Discus Newbies in the UK...Hi..!!

[hoober]

Hi, We are Paul and Sarah, we live in the Uk just outside Peterborough, for a while now we have talked about gettin a fish tank and of what to put in it.

Today we have just bought a Fluval Duo Deep 1000 with all the gubbins, decided to go for sand and not gravel, we added all the usual such as Nutrafin CYCLE and Aqua plus, the water is pretty soft here but i am going to ask you the best way to help soften the water further.

We have decided to go for Red Turquoise and Blue Cobalt Discus and the possability of breeding them, 2 pairs of each, after some research we will also get 2 Cory Catfish and a couple of Otocinchlus, please see below for some questions we have.

1. The water has already started to cloud up, which is good isnt it.? Does this mean the Nitrite bacteria is activated.?
2. Obvioulsy i will do an Ammonia and PH test first but, How long should we leave the tank to operate till we add the discus.? Should i add the Cory`s and the Oto`s first to see how they cope.?
3. Is 29`c the right temperature.??
4. Is a PH of 6.8 about right.?
5. Should i add EPSOM salts as a matter of course.?
6. What plants should i use.? sword/water sprite etc..
7. Whats the best way to soften the water.?

I welcome any comments and tips from absolutely anyone and everyone, no matter what. I need to learn as much about Discus as quickly as possible and will absorb anything you have to say, im interested in learning more about filtration, chemicals, food, plants all related to Discus.

Many thanks for looking, when the tank is ready and fished up i will be posting some pik`s.

[April]

hello. and welcome. i would fishless cycle. no worries about bringing in pathogens.
no epsom salts ...if your water is 6.8 then do nothing. its perfect. mine is that..if anything i add a bit of aragonite or oyster shells or crushed coral to buffer it. daily wcs keeps it good. with soft water if you dont keep up on the wcs..then the ph could slide. stable is good..so id not soften any further. discus dont like bounces. some people on this forum keep discus at ph 8.
try to get all your fish from one source at one time. a group of 6 or more is good.
your temp between 28 and 30 is good. when they first arrive keep it up higher and add one tablespoon salt per 10 gallons . higher temp gets them eating . once you do wcs..just let the salt run out .
discus grow best with lots of wcs and a bare bottom tank to be able to feed lots and not get pollution problems. if your going to do planted..then id buy bigger size discus. i would strongly recommend bare bottom at first and learn discus behaviour and care..then as you get comfortable..add the other things. but if you do indeed want to get pairs and breed..then bare bottom.
hope that helps . let us know how it goes.

[swinters66]

Welcome!! Thats cool youre going for discus. I just started my discus hobby about a month ago, and I love it. Ive learned a lot from the people here...all very helpful and friendly.

Looks like your ph is just fine. Wherever you do get your discus from, ask what their ph is as well. Hopefully it will be as close to your ph as possible.

Cloudy tank...could be new tank syndrome. I've never had to deal with that, but someone here will for sure let you know what to do, and what not to do regarding that. Me and my husband have added stress zyme to our south american cichlid tank when we first bought it, and it worked out just fine.

If you do live plants...don't use aquarium salt.

I keep gravel in my tank....lots of people here go bare bottom. Personally I think that should be up to you. The gravel doesnt give me any problems. I keep a lot of cory cats...(bottom feeders are the BEST!) since they constantly cruise the gravel, and eat any leftover food. And I do water changes every other day and vaccuum the gravel, to keep it clean.

Have fun here and have fun learning!!!

[Carol_Roberts]

A fishless cycle takes about 4-6 weeks. You add clear ammonia to the tank (enough to make 3-5 ppm). Measuer ammonia every day when it gets below 2 ppm add abit more. After a week start testing for nitrIte. When nitrIte starts to DECREASE you are close to being cycled and you will see nitrAtes in the tank. Do a 99% water change before adding discus. cycling with guppies also takes 4- 6 weeks, but the bacteria bed is much smaller because small fish produce small amounts of ammonia. April has been keeping discus for years and can really help if you have problems with too soft water.

[hoober]

Hi all and thanks for the replies, i have decided to use goldfish to help mature the filter, i just bought 4 today. I think i will just run the tank for 4 weeks and do all the tests then, if im going to put discuss in there i want it to be perfect for them.

I agree with the water change before i put them in, im going to use barelled RO water to fill the tank prior to even buying the discus.

I must say that i cannot wait to get them in but i know i have to be patient to do it properly, i think its THE most important part of the hobby.

Many thanks

[Marinemom]

Don't you just love discus? They are so beautiful the way that they glide throught the water. Thier colors are magnificent.

Welcome to Simply Discus. There are so many people here ready and waiting to help if the need should arise. Good luck with your new set up and don't forget to post pictures when you have everything up and running.

Diane

[Moon]

No need for RO if you are growing discus out. Soft water is required for spawning discus. Just use your aged tap water.
BTW welcome to Simply.

[hoober]

Many thanks, ive gone and put in 4 goldfish to help start the nitrogen cycle, didnt fancy the idea of adding pure ammonia, going to run the tank for 2 weeks, add a school of Cory`s and a cpl of bristlenose plec for a further 2 weeks, then will look for a localish breeder and hand pick 10 juveniles.

[steve.ryall]

Hi Hoober,

I am in the UK too, there are a few of us Brits here.:p Good luck with your set-up, I would take advice from the experts here, they do know their stuff, and will give a number of different ways of doing what you want, depending on their own experiences.
I have been helped many times,:) and with the discus questions.:D

For your info, there is the UK Discus Show on the 7th and 8th of October on Hayling Island, nr Southampton. There are going to be lots of people there, all into discus, if you fancy the trip from Peterbourgh.

Steve ;)

[pcsb23]

There are plenty of good discus specialists in the UK, I would strongly urge you to check them out and NOT to buy from a standard lfs, even if they think they are good! Ultimately you will save time and money and get better quality buying from a specialist. If you need suggestions let me know, there are few I can personally recommend.

The UKDA show will be a blast and well worth the visit if you can make it.

[hoober]

I spoke to a Mr Dempsie (i think) earlier today, im giving him a call end of next week to see what new stock he has coming in, will prob pay him a visit to take a look.

Not sure if i can make the Southampton thing but will try my best.

Many thanks for the replies

[pcsb23]

Mr Dermpsie does sell discus, not dealt with him directly but I'm sure he's ok, nioticed you had signed up on UKDA, check out Mr Lucas and Mr Evenden, now these gentlemen I can say I have dealt with, and would recommend either :),

The show will be a stonker so try and get there, lots of discus on display as well as in the show.... we've 50+ entries for the show this year and Mssrs Lucas and Evenden will have their displays up too!

hth,