How soon can you add new tank mates to your discus tank?

Hello,

Since i started feeding home made food i see a lot of leftovers that i siphon each day and its becoming a difficult task to carry buckets every day ...soo i was thinking to add a group of cory's to help with this. (or any other fish that could help with this problem)

I do not have a quarantine tank but i do have a 45 liter plastic container in which i acclimated the discus when they first arrived.

From what i understand, new additions must stay in the quarantine tank for at least 3,4 weeks before adding them to the tank.

Can i speed up the process in any way like using Potassium Permanganate and Hydrogen Peroxide to kill any parasites and/or bacteria? I saw this method on wattley discus and it seems it could work :confused:

Would really appreciate your thoughts on this ....

Thank you.

You can't speed up the QT. Sounds like feeding a bit less is the answer? I have a powerhead that runs twice a day which enables my modified HOB to suck up poop and left over food. I replace the poly fill 3 times a week in my HOB. I have a canister filter that provides biological filtration.

Or you can be a dumb--- like me and just throw'em in :antlers: it's game a game of risk.

As for uneaten food versus poop, I'd rather the poop than the uneaten food. Ensure many have the same or opposite opinion. I just think that with the dedicated discus Keepers who change water quite frequently then better the food be temporarily inside a vacuum cleaner fish like a corydoras before being pooped out rather than spoiled food. I am totally not any sort of biologist or ichthyologist though... but I did have a few glasses of wine ;)

@FishFanMan

Problem with my set up is that i have very fine sand on the bottom and any current strong enought to lift de food would move the sand around like crazy. I will try to feed less.

@Pastry

I agree with you and would do this today but.... just to be on the safe side.. would it be less risky to put them in a bath of PP and then throwing them in the tank and then treating the whole tank with a broad spectrum medicine? I would love to skip the 4 week quarantine and just "pre filter" the new additions ;)

How many discus, what size, in what size tank? Just wondering. +1 on feed less. Is there maybe something in particular in your mix they're not eating? Unless you're talking very young fry, they could go days without eating. Yes, I've skipped QT, but not recommended. You've probably spent much more on the discus than you would on corries. If you do go that route, I'd recommend stocking up on pastry's wine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RogueDiscus

How many discus, what size, in what size tank? Just wondering. +1 on feed less. Is there maybe something in particular in your mix they're not eating? Unless you're talking very young fry, they could go days without eating. Yes, I've skipped QT, but not recommended. You've probably spent much more on the discus than you would on corries. If you do go that route, I'd recommend stocking up on pastry's wine.

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:evilgrin:

Feed less imo. They will eat cleanly enough, if they are hungry enough.
Adult discus also do not need to be overfed anyway.
(unless you are growing out your discus, in which you should do in BB instead)

As Yoda always says, adding more fish is the path to the darkside.
Adding more fish leads to problems, problems lead to headache. Headache leads to suffering.

At this exact moment i was about to leave home to go at my lfs and something told me to check again the forum haha :D

@RogueDiscus
I have 12 discus between 9 and 12 cm ( 3.5 to 4.7 inches) in a 125 gal display tank + sump. What i love is that they are all eating but bits and pieces are flying in the aquarium and they settle on the sand. My recipe includes raw vegetables like carrot, spinach, green peas, brocoli and maybe it's too hard for them even tho i grinded everything into a paste.

@snxtif
I started feeding less but i dont really see a difference. I mean they eat everything but because the food is so messy i always find remains so this is why i was thinking about a corry group.


After everything i read this will be my plan:
- i have a 45 Liter (12 gal) plastic container that will become a quarantine tank. (i hope it's enough for 6,7 corydoras)
- i will add a Eheim 2217 canister to it with some media or a sponge from the main tank + heater that will slowly rise temp to 29*C
- during this period i will treat the quarantine tank with a broad spectrum medicine and observe.

After 1 week treatment and 1 week observation i move to next step:

- I move the fishes to the main tank and treat the whole tank with a broad spectrum medicine as preventive action.

I do not intend to add any other fish because this was planned as a discus only tank but the corydoras seem like an amazing complementary fish to help with the leftovers. Like someone else said, better is poop than uneaten food on the substrate.

What do you think of my plan? Is it worth it?