new to discus, correct me if im wrong

[maneatingguppy]

i ahve resaerched about dicus and im planning to keep some discus, these are the basic things i know

1. their ph should be around 7.0
2. temp should be 82-84F
3. they require a nutrional diet
4. they need good biological filteration
5. for each discus their should be atleast 5 gallons of water

also i have a few questions

1. are there any other low light/maneince plants except for java fern i can keep in a discus tank?

2. how many gallons of water should i have for about 5-6 discus?(unknown breed, hopfully i would be able to raise these ones before i go on to the more advanced ones)

3. what exactly is black water?

4. if im wrong on anything, correct me so i wont mess up and also anything to look for?(i read the discus for beginer forums so i already now what kinds of discus not the buy and what fishes not to be mixed with)

[Barb Newell]

Hi:wave: , welcome to Simply Discus.

I'll start by answering a few of the questions....

1. ph does not have to be 7, my ph is 7.6 and my fish do very well in it. What is more important is that the ph stay stable. Test your tank water ph, then test the ph of the water straight from your tap. It may be necessary to age your water for 24 hours for water changes.

2. 84 - 86 is good. I think 82 is a bit low for young fish, although fine for breeders.

3. Yes, nutritional diet. Young fish require several feedings a day, mixture of beefheart or bloodworms, good quality flake food, tetrabits etc....

4. General rule of thumb, for each adult discus - 10 gallons of water. You can go less if you're committed to daily tank maintenance. I usually go one adult / 7 gallons.

For 5 or 6 discus, I think a 75 gal tank would be ideal, or larger.

Someone elses turn:D

Barb

[maneatingguppy]

well, i was think of owning 5-6 juvi discus in a 30 possibly 50 till it get bigger, the discus are around 3 inchs, will anything go wrong or should i get less? btw, thanks for the quick reply

[Greg Richardson]

Welcome No need for black water.
Think they were referring to Peat.

Try an amazon sword for a cheap big plant. They are low maintence! I put mine in 6" pots. Have 2 in 55 it fills it up quite well. That way no gravel mess to stress about.
You can go bare bottom this way.


Barb covered just about everything.

Guidelines or what are called rules sometimes pertaining to gallons per fish can be altered due to larger daily water changes.

I would start off with a 50.

Look on craigslist for cheap 30 for hospital tank or for breeder tank down the addiction road. Craigslist is excellent way to get cheap tanks.

Trust me......once you get hooked and the need for another fix comes you don't want to be having to look for a tank before you can get your meds!

[maneatingguppy]

i ussually dont QT my fish even though i should but ill QT the discus if i can find a cheap tank, or would a 10 gal tank work for a QT tank?
also how do i use peat?

[candyl70]

a 10 gallon QT tank is probably not going to be big enough, especially if you are adding more than one discus at a time. If you did use a 10 gal. you would have to do large water changes each day to get rid of all the waste produced by the fish.

5 or 6 juvies in a 30 is a bit much, but it can be done if you do large water changes everyday and keep them in a barebottom (bb) tank, but it is not recommended, especially if they are all ready 3". You really should follow Barb's suggestion with a larger tank. What kind of filter are you using? Usually the maker of the filter will have a cartridge of peat that you can put directly into your filter. But i think you have to change it pretty often to maintain the pH of your tank water, but i am not positive on this. Unless you are planning on breeding your discus, you don't need to soften the water with peat or anything else. They will be fine in the water that you have from the tap, as long as the pH is constant.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_12_8.gif


hth,
Candy

[gators111]

Barb got most of it

- 85 F for temp
- Whatever your aged tapwater is for ph as long as it isn't 8 or more.
- 10 gal/adult discus
- blackwater is what the Rio Negro is (discus native habitat), water that contains tannic acids leached into it from decaying tree leaves.
- you can use a 55 gal tank, but a 75 is more forgiving

Also, you shouldn't need to get a QT tank, b/c you know only to buy all 6 discus from the same source at the same time. But you do need an aging barrell with an airstone, submersible pump, and heater. For a 75 gal tank you'll need a 55 gal one.

[ronrca]

- Whatever your aged tapwater is for ph as long as it isn't 8 or more.

:confused: Why not? :o

Bad pic btw. couple years ago as well!

[White Worm]

Cleeeeaaaannnn water is the key and bare bottom tanks and water changes, oh did i mention clean water? Use sponge filters for your filtration. I find that 2 filters capable up to 40 gallons work well in my 72 gallon. Plus I have hang on back for extra circulation and filtering, plus I do 30% water changes every week for my juveniles. Add extra aeration and they seem to love it. I should do more but work and discus keeping is a hard balancing act. They seem to be doing fine though. Lots of different foods and QT any new fish for three to four weeks before introducing them to community. Good luck and you are in the right place because there are alot of experts here that will help you through the process and believe me, it is a learning process. Have fun though, dont let it get you down if things dont go right the first or second or third...... time. Mike :D :D

[maneatingguppy]

ok, this is my shopping list, if i miss or dont need anything, feel free to fix

1. 60 gal tank
2. pea sized river stones(only enough to cover the bottem of the tank)
3. heater
4. filter(still deciding, would be better if someone recomended one)
5. peat( shredded wood or the little stones/balls?)
6. drift wood
7. java fern
8. test kit
9. thernometer

procedure
1. fill tank with ro/di water? or tap? or mix?
2. add washed pebbles
3. wait for cycle
4. add heater/filter
5. wait a few days then add drift wood/javafern
6. wait few months so ph can be stable
7. add test fish, will a angel fish work?
8. add discus

also, do i use peat like corbon?

[Kindredspirit]

Do you have to use an Angel Fish?? http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_38.gif lol!! Perhaps you can use a guppie or tetra.....


I wonder if it matters? I just have a thing for angel fishies....I only have one that I grew up...



Good Luck tho!!


Marie!

[ronrca]

Fishless cycling!
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/water_chemistry/general/index.shtml

[candyl70]

There are a few things that i would change on your lists.

If you aren't going to have a planted tank, then no need for any stones.
For a hang on the back (hob) filter, aqua clear is great.
No need for peat moss, doesn't soften water too much, needs to be replaced often.

For procedure

If you are going to use stones, place those in the tank first, then fill with water (tap is fine, no need for ro/di water except for breeding).

Add heater after water, if glass, let it sit in water for 20 min. before plugging in.
I wouldn't add plants right away either as they may get burned from ammonia while you are cycling, the drift wood is fine.

pH becomes stable after airation, sometimes just a few hours. Measure pH of water right from tap, then measure a glass of water that has sat out all night and compare, you will get an idea of how long to airate water before using for water change.

I don't think angels are common fish for cycling. I have used serpae tetras, danios, and other hardy tetras.

Check water with test kit every few days to see where you are in the cycle, it usually only takes a few weeks (4 for me) some cycle even faster.

Then after you are cycled you can take back your cycling fish and add your discus.


hth,
Candy

[Kindredspirit]

Fishless cycling!
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/water_chemistry/general/index.shtml


Yeah! Perfect Ron!! Very Good Sir!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_2_36.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_2_37.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_2_38.gif

Is it too much of a hassle, tho? I heard it takes a lot less time is that true? Still a very good idea nonetheless~Must be a reason why this isnt a common practice I bet...unless it is~



Marie~

[ronrca]

No big time advantage. Other advantages are not making fish suffer and growing a large enough bio load to fully stock your tank right away rather than waiting every couple of months to add more fish.

[traco]

I've heard of something called Stability by Seachem that's supposed to cycle your tank in 7 days. Also says you can add fish during this time.

http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Stability.html

[ronrca]

I would be cautious on the 'instant' bio load substitutes. They are a few 'requirements' for bacteria to be able to live in a bottle and maintain a shelf life. Bio Spira seems to be one of those that are doing it by using refrigeration and a short shelf life. Anything else is a waste of money imo.

[maneatingguppy]

thanks for the info, ill tell you how everything goes once i get all my supplies and stuff

[Ewalk]

Greg Richardson said something about check out craigslist for cheap tanks. Can someone give me more info on what this is and maybe a link or something. I can't find anything. Thanks.

[candyl70]

www.craigslist.com