some basic questions

[uberdave]

I notice that everyone says 50% WC daily, however is this for raising or keeping discus? What is the WC schedule for keeping discus and raising.

What size will discus have to be to become to enter raising category versus a keeping category?

My fish store tells me I can keep 30 adult discus or so in my 110g thats 4ft long with 2.5ft high. Is this true?

Thanks.

[Jennie]

30??? 1 per 10 gallons. If your fish are adults then you can skip a day wc if you don't overfeed them. If juvies and you want to reach max growth you need to feed multiple times per day, hence the need to do more water changes. Clean water=healthy fish

[DiscusOnly]

I notice that everyone says 50% WC daily, however is this for raising or keeping discus? What is the WC schedule for keeping discus and raising.

What size will discus have to be to become to enter raising category versus a keeping category?

My fish store tells me I can keep 30 adult discus or so in my 110g thats 4ft long with 2.5ft high. Is this true?

Thanks.

30 in a 110gal? What's their definition of adult (size, age)? Generally, not a good idea but you can if you are discipline in keeping the water quality in top notch. Most people are not going to change their water daily on a big tank like that and if they do, it gets old for them rather quickly.

WC schedule is a big debate but providing clean water is not.

[uberdave]

Thanks for the quick reply, that is a good question, what is the adult size for a discus?

[Jennie]

7-8 inches sometimes more
Thanks for the quick reply, that is a good question, what is the adult size for a discus?

[DiscusOnly]

7-8 inches sometimes more

I am a bit more conservative and say that most "adults' are more like 5.5"-7"

You are not going to find a lot of 7"+ discus unless they are sold from breeder at that size.

[Jennie]

ah, I've seen 7+ here by local breeder. Sure would like to know her secret!:)

[uberdave]

So pump a discus up to 5.5" at least THEN put it into main display tank? I've notice most LFS specially in Hong Kong and Asia tend to have 20+ adult discus in one 4ft tank would that fall into a 50% WC/day category? Whereas 10 gal per discus rule means less water changes?

[Jennie]

I'm wondering if they have a system setup that continually changes the water?

[kaceyo]

Most of the places that keep such high numbers of fish per tank do two 100% wc's a day and don't use filters.
Some use centralized filter systems with large vollumes of water which allow for a heavier than normal bioload.
30 adults in a 100gal tank is way to many under most circumstances.

[aquatic3]

Even if your doing a BB (Bare bottom) or Planted tank, 30 Discus is way too much. The 1 per 10 gallon rule applies to BB tanks only and this case you shouldn't have more than 10 adults.

What is an adult? Full grown they can reach 6" to 8", but the average is 6". Juveniles are typically anything under 4". So a young adult is above 4.5".

Bare Bottom tanks typically use sponge filters, since the really on massive weekly/daily water changes as their primary filtration. So WC are relevant to the aquarium you plan on establishing and how many fish will be within the environment. I'm focusing right now on a balanced ecosystem of plants and Discus, which relies on technology and selective planning to minimize the amounts of water that must be changed out vs. circulated and filtered. However, it does not sound like you're planning a planted Discus aquarium.

Hope the info helps.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!
:D:D:D:D:D

[Skip]

well, then i have question..

what is rule on 1" juvies per gallon growing out.. i have seen several juvie tanks with 20-40 fish or more in 29 gallon'ish tank....

when do you know its time to move them out? 2", 2.5", or 3".. jus wondering.. :mods:

:inquisitive:

[DiscusOnly]

well, then i have question..

what is rule on 1" juvies per gallon growing out.. i have seen several juvie tanks with 20-40 fish or more in 29 gallon'ish tank....

when do you know its time to move them out? 2", 2.5", or 3".. jus wondering.. :mods:

:inquisitive:

You know it when you can't do enough WC a day to keep the water in good condition. I've kept about 20 growout in a 20gal until they were close to 3". That was with 3 times WC a day and a sponge filter only.

[uberdave]

Thanks, this helps a lot, however now I am kinda disappointed that 110g can only house so little amount of discus. :(

[Jennie]

you wont be when they're grown.:)

[Eddie]

Thanks, this helps a lot, however now I am kinda disappointed that 110g can only house so little amount of discus. :(


Don't be disappointed, be motivated! Put 30 in there and do 3 X 100% water changes daily. ;)

[Jennie]

Eddie! :crazy:

[Eddie]

Eddie! :crazy:

Okay, maybe just put 10 but you can still do 3 X 100% waterchanges if you want. :D

[Skip]

Don't be disappointed, be motivated! Put 30 in there and do 3 X 100% water changes daily. ;)

how about 20 plus a runt.. does that mean i can do 2.34 x 99.6% WC? :bandana:

[Eddie]

how about 20 plus a runt.. does that mean i can do 2.34 x 99.6% WC? :bandana:


Something like that. :rolleyes:

[DiscusOnly]

Don't be disappointed, be motivated! Put 30 in there and do 3 X 100% water changes daily. ;)

uberdave: You want a crowded tank like this? It's only a 75gal so you could put even more in your 110 :D Just remember to stay on top of your water changes.

Click to watch

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu341/DiscusOnly/th_IMG_0204.jpg (http://s662.photobucket.com/albums/uu341/DiscusOnly/?action=view&current=IMG_0204.mp4)

[joshua 74]

how many cm in an inch i my blue turk is 30cm whats that in inch

[Jennie]

lol we wonder the same with the metric system. here is a conversion chart.
http://www.centimeterstoinches.net/

[DiscusOnly]

how many cm in an inch i my blue turk is 30cm whats that in inch

30cm? I like to see a picture of a 30cm discus

[seanyuki]

That a big discus 30 cm is over 11 ins.....I am very happy with just 8 ins without tail:)

[kaceyo]

You can add more fish by doing more frequent and larger wc's. I've kept up to 10 adults in a 50gal tank that way, and know of others that have kept more. But there can be no slacking off on the tank maint or you'll soon pay the price.:confused:

[Jennie]

kayceo and others, did you have time to enjoy those fish? That's where the fine line between enjoyment and work comes in.:) If you breed to sell then yes, its a job, but as a relaxing hobby???

[kaceyo]

kayceo and others, did you have time to enjoy those fish? That's where the fine line between enjoyment and work comes in.:) If you breed to sell then yes, its a job, but as a relaxing hobby???

Absolutley. I still do daily wc's and twice daily when I have fry, like now I have about 25 LSSi near 8 wks old. What I love most about discus is seeing the next generation develop from eggs to adult fish to see if that pairing is as good as I hoped.
I certainly don't breed to sell, lol! That's a losing battle at the hobbiest level.

[Jennie]

I couldn't imagine doing 3x water changes on my 125. I do 1x day. If I did more I wouldn't enjoy them. Of course the 3 extra qt tanks are giving me a real eye opener. Too much. Only 2 more weeks and be down to the 125 and a 20 gallon with babies.
Absolutley. I still do daily wc's and twice daily when I have fry, like now I have about 25 LSSi near 8 wks old. What I love most about discus is seeing the next generation develop from eggs to adult fish to see if that pairing is as good as I hoped.
I certainly don't breed to sell, lol! That's a losing battle at the hobbiest level.

[DiscusOnly]

kayceo and others, did you have time to enjoy those fish? That's where the fine line between enjoyment and work comes in.:) If you breed to sell then yes, its a job, but as a relaxing hobby???

The work=the water change
The ejoyment=seeing results of your hard work.

It's all about what works for you. If you put a 125gal tank in your living room, doing one or more massive WC a day is going to get old quick. Most of my tanks are in a small room that are not really for other's to enjoy. That's where I spend my time each day to do WC and in between filling of the tanks, I work do my servers maintenance.

[uberdave]

uberdave: You want a crowded tank like this? It's only a 75gal so you could put even more in your 110 :D Just remember to stay on top of your water changes.

Click to watch

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu341/DiscusOnly/th_IMG_0204.jpg (http://s662.photobucket.com/albums/uu341/DiscusOnly/?action=view&current=IMG_0204.mp4)

Hmm to me they still have lots of room. Well if everyone says only max of 1 per 10 gallon I guess I will sell some of my starter discus and get higher quality ones. I am actually thinking of a constant drip system for water changes. Any input is appreciated. I know I still have to vacuum wastes but I am fine with that. Just not fine waiting there for water to drain and add water back. So thinking of a carbon filter to rid of any chlorine and have it dripped 50 gal per day. So prob with a 500 W heater to keep up the temp? Maybe drip more for more discus?

[Jennie]

Can't help with the water change Q but can say go with fewer, higher quality discus. If you want more discus/tanks: just breed the ones you purchase.:)