, i will do it often and if it is hard, well you know the rest.... Any advice on how to do this would be much appreciated.

BTW, how long does it take for 3 inch juveniles to grow into adults? I may be able to make that work with good planning but if not, I will definitely heed the advice to buy full grown adults. I do think that it would be really cool to watch juveniles grow under my care though.

Thanks again for all the thoughtful replies!

If you want to plan growing juvies then I would suggest buying some 3-4" ones right after you get back from one of your yearly trips. In this manner, you get a lot of time to raise them to get close to adult-hood. The general consensus is that if they are roughly 5-6" they are adults. You can have 2-3" stunted adults though, so keep that in mind.

As far as water changes go, there are a lot ways to do this. You can buy one of those long hoses that attach to your faucet. I have never done this route, and never will because 1) I do not like to waste water and 2)I use that water for my front yard and the plants and lawn love it.

Another option is to buy some kind of pump and pump it out of the aquarium, but again, you would need a place for the waste water to go.

[SteveCA]

If you want to plan growing juvies then I would suggest buying some 3-4" ones right after you get back from one of your yearly trips. In this manner, you get a lot of time to raise them to get close to adult-hood. The general consensus is that if they are roughly 5-6" they are adults. You can have 2-3" stunted adults though, so keep that in mind.

As far as water changes go, there are a lot ways to do this. You can buy one of those long hoses that attach to your faucet. I have never done this route, and never will because 1) I do not like to waste water and 2)I use that water for my front yard and the plants and lawn love it.

Another option is to buy some kind of pump and pump it out of the aquarium, but again, you would need a place for the waste water to go.

That sounds like a good plan. If I buy three inchers, how many months will I have to be tied to the home? As far as water goes, I will try to set it up so that the waste water goes into my front yard. I'm sure the plants would love the nutrients. I have a manual bilge pump from my whitewater rafting days that hooks up to a 1.5 inch ID vinyl hose. that should make quick work of draining the tank once the siphon get going. I guess I will still need that valve that connects to a faucet for refilling the tank. I know that Kenny fills his tanks direct from the faucet after adding Prime to his tanks so that should work. We are both on the same water supply, namely hetch hetchy water. We do have cloramine though so I will have to be careful with dosing.

[Andy27012]

This is a growth chart from stendker discus. (http://diskuszucht-stendker.de/plugins_en/pdfs/1.5_Alter_und_Groessee_unserer_Diskusfische_en.pdf ) They are a German breeder but I would think that asain discus growth rates would be fairly comparable. To automate water changes it is easiest to have your tank drilled but there are certainly other ways of doing it. Like sort say said, it would be best to visit Kenny and get ideas firsthand.

[SteveCA]

This is a growth chart from stendker discus. (http://diskuszucht-stendker.de/plugins_en/pdfs/1.5_Alter_und_Groessee_unserer_Diskusfische_en.pdf ) They are a German breeder but I would think that asain discus growth rates would be fairly comparable. To automate water changes it is easiest to have your tank drilled but there are certainly other ways of doing it. Like sort say said, it would be best to visit Kenny and get ideas firsthand.

Thanks for the link. It looks like growing 3 inch juveniles is out as I would have to be home for a minimum of 8 months straight which is impossible for me. It looks like the sweet spot is 4.5 to 5.5 inch fish which would have me tied to the home for 3-5 months which is doable but will require planning.

[DISCUS STU]

In may be a little easier if you have canisters filters and a more tech. weighted setup as opposed to sponge filters only and 50% daily water changes. While the latter yields great results it is more maintenance dependent.

[SteveCA]

In may be a little easier if you have canisters filters and a more tech. weighted setup as opposed to sponge filters only and 50% daily water changes. While the latter yields great results it is more maintenance dependent.

I am in favor of a tech weighted set up to reduce daily water changes as we are in a crazy drought, now in its fourth year. I plan on a 90 or 100 gallon tank so 50% daily WC is a lot of water. Ive been reading about set ups and its seems that some are opposed to cannister filters. I will research further to learn the pros and cons. I have a very stable power grid where i live so fear of power loss is pretty remote, yet i will put in a UPS as insurance. If there are any particular setups that you like, please provide links and ill research.

I am leaning towards an acrylic tank. Any recommendation would be appreciated. Thanks for your help, this forum is fantastic.

[rickztahone]

I am in favor of a tech weighted set up to reduce daily water changes as we are in a crazy drought, now in its fourth year. I plan on a 90 or 100 gallon tank so 50% daily WC is a lot of water. Ive been reading about set ups and its seems that some are opposed to cannister filters. I will research further to learn the pros and cons. I have a very stable power grid where i live so fear of power loss is pretty remote, yet i will put in a UPS as insurance. If there are any particular setups that you like, please provide links and ill research.

I am leaning towards an acrylic tank. Any recommendation would be appreciated. Thanks for your help, this forum is fantastic.

There are pros and cons to everything. If you research enough, you will find both and both will sound convincing most of the time, lol.

Fact is, I have had canister filters for a large percentage of my tanks. I have only had one fail and it was my own neglect. I have had HOB's and loved the easy maintenance. I am in the process of a sump system, not because I do not like the canister filters, but I like the benefits of having extra volume of water in the tank without dealing with the larger footprint of my tank which is maxed out on available space.

[DISCUS STU]

The low tech, hi water volume setups seem to have great results when the 50% daily water changes are observed and done correctly. Unfortunately I don't have the space to prepare those large amounts of water in my apartment. Sumps, which I believe are also what used to be called wet/dry systems, also seem like a great way to process water very thoroughly and efficiently.

Even though I've been keeping Discus for more than 20 years this forum has helped me up my game and turned me on to better and different ways of doing things. Canisters w/UV at the last stage work for me as I live in an apartment and on the occasions that I have to go away things still work out well. I use very traditional older type Eheims because at the time they were considered the most reliable with Fluvals having a reputation for being unreliable, at least at that time. I believe this is probably less so today and the Fluvals enjoy a very good reputation and also have a pretty diverse product offering that also wasn't available years ago.

Other than occasionally needing to replace an impeller magnet due to cracking and a ceramic shaft for the same reason, I've had good experiences with the Eheim 2215 and 2217's. Even when these things do need to be replaced, you can hear it, they still seem to soldier on until the replacement part is added, albeit with decreased efficiency. They are very reliable and take about 10 minutes, once a month to clean.

Generally I keep replacement impellers and shafts for just such an emergency which I buy through the internet as this is much less expensive than purchasing from my lfs, if they have it at all. If they do have them, it is generally about 40% more expensive than buying the same thing on line. I would call my setups "medium-tech".

[SteveCA]

I am leaning towards a sump system. The extra water volume is a good selling point. This is probably a dumb question but has anyone used a sump along side cannisters or are they mutually exclusive?

[ericNH]

They are not mutually exclusive. I think it's just that sumps can be so much more effective than canisters (when done properly) that adding a canister could be adding maintenance without adding any signifcant benefit above the sump alone.

[SteveCA]

They are not mutually exclusive. I think it's just that sumps can be so much more effective than canisters (when done properly) that adding a canister could be adding maintenance without adding any signifcant benefit above the sump alone.

eric,

Thanks, that makes sense. I am not looking to increase my maintenance load. I would do it if it saves me water change amount or frequency. I'm trying to be a good citizen during our horrendous drought but will not sacrifice the health of the fish to do so.