Mixing Discus

[wbzorker]

Hi Folks,
I took everyone's advice and have ordered 5 more discus to go with the 2 that I bought before Christmas. (It's terribly exciting!)

My current 2 are in the QT tank, a 20H, and when the 5 arrive they will go into a 50g. All the fish are around 3". I'm getting the 5 new ones from the same dealer as the prior two (twofishguyz). Is there any reason to continue the QT on the first 2 fish by keeping them separate from the 5? They are all from the same tanks and I would love to just put them all together in the 50g on the day the 5 arrive. Your thoughts?

Also, I've studied the forum trying to isolate exactly what kind of pond pump I should have. I didn't find any brand names, just small, medium or large from Walmart. The Walmart Supercenter had three different people that gave me blank stares when I asked for a pond pump. I'm not "handy" and would really appreciate it if someone would post a brand name and sizing for a medium size pump. Calling places to see if they carry one, I can do. :)

Thank you all for your time,

[brewmaster15]

HI Wendy,
When ever you buy discus even from the same source...if any time has elapsed you should QT.. This is because you do not know what the supplier has brought in since you last purchased...

I follow this advice myself religiously even with my most trusted suppliers and friends.

ON the pond pump..is this for moving water from your storage barrel to a tank? If it is...you really want to pay attention to the Height it can pump and Gallons per hour... I've used a "safety pump" from Jehmco.com with great success for awhile...I also use a common basement sump pump and a waterfall pump...The waterfall pump is a "geoglobalpartners DD525" I believe it was sold by Laguna.

hth,
al

[Don Trinko]

You should always QT. most of the larger breeder/dealers do not breed enough to match their sales so they also import fish. One of the best breeder/dealers told me that he imports from Germany and Asia.
I use a sump pump to transfer water. They will pump with good volume and head since they are ment to pump water out of basements. They start at $45 at most of the home improvement stores. Don T.

[poconogal]

I have the Danner Supreme Mag Drive pump and it has been excellent. I got it at www.marinedepot.com and they figured out how powerful a pump I needed, i.e., head, (how far up it will pump), in addition to the horizontal distance it must pump.. and I was also able to buy the proper fitting in order to attach my Python hose to the pump. I'm sure they can do the same for you at Jehmco too, and Jehmco may be less expensive.

As far as QTing, yes, you should QT, as Al and Don advised.

[RyanH]

I also use a sump pump from Lowe's. It's been indestructible and has worked great. I don't think they sell the exact model that I own anymore but I saw a similar pump there the other day for about $70.

It will drain a storage container down to something like 1/16 of an inch and even if your pumping water 5 feet up, it will do so at around 900 gallons an hour.

[wbzorker]

Thank you all. That's just what I needed to know.:)