New to discus, here is my community tank.

[Platinum9898]

Hello everyone, my name is Richard from connecticut, I'm new to fish keeping. I started out just getting a 65 gallon tank and adding fish. Then i came across these beautiful discus...i now have 3, 2.5 - 3 inch juvies i believe they are 2 turquoise and 1 blue cobalt. they are accompanied by 2 angelfish, 2 gouramis one is red and one is blue, 3 glo barbs, 1 black barb, 3 glo tiger barbs, 5 neon tetras, and a good sized gold spotted gibbicep. I'm totally hooked on this new hobby and especially discus. This looks like an amazing place to find info and just share this passion. God bless all.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/150x100q90/921/EnanFj.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/plEnanFjj)
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/320xq90/r/923/ChqDWK.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/320xq90/r/924/DHUgf8.jpg118837118839118846

[Paul Sabucchi]

Hi Richard and a warm welcome to Simply Discus. Always a pleasure to meet a new fishkeeper. This forum is a great place to hone your skills, keeping fish like any endeavour has a steep learning curve to start, I reckon this is a good place to get reliable information. There are a few suggestions I, as probably other members, would like to make but only if is ok with you. Again welcome!

[xKevinx]

Hello and welcome.. Lots of great info on here to absorb:)

[Platinum9898]

Hey paul, thanks for the welcome. Yes i know i haven't made my tank most suitable for my discuss...i am wide open for criticism haha

[Platinum9898]

Hey kevin thanks for the welcome! Super excited to raise my fish hope to keep them well and happy

[fljones3]

Welcome! This website is "the" book on all-things discus!

[Filip]

Hi Richard and welcome to the fish keeping hobby .
Things to change or adjust here IMO would be :
- changing the coarse gravel with fine sand , or bare bottom if you don't mind the bare bottom look .This will significantly improve your water quallity.
- clean your filter and add prefilter sponge on the intake to prevent dirt in your filters(BTW what filter and filter materials do you use ? . Another water quality thing.
- Change water at least a couple of times a week (aged preferably but straight tap can also do the trick only if you change no more than 30% water volume at a time ). Another water quality improvement advice.

-Ar those red plants real or just PVC ? if they are real throw them away because they won't make it under those conditions and they will foul the water as they slowly perish away.
Take the green plant out of the pot , gently take out and toss the wool from the roots and root it in the substrate .
- Take out the Pleco because it's not suitable for discus .

Good luck with your new hobby and keep improving your hobby skills by reading and participating in forum discussions .

[Platinum9898]

Thanks for the advice. If i keep up with the gravel vaccum will that suffice?
- i have a penplax 1000 canister with the white and black filter on each tray, carbon on the bottom 2 trays and bio rock media on the top tray. Also have a marineland 350 over head filter with 3 filter trays and 1 bag of peat this filter also comes with 2 bio wheels.
- i use str8 tap and water conditioner
-the red plants are fake and i will do what you suggested with the green plants
- as far as the pleco, it will be very hard to accept the reality of moving him...may i ask why you suggest i do so?

And thanks again for your input i will get on these things.

[Filip]

Thanks for the advice. If i keep up with the gravel vaccum will that suffice?
- i have a penplax 1000 canister with the white and black filter on each tray, carbon on the bottom 2 trays and bio rock media on the top tray. Also have a marineland 350 over head filter with 3 filter trays and 1 bag of peat this filter also comes with 2 bio wheels.
- i use str8 tap and water conditioner
-the red plants are fake and i will do what you suggested with the green plants
- as far as the pleco, it will be very hard to accept the reality of moving him...may i ask why you suggest i do so?

And thanks again for your input i will get on these things.

-It traps micro dirt particles real fast so you'll have to thoroughly siphon it at least every other day in order to keep it gunk free .

-Try to replace the 2 trays of carbon filtration with quallity bio media (fluval rings , Sera siporax , seachem matrix etc. ).The same goes for the peat in your marineland hang on filter.
Sponges and especially floss tend to trap a lot of dirt in a short period so regulary replace or clean them if you use them as a filter materials in your canister (at least once a month IMO ).
-Watch out for PH swings and gasses in tap water during your Str8 tap WCs . They can harm your discus on the long run .

-Put some root tabs underneath the Greenery if you have that at hand .
- Your pleco is too big and boisterous and can scare away
your discus. They are nocturnal feeders and may bother discus when lights are off , and some fellow hobbisst also report that they can develop a taste for discus slime coat .

- Discus are kept in groups of no less than 5-6 .They tend to have agression issues in smaller groups that may end up fatal on the long run for the weakest one in the group.

[Platinum9898]

Wow ok, now if i add more discuss to the 3 do i need to get the same size or can they be bigger?

[Filip]

Wow ok, now if i add more discuss to the 3 do i need to get the same size or can they be bigger?

Shoot for a simmillar size / age , avoid huge difference .
Insist to buy from the same importer and same to tank youve got your first 3 discus to lower the chances of cross contamination .
Quarantine the new discus in a 20G QT tank for 2-3 weeks to check out for potential diseases before you add them to your current stock .

[Pices]

As always good advice Filip. Richard, if you follow Filips advice you will be a happy discus keeper as you watch them grow and thrive. I suggest searching pH swings while your poking around here. Welcome to simply discus. They taught me all I know and my discus are big and fat now. Good luck with your little ones:o
Patty

[Kwiege]

Hi and welcome. Study the different posts and learn from them. I have been on this site off and on for several years and have learned so much. Enjoy those beautiful discus. Suggestion, always purchase from a knowledgeable reliable source!!

[fljones3]

Thanks for the advice. If i keep up with the gravel vaccum will that suffice?

Hi, Richard. I just removed all my gravel and went BB. I have no regrets. The issue is that no matter how much you stir the gravel and clean it, it just will not clean. You might be able to get away with the gravel for 4, 6, 9 months but it will be a time bomb waiting to bring down your water quality. I was unsure of my decision but after reading a lot of this forum (especially the Beginners section) I became convinced of my choice.

The result is that my discus are happier, growing faster, water quality is better, and WC are much more simple. Vacuum the waste and left over food, clean the filters, and done.

Frank