New to discus

[GOOBERFISH]

Hey Guys, I just bought two large discus last night and I'm kind of nervous. It was an impulse buy, they just looked so nice I had to get them, but now I'm on the fence if I should sell them or keep them. I have them in my one 125g with a few of my 2" Altums. I threw in some flakes in my tank just to see if they were hungry, but neither of them went for it. I guess my Altums are scared now cause they aren't eating either. I'll try some bloodworms later.

If you have any tips that can help me out that would be greatly appreciated.
Here is a photo of the discus I purchased.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/teta_head_fish/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsddy1zutl.jpeg

[ericNH]

Wow those are impressive! Striking pattern! Good luck with the new additions. Do your water changes :)

[Keith Perkins]

I would have been a lot happier to hear you put them in a 29 by themselves, but they are nice shaped fish. I've made an impulse buy or too along the way, lol. Not eating for a day or two after being moved is not at all unusual.

[Dean2386]

Hey, lovely Penang eruptions. I'm guessing that if you have altums your water shouldn't be far off, just remember to keep up water changes keeping the parameters under control. Keep ph and hardness stable. Do you use RO? Or treated tap? And are you planning on getting any more? Discus don't like to be kept in low numbers. In a tank your size, which is the same as mine you can afford more depending on what else you have in the tank.
Discus are great btw, read up. Do some research and you will see although it takes work they aren't as hard as people think!

[GOOBERFISH]

I would have been a lot happier to hear you put them in a 29 by themselves, but they are nice shaped fish. I've made an impulse buy or too along the way, lol. Not eating for a day or two after being moved is not at all unusual.


Why should I put them in a 29? I do have one available that just has some swordtail that I can move.

[GOOBERFISH]

Hey, lovely Penang eruptions. I'm guessing that if you have altums your water shouldn't be far off, just remember to keep up water changes keeping the parameters under control. Keep ph and hardness stable. Do you use RO? Or treated tap? And are you planning on getting any more? Discus don't like to be kept in low numbers. In a tank your size, which is the same as mine you can afford more depending on what else you have in the tank.
Discus are great btw, read up. Do some research and you will see although it takes work they aren't as hard as people think!


I just use straight tap water. I do 80% water change weekly. At the moment I have 9 Altums in the tank and 6 Siamese algae eaters. So I don't know if I can add any more discus.

[Dean2386]

Depends on your tap water peramiters then, larger fish are more adaptable within reason so it does depend what water they have been brought up in too. Generally 6-7 PH.
Beef heart is a good option for discus, they are slow eaters and need time especially in a new environment.
I would monitor your nitrate/nitrite regularly, I see it is bare bottom? Always easier to keep water cleaner. Mine is planted so to keep stable conditions I do a partial w/c 20% daily of remineralised RO.
I don't know exactly how many you can house to be honest so won't answer that but a group of 8 would help them settle once you are sure you can meet the water requirements.

[GOOBERFISH]

If I fatten them up is there a possibility that they can get this shape?

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/teta_head_fish/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsr7kgl1gn.jpeg

[Dean2386]

Not food alone, water minerals are vital for growth. Understanding your water hardness and levels for growth, display and breeding.

[Altum Nut]

[QUOTE=GOOBERFISH;1183355]If I fatten them up is there a possibility that they can get this shape?

Is this Discus displayed one of the parents?
Do you know how old they are and current size?
We all want and expect to have dinner plate size Discus...but they come with a hefty price tag.
It's best seeing that your new to Discus to research and experiment from the start. Under the right conditions, good foods and good genetics the possibility is endless.

...Ralph

[Keith Perkins]

Why should I put them in a 29? I do have one available that just has some swordtail that I can move.

Quarantining new fish is always a good idea. Moving fish always inflicts some level of stress, adding bugs your other fish may live with perfectly well right away can start an ugly change of events. It's better to segregate new fish to a separate sterile tank to give them time to recover. I'm sure there are stickies that describe QT way better than I have here. Do a little bedtime reading.

[Akili]

Why should I put them in a 29? I do have one available that just has some swordtail that I can move.Rehome the swordtail and sterilize the tank completely that includes filter, heater and even airline if you are going use it as a Quarantine tank.

[GOOBERFISH]

How can I sterilize my ehiem filter I use for the 29g.

[Akili]

How can I sterilize my ehiem filter I use for the 29g.You can use chlorine bleach to disinfect. fill it with water, then add a bit of bleach. Drain it after about 24 hours After the bleach, you should fill k with tap water and let it soak for another 24 hours. Rinse it a few times before setting it up. A good water conditioner like Prime will take care of left over chlorine. Replace the foam with a new one.

[Keith Perkins]

How can I sterilize my ehiem filter I use for the 29g.

Replace the foam. Dip or somehow apply a chlorine bleach solution to all the permanent parts and let completely air dry.

[GOOBERFISH]

What about the media?

[Akili]

What about the media?Replace with new or disinfect it too.Last week I disinfected my canister filter fully set to run from a clean five gallon bucket fill with fresh water and a cup of bleach for 24 hours, then changed with fresh water and run it with Prime for 24 hours and finished it off with another bucket of fresh water with a cup of vinegar for 6 hours.Drained it off and set it up to do my 90 gal tank.

[Filip]

Replace with new or disinfect it too.Last week I disinfected my canister filter fully set to run from a clean five gallon bucket fill with fresh water and a cup of bleach for 24 hours, then changed with fresh water and run it with Prime for 24 hours and finished it off with another bucket of fresh water with a cup of vinegar for 6 hours.Drained it off and set it up to do my 90 gal tank.

Why did you put the vinegar for?
Do you use it as a neutraliser for the bleach?

[Keith Perkins]

Replace with new or disinfect it too.Last week I disinfected my canister filter fully set to run from a clean five gallon bucket fill with fresh water and a cup of bleach for 24 hours, then changed with fresh water and run it with Prime for 24 hours and finished it off with another bucket of fresh water with a cup of vinegar for 6 hours.Drained it off and set it up to do my 90 gal tank.

All the time your spending isn't necessary. Chlorine disinfects on contact, so 24 seconds or 24 hours has the same affect. Chlorine also completely evaporates so once the canister air drys the chlorine is gone.

[Akili]

Vinegar will get rid of most odors,even after using Prime there was some odor in the water.I did not want my fish to get stress out as I was going to hook the filter soon after.

[Akili]

All the time your spending isn't necessary. Chlorine disinfects on contact, so 24 seconds or 24 hours has the same affect. Chlorine also completely evaporates so once the canister air drys the chlorine is gone. Thanks I will keep that in mind for the next time !!!!!

[GOOBERFISH]

If I put fresh water into my tank with bleach and have my filter running would that sanitize everything? And if I let everything dry out for 24hr would that work?

[Akili]

Running the bleach will sanitize.I would first neutralize the bleach, then let it dry.

[Filip]

Keith , are you sure that all the clorine is evaporated with just letting it dry ?
Does this means that we can rinse it in tap dry it with a towel and its ready to go ?

[Keith Perkins]

Yes on both counts. Unless you know your towel is clean, it would be more sterile to just let it air dry. It's works much the same way as removing chlorine from water by aging for 24 hours with agitation. Most people probably only do this to make sure their pH is stable, but it also removes the chlorine from the water at the same time. My city doesn't use Chlorimine (sp?), which isn't removed by aging, so I haven't had to use Safe or Prime in a long time.

[pitdogg2]

Keith , are you sure that all the clorine is evaporated with just letting it dry ?
Does this means that we can rinse it in tap dry it with a towel and its ready to go ?

no not necessarily that slick feeling you get with bleach will still be there until it completely dry's, this also has the same affect as aeration. Chlorine will gas completely out with good aeration. IF you would like to speed it up use Prime or some other Chlorine remover with good aeration. This is the reason most municipalities now add Ammonia to Chlorine to make Chloramine it will not gas out with aeration to better sanitize all the way into the home.

[Keith Perkins]

Ivan - I agree with everything you said except the initial no not necessarily.

[pitdogg2]

Ivan - I agree with everything you said except the initial no not necessarily.


Well then:p