New to Discus and pleased to meet you

Hello everyone,

I've been in the aquarium hobby since I was a child, but it's only been within the last two years or so that discus have caught my eye. Traditionally, I have kept African Cichlids that have ranged from mixed mbuna tanks to a colony of Kipili blue frontosa, but I have kept saltwater and community tanks as well. I can even say that I had a breeding colony of fire belly newts and galaxy rasbora at one point, but due to time constraints and logistics I only keep two tanks currently. The main tank is a 135 gallon low tech planted tank and the second tank is a 25 gallon quarantine tank(QT tank) that is only up and running occasionally when I decide to throw money at my local fish store.

...speaking of throwing money at the local fish store, that's how I ended up with discus. I've been considering them for a couple of years, but the price tag has always been a deterrent. Not that they aren't worth it, but my paycheck has not been that large historically and one small discus represents a month of saving. However, the local store brought in some Stendker discus the other week and the owner called to let me know. At $40 for a 2.5 inch discus, I couldn't say no. So I purchased myself 4 red turquoise and 1 brilliant turquoise. They've been in my QT tank for about a week now and they are doing marvelously. I don't have any illusions about growing them out to their full potential so long as they seem happy and healthy, that is perfectly fine by me. In another week or so I'll be moving them into the 135 gallon tank so they have some nicer scenery to go with them.

Now for photos. My 135 gallon tank
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And my wee baby discus
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Good luck with your new discus :)!! Your 135 looks really nice!! Well done! Now what temp is it at. How the ph? The 25 is small but you could leave them in there for a month changing the water daily and feeding as often as you can and they should grow to about 4” before you add them to the 135. Discus need warm water 84 degrees. So some of the fish you have may not be good with them.

Hi Iminit,

Thank you for the welcome. I keep my water at 82 F. I read that should be an acceptable temperature for them, if on the low side. Though the tank does run warmer most of the time. I don't think I've ever looked at my pH before. The water where I am tends to be soft with a low pH. The fish I currently have are:
Cardinal tetras
Siamese algae eaters
Bristlenose plecos
Clown loaches
dwarf neon rainbows
And a couple cherry barbs.

The cherry barbs are the only iffy ones in the tank, but they haven't had a problem with the temperature so far.

I'm not sure about leaving them in the 25 gallon that long, but if I could put another inch on them in that time it would be nice. I don't think I've ever had fish grow that quickly.

Hello K Miller. Wonderful job on the 135. I will echo what Tom has said and say to keep them out of the 135 for a while. However, a 40g would be much better for growing out than a 25g. I know this is not necessarily what you want to hear but it is better to grow them out in a BB tank. Do you happen to know how old these discus are?

If you will keep them in the 25g, I would advise to remove everything that isn't necessary out of there. No decor or rocks. You need all the water you can get.

What are you feeding them? Whilst in the smaller tank, keep them at 84-86F.

Welcome to SD. Feel free to ask any questions. If you have some time to kill, check out my grow out tank in my signature. It may be insightful for growing out :)