starting discus

[PiMpPiStOl]

i know 55 should be about right, but would a 33 work at all?? i mainly wanna test em, ya know? i dont wanna spend so much on a bunch of em and they all die. so i just wanna try.

right now, i have 3 african cichlids, 3 black skirts, a swordtail, balloon belly molly, peacock eel, and a knifefish. and a lil sucker fish.

im getting rid of the africans tomorrow. i wanna know what else wouldnt mix. i heard the black skirts an molly would be good. but what about the swordtail, eel, and knife?

and they like small rocks or sand right?? i just have kinda bigish rocks. i might have to redo my whole tank. but id do it. and what percent water changes?? and weekly right? is there anything else i should know??

[j_li8]

First, what do you mean by testing them? From that alone i would assume you haven't had discus before.

If you are looking to get some around 3 inches then i would say 3-4 in a 33g or 6-7 in a 55g. I would reccomend you house them in a tank of their own because when they are young the will require 3 or more meals a day. A bare bottom tank is reccommended by many because it allows maintainence to be done on the tank easier. Daily water changes and waste removal would give them the best opportunity to grow to their maximum size, hence a bare bottom tank.

Here is some other information that you should find helpful. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=28937

[PiMpPiStOl]

bare bottom? but then it wont look as good...but thats a good point about being easier to clean.

and i mean, see if i want to get a bigger tank, and more. i didnt know i could have 3-4. i thought 1 or 2.

could i still put things like i dunno. things. or plants? like decorations or plants or anything?

[j_li8]

what some people do is have a bar bottom tank but they add potted plants. therefore you still get a nice visual and is still easy to keep clean.

take a look at Darren's tanks with the potted plants and bare bottom. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=62225&page=5

[PiMpPiStOl]

but i dunno what to do with the other fish...the 3 im giving away, thats to a person about an hour away and the main reason im going is to buy a tank... its 55, but it doesnt come with anything, no filter, stand, anything. so im gonna wait till i move to set that one up.

but yeah, there no LFSs anywhere near here. and i dont have friends that have a tank except one, but he has some red fin sharks. so i dunno if theyd get along with my fish...maybe i should just wait...but im getting rid of the cichlids just for discus, but i dunno

[j_li8]

they may be compatible with discus but im not sure. also you should QT the discus after you get them before introducing them to other fish.

[PiMpPiStOl]

QT? i knwo theyre cute...lol kidding. but whats that?

and also, how much water for the change? just enough to get the crap out? and how do you do the changes? get the water out, then pour some in at the same time? or clean then after, put more water? aged of course

[j_li8]

QT = quarentine

The amount varies for everyone. The more the better. I do about 20-25% because I can only age that much water at a time. Others will do 50% or more daily. Siphon out all the waste then you can either siphon til you get to the amount you are changing or take a small container and scoop out water. I use the second method of the two as it is quicker. Then after you remove the amount you are changing then replace with new water that has been aged and dechlorinated.

[PiMpPiStOl]

how do i QT em??

and whats siphon?? im not a big word guy, sorry...suck it out with a vacuum thing??

[Eddie]

QT is a Quarantine Tank.

Siphon is to vacuum water out or in. ;)

[PiMpPiStOl]

with the quarantine tank, how long?? could i use the 55 gallong with no filter or anything for however long???

[Eddie]

with the quarantine tank, how long?? could i use the 55 gallong with no filter or anything for however long???

Well it is much more cost efficient to use something smaller in the event you have to medicate. Throwing meds in a 55 gets be expensive, trust me, I know.

You will need a seeded filter in the QT.

6 weeks time frame in the QT.

Eddie

[PiMpPiStOl]

whats a seeded filter??

and the 55, what if i just dont fill it all the way?

[Eddie]

whats a seeded filter??

and the 55, what if i just dont fill it all the way?

Yup, that will work for you.

A seeded filter is one that has an established bio culture. Meaning that it has all the good nitrifying bacteria to eliminate ammonia and nitrites. If you don't have a water test kit, I would suggest you get one.

Eddie

[MostlyDiscus]

Just a thought here, discus are an expensive venture. I would worry about two things here. First is the condition of the fish currently in the tank ie little critters they may be host too and second the tempeture you plan to keep your water at. I thought mollies were kind of like guppies??

[mmorris]

If you want to `test' discus, then you want to make sure the `test' conditions are optimal. Otherwise it's a pointless exercise. I think it's great that you found this forum before you purchased your first discus. I wish I had. Now, I highly recommend you start going through the threads in the beginner section, one by one. You'll find lots of answers. :)