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Fish Freak
03-13-2003, 07:27 PM
Hi guys
Ive kept discus before and didnt have much luck with them but im gonna try it again and I was wondering what kind should I get and how many? I only have a 70 gallon and I was wondering how many discus could I fit in it?

Thanks
Josh

Ralph
03-13-2003, 07:53 PM
Hi Josh, a lot of us come back after a first try.

Generally four is considered a minimum, they feel more protected in schools. A max would be around 8, they use 7 to 10 gals per adult fish as a rule of thumb. The amount of water changes that you do has a lot to do with the max fish load.

Keep reading and keep asking, I was on the forum for about a month before I got my first discus.

Tony
03-13-2003, 07:55 PM
conisder the following:
a) try to get 1 single batch of 6-7 2" discus from ONE good SINGLE source.
( reduce risk of discease spreading)
b) prepare to do lots of wc on the 70g (at least several times a week) and run the tank at 28-30C...Running at 30C continuously seems to be doing great for me in the grow out tank.
c) make up your mind on what to feed them... like any live black worm, live red worm... this subject can draw fire but read a little bit on the group and stick with it. beef heart or not...
but I would highly recommend tetra colour bit and Hikari frozen (because they are easy to get and you cannot really make big mistake with it like beef heart fouling the water, live food introducing decease...)

BUT read more post on growing out tank....
I don't know whether your tank is a BB or... what is the filter setup...

70G keeping 7 adult discus is not too crowd but to grow out 7 juvenile, there should be enough margin for some mistakes.

But good luck and enjoy.

henryD
03-13-2003, 08:09 PM
I started out with a tank with gravel on the bottom. I eventually went barebottom myself. I have had a BB tank for about 2 weeks now and find it a lot easier. You can see all the stuff to vacuum. A lot of the guys here are doing w/c daily. I actually bought some smaller discus this week. They are all about the same size. I have decided to do daily water changes in one tank on the other every other day or 3 days. I will let everyone know how that works in a couple of months.

This is probably not the most scientific method but we will see what happens.

Carol_Roberts
03-13-2003, 10:59 PM
Hi Josh, welcome to SimplyDiscus :wave:

The best way to grow out baby discus is in a bare bottom tank with an Aqua Clear 500 filter with two sponges inside and a pre-filter sponge on the intake. A couple of heaters in the 200 - 250 watt range and a thermometer complete your 70 gallon tank.

You'll need the basic test kits . . . . like for pH, ammonia and nitrate, a chlorine remover if you're on city water and a container to heat and "age" your water in. Aging the water means to circulate it or run an airstone in it. This off-gasses the CO2 stabilizing the pH.

Baby discus can be raised in a wide range of pH. Don't worry about trying to lower it or add any discus buffers, etc.

You want to start with healthy stock from a reliable source. There any many hobbiests in Canada - maybe one near you! IF not check out the banners on this site.

With your big tank, you could get 20 discus to grow out , selling the ones you don't want as they grow and ending up with your favorite 7 or 8. It's best to get juveniles of about the same age and size.

Have you cycled your tank yet? If not you should look into a fishless cycle.

GWdiscus
03-14-2003, 10:07 AM
Good morning Josh,
I too am just getting back into discus, once in your blood they're always close to your heart.
I wish I had found this forum before I bought my fish, the people here are extremely knowledgable, helpful, and just nice. Like you, I spent a few months researching. I found a couple of discus web sites that I'm sure you've been to but I'll put them here anyhow.
"Beginner's Discus" http://members.aol.com/bgdiscus/
"Walter's Discus" http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/discus/main.html


Just one more thing, I agree with Tony, buy all your fish from one source. It reduces having to have a separate tank to prevent the possible spread of disease.
I bought a variety of seven discus from a local breeder and the contrast in colors, even as juvuniles, is striking. I can't wait until they're adults. I love seeing them swim around the tank interacting with one another.

Good luck
Michael :D

DarkDiscus
03-14-2003, 10:48 AM
Josh,

You have some great advice here! The key to discus keeping is knowledge. Learn, read and think about it, then get the fish and give them the proper treatment and they will thrive and you will be happy.

Welcome back to the hobby and good luck!

John