1st time discus - should I keep it

[jiffy]

I am buying a used 55g tank with fish on tuesday. One of these fish is a discus (not sure what kind). I have been reading as much as possible about discus so I know something before I get it.

I didn't buy the tank for the discus and to be honest, I'm not even sure I am going to keep it. I have a 10g and a 3g tank right now that I take very good care of, but I'm not sure I have the time to care for a tank with a discus (numerous large water changes + multiple daily feedings seem like alot).

So, I guess I'm just looking for some advice and insight as to what I should do. If I don't want it I can trade it to my LFS. I would possibly setup an african cichlid tank then.

Thanks in advance.

[Jarrod]

I am buying a used 55g tank with fish on tuesday. One of these fish is a discus (not sure what kind). I have been reading as much as possible about discus so I know something before I get it.

I didn't buy the tank for the discus and to be honest, I'm not even sure I am going to keep it. I have a 10g and a 3g tank right now that I take very good care of, but I'm not sure I have the time to care for a tank with a discus (numerous large water changes + multiple daily feedings seem like alot).

So, I guess I'm just looking for some advice and insight as to what I should do. If I don't want it I can trade it to my LFS. I would possibly setup an african cichlid tank then.

Thanks in advance.

Jiffy you will have to make the determination as to whether or not to keep the Discus....granted these fish may be a bit more labor intensive to take care of...but they are well worth the effort to keep them happpy and as gorgeous as they are. You have found a wonderful site and some EXTREMELY knowledgable people who can help you to take care of them. I for one would hesitate to trade this discus in to a lfs not knowing how their tanks look and how they would be able to care for it. That's not to say they can't take care of them properly...this is jmho is all...the only way to my way of thinking is to keep the fish and work to keep it healthy and find tankmates for it that it will get along with. To me the goal would be to give it all the care you can and to make sure it survives and thrives.
hth and Merry Christmas

Jarrod

[traco]

Hi Jiffy

Welcome. Do you know what the other fish are that are in the tank with the discus? And there is just one discus, right? Discus are schooling fish and do better in groups, say of 6 or more; spreads the aggression out.

If you have juveniles, they are the ones who need the numerous feedings daily to grow. Adults can be fed less, not sure how many times daily, someone here who is more knowledgeable will be able to help you with that question. I've got "teens" discus and I feed 4 times a day. As you have probably also read, discus do way better with clean, clean water. It is pretty much the norm to do daily water changes. Less fish in the tank may be able to stretch it to every 2 days and these would be adult fish. The daily water changes are really helpful when you are feeding so much to your juveniles; helps with keeping nitrates down and you can clean up any leftover food not eaten by them. Your fish will tell you whether they are happy or not when it comes to water quality.;)

You found a good site here to get help and there is tons of info here to read up on this beautiful fish. Good luck.

[ValorG]

if u dont care about growth rate and want the minimum amount of work to keep discus then u can do a minimum of 1 water change a week of 30-50%. u can also just feed twice a day.

[Carol_Roberts]

Bring the tank home and watch the fish. My guess is this discus has survived is less than optimum conditions.