Tank Size

[blancokishun]

Hi,

My name is Kishun and I am beginner to growing Discus.

I am have just started growing out a few discus in a 6Ft long fiber tub with water filled up to about half a feet in height. The width of the tub is 2ft.

I have 2 pairs of red pigeons which are around 8cm and another 5 pairs which are around 5cm long.

I dont want to buy too many fish or buy expensive big ones right away since i am new and to learn how to grow them first.

The one doubt i have right now is the size of the tank or tub i should to grow them in

Is the tub i have them in right now too big for them since i read a few articles which says "keeping discus with a lot space to swim will slow there growth etc because it makes them swim a lot and waste energy". Is this true?

I was in the mind set thinking that providing fishes with a lot space for swimming is good for fishes in general. Please advice

regards
Kishun

[RogueDiscus]

Hi Kishun and welcome to Simply Discus.
I don't think you'll find anyone here who thinks more space is a bad thing. It gives them lots of room to grow. Smaller fish like yours may need less space, but we usually recommend 10 gallons/40 liters per adult fish. Probably the main drawback to more space is that it means a larger volume to keep clean and to change when you do water changes. Where are you located, if you don't mind me asking? We also enjoy seeing pictures if you can post some of your tank.

[Filip]

Hi Kishun and welcome aboard .
Firstly ,is your fiber tub transparent and visible from at least one side so that you can observe your fish not only from the top ? If not , try to do that since you need to have a close and accurate look of their appearance and behaviour .

As for the tankage and stocking levels I can't do the math right away but I assume that water volume suffice your current needs .
If you want to grow them properly you'll need daily water changes with preferably aged water, siphoning leftovers 1-2 times a day ,and regular tub wall wipedowns .

As for using a smaller space for bunching them up there are similar tips and pointers from experienced breeders but I think that they apply to baby discus and much smaller than your 8 cm fish.
And it is not about fish not moving to save energy , but they do it rather to help babies find food easily and to enhance ferocious eating by overcrowding them .

You don't have to do that with your 5-8 cm discus IMO and if you are not very experienced about water quality and what you are doing its always safer to have more water volume .
Good luck growing them up Kishun .
Oh , and please send us some pics from your discus :)

[blancokishun]

Hi,
Thank you for taking time and replying to my post.
I am Located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

I will send you a pics of my fishes once i move them to a tank which i am planning to maintain bare bottom in about 2 to 3 days.
I have a found a guy whose looking to sell his used tank and i m going to buy it.

The fiber tub they are currently in has 2 sponge filters which was colonized by doing a tank cycle and the fiber tank has no side panel with a glass.
It is covered on all 4 sides and the possible way to view the fishes currently is from the top.

The ph of the water is 7.6 and ammonia reading was 0 this morning.
Is the ph of 7.6 good or bad?

Regards
Kishun

[RogueDiscus]

pH of 7.6 is fine. My pH is about 8.2. What's important is keeping the pH stable. Many people will test their tap water to be sure it does not change pH level as it gives off absorbed gases, by taking a reading when its drawn, and again after aerating it for 24 hours. If the pH change is less than about .4, then you're fine. If it changes more than that, aging your water before using it is recommended.

[blancokishun]

hi,

I just moved my fishes to a tank and i have attached a photo.

Please advise on what you think of the fishes and also what the black markings on the fish are and how i could rid of them.
106996

[RogueDiscus]

It looks like your fish are what's called pigeon blood strains (don't know where the name came from, but it has stuck). They are bar-less strains, but the black "peppering" is related to what's left genetically of the bars. Breeders have pretty successfully been trying to breed out the peppering but it still shows up in stressed fish and lower quality fish. Crossing a PB with non PB strains is avoided due to heavy peppering that will result. Your orange fish look OK shape wise and have potential to grow out well, but honestly your white ones look a bit pointy-nosed rather than round. Good luck with them and keep showing us their progress

[Willie]

If your tank had a light or white background, the peppering effect will be greatly reduced. Also, as the fish grows out, the black specks will be greatly diluted in proportion to the body. Keep up with water changes in your best chance to success.

Good luck, Willie

[Dhavalsp]

put a lighter background and white paper under the tank, the difference will be remarkable. Also, you have not mentioned how bright or see-trough your previous tub was, if it was not too bright, I would hold off on adding the brighter background and white paper to ease out the transition in terms of brightness.

Key: be consistent, do not introduce quick changes. if something works and things are going well, don't change it even if someone puts a gun to your head :)... good luck!