New here and would LOVE some help

[Nettie]

Good Morning to one and all.
Well, I am new to this site and to discus. I have been raising fish for over 20 years but have never had the pleasure of having discus. Right now I have a 100 gallon community tank and a 900 gallon koi tank in my livingroom (the koi tank has six fish in it starting at 2 feet and up to a whopping 3 and a half feet), the koi are being house in this till the weather warms up and I can put them back in their 5000 gallon pond.
So, as you can see, I am not completely uneducated when it comes to the care of fish, but because of the expensiveness of discus, I have always shied away from purchasing some in fear that I would not be able to properly care for them or, at the worst, kill the poor creatures.. But, I have been bitten by the discus bug, I think they are beautiful and after checking out some of the web sites that show different colourations, I was totally infatuated and all I can say is .....WOW b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!!!!!!!!!
Now for the meat and potatoes of this post :)
I have a tank that at the moment that is empty, no water.. It is approxamately 35 gallons(thought it was 50 but measured and boy was I off :D ) And I have a few queastion that I would like to ask you wonderful people (actually I have tons, but will stick with just a few for the moment, LOL)
Would I be able to put just two discus in this tank? It would also have a very large biofiltration system, along with a trickle tower to remove nitrites and ammonia.
Since I have NO clue how large these fish get or what the requirements are to keep them healthy and happy, I dont want to go and pay over 200.00$ for the pair that I am looking at and then turn around and kill them!!!!
I was reading some posts in this forum and people keep mentioning that they remove the algae from the sides of the tank. Why? Is it harmful to the fish? Or just so you can see them? Can you not put in a pleco?
I am probably asking too many queastions, maybe one or several of you wonderful people can direct me to a site that is titlted "Discus for Dummies" LOL I would love to learn all about them, starting from the beginning and see if I am a good candidate for ownership.
I would really like to own a pair of these wonderful fish so if anyone can help me I would REALLY REALLY appreciate it. Emails are great and I also have yahoo messenger. Maybe somebody here in discusland can guide me through this.
Well, I have tons of more queastions but I would start rambling and then this post would be a novelette (looking like one already lol). I hope someone can help me out and hope to get a reply soon.
Thanks, for reading this and everyone have a great day!!!!
:) Nettie

[Anonapersona]

Nettie,
You might just start at the back of the Discus Basics section and read forward, chronologically. That's what I did at the start. What you find here is better info that you can get in a book. It will take time to do it, though.

As for how large the fish get, it seems that a typical well grown discus is about the size of a CD, not including fins or tail. Some can be bigger, you will occasionally see reference to a 8" total length fish, but it is rare.

I think that the 35 will be OK for a pair. But, do read up on care here in the forum.

[ecrew]

Welcome to Simply Nettie!!! :)

I'm new at keeping Discus and fish in general for that matter. I've spent some time on this forum and you'll get lots of great information on here. I second Anonapersona's comments. There is a sticky with basic discus information in the beginner's section.
There's a lot of great info there.

I can't imagine what a 900 gallon tank looks like. Please post some pics! :)

Welcome!!
Liz

[ecrew]

The sticky is called "The Beginners Information Index".

[Nettie]

Thanks a bunch for such quick replies it is greatly appreciated!!!
I found the "Beginners Information Index" and am going to read through it thoroughly before I decide about purchasing a pair.
I pulled a cd out of its case to see just what size anonapersona is talkin about and all I can say is WOW, what a big little fish lol
As for the 900 gallon tank in my living room, it isnt so much a tank as what looks like a very big huge kiddie pool. It is called a show tank and is used at koi shows to display these large fish to their optimum. It is blue and is made of polye something or other and is easily set up and torn down. Its about 3 feet tall and is 10 feet in diameter the best thing about it is that it is leak proof LOL. Could you just imagine what would happen if I had a leak!!!! lol
I have taken some pictures of it and the bio system on my digital and as soon as I can figure out how to post a pic I will put one up for you to see it (i aint good at techy things lol, gotta be user friendly for me hehe)
Anyways ty again, and I am glad that I found this site, it still amazes me how so many people are willing to go out of their way to help other people with what might seem like trivial things, thankyou sooooo much.
Hope to hear from more of you wonderful people!!!
:) Nettie

[sidra]

Nettie,

I too am new to discus, only three months into it and lovin' every minute of it. This forum is the best resource I have found. I also have several books on discus. One little paperback book in particular that I like is called "Discus Fish, A complete petowners Manual" by Thoma Giovanetti. It's a Barrons book. It's a small, straight-forward book that gives you the basics on water conditions, equipment, feeding, a little on breeding and a section on disease and medications. The medication section is helpful because it explains the most common meds, their uses and any precautions you should take when thinking of using those meds. In most cases, it goes hand-in-hand with what folks on this forum have to say. I like to have this book handy.

Get ready to do some serious water-changes because that's the key to discus.

My parents have four Koi. They are in an outdoor pond in the summer and they have outgrown two tanks as their winter home. So my parents built a permanent indoor pond in my sister's old bedroom. Now when we all go home for holidays we fight over who has to "sleep with the fish". lol


Welcome!

Kristen

[funkyfish]

stable water aged tap water.daily water changes if possible
what are ur water peramiters
ph
gh
kh
good luck

[ecrew]

Check out the thread "Free online photohosting..." in the Photo Gallery section. It was really helpful and very simple.

[Robin764]

Greetings and welcome!!
Algae in itself is not harmful. Some discus-keepers have varied feelings on plecos. I love em..(bristle-nose goes well with discus) I would suggest carefully watching them though, as some have been known to chase the discus around for their mucus coat. I have had the exact other end of the spectrum, where some of my tanks I cannot put plecos in, as the discus kill them. Seems like once one decides to go after those worm-like bristles...they all join in and it becomes a kill session that happens rather quick.
On the other end of the spectrum...once the bristle-nose figures out that discus have yummy slime on their bodies, you will never be able to break the bristle from harrassing your discus at night while they sleep. At least I haven't. It is best to find the harrassers a new home.
Other than that, ask questions.....
Change that water......
Keep it simple.....
Welcome to Simply!!

Robin

[Nettie]

Well, after reading some of the material and talkin to some people I have come to the consesus that yes, I can do this.
I have heard the following reguarding discuss in less then 24 hours lol
Discus are shy/not shy
" are skittish/not skittish
" get sick easily/dont get sick easily
"need daily water changes/dont need daily water changes
will die easily/ wont die easily
Well this is the conclusion I have come to.
As like all other living things that people raise/take care of, there are a variety of opinions and ways to do things and what works for one person may not work for the next, but the facts that I do know are these....
Discuss require a certain type of ecological system in order to thrive and be healthy. If, I as an owner I can do that and more then , yes, I should be successful at keeping discus. I am not saying that this is a foolproof method, that, would be a big mistake on my part because , yes, I have had failures when even all basics and more were given to a species.
Soooooo in finishing, I just want to say, I think I am hooked, lined and sinkered lol....I ended up in the city today (an hour for me) just to have a real life close up of these pretty fishies and yep I have always liked the way they look, and the colours! Need I say more? Thought not. lol
You people are awesome and I love this site and the posts you've sent to me, again, thanks
Nettie
P.S. Thankyou Robin for the answer on the pleco. I personally would like to keep algae under control naturally if possible. I will give it a try, watch carefully and see what happens.

[funkyfish]

good luck
it is a hech of an adventure
enjoy :D :D :D

[fish_maniac]

Nettie,
Welcome to Simply! 35g will be enough for the pair for sure. I started with a 30g for 6 3-4 inches discus. I just moved them to the 70G and add some more. 35g is enough for a pair but I am not sure you can stop there! There are a few more strains that I planned to get.
I do think getting around 6 middle size with bare bottom is the easiest way to get into the fishes. With a group of smaller one, they are less shy, easier after the move and get more color in fun of your eyes! If you just get 2, they may not work out as less you bought them as a pair.

Welcome and have fun!

kam

[Howie_W]

Would I be able to put just two discus in this tank? It would also have a very large biofiltration system, along with a trickle tower to remove nitrites and ammonia.
Since I have NO clue how large these fish get or what the requirements are to keep them healthy and happy, I dont want to go and pay over 200.00$ for the pair that I am looking at and then turn around and kill them!!!!
I was reading some posts in this forum and people keep mentioning that they remove the algae from the sides of the tank. Why? Is it harmful to the fish? Or just so you can see them? Can you not put in a pleco?


:) Nettie


Hi Nettie and welcome to Simply! :)

You will find a wealth of information here on the forum to read through.

One of the most basic things to consider about Discus is their size. At adult size they are large fish, and as such are best kept in larger size tanks to have plenty of room to move around. In addition, they are schooling, and happiest in groups.

If you plan on getting juvenile Discus, you'll have best success with a handful of 6 or more and growing them out in a larger tank.

Another basic requirement is that the fish be kept in the cleanest possible environment. Many of us use plecos to reduce algae, with ancistrus (bristlenose) being one of the most popular. Wth plecos in general, I find they are happiest when they have plenty of hiding places, and a regular supply of food.

Always feel free to ask questions...that's what this forum is all about. :)



Howie

[ricmod]

Netti:
You've gotten most of your answer about the discus. I'm also new to Discus, about six months now . I have a question for you. Why do you have your Koi inside in the winter? I have a 5000 gal pound with 15 Koi, most are 24", but I leave mine in all winter and leave the filter and water fall going all year to keep air circulating. It is 36" deep and I have never lost a fish.

[ricmod]

Pic's Two and Welcome:
Rich