A few beginners question

I took the plunge yesterday and picked up 4 3-4" domestic Discus with the plans of adding some more in a couple months should these guys thrive.

Tank: 100g 72x18x18
Filter: FX4 and 2 small sponges
Tank mates: Black skirt tetras, Dwarf Neon Rainbows, Khuli Loaches, Bristlenose pleco, rabbit snails and various other snails and a few shrimp
Moderately planted

Hopefully the tankmates pair well. The high end temp ranges of the other fish meet the low end for Discus. I have other tanks to move them to if necessary.

I see lots of people stating they feed 4-5 times a day. Is this required or just for faster growth? How long can they go without eating? Typically 1-2 days?

With my filtration and bioload, what would be the suggested water change frequency? Not picture in the FTS is some pothos in the corner. Nitrates before adding the Discus rarely got above 5-10ppm with 50% changes every 2 weeks.

I started floating them yesterday afternoon, dripping them most of the day then released them into the tank around 8pm. Since then, they haven't ventured very far from a corner. I assume they are like any other fish in this regards and will take a day or two to settle in and start moving and eating? Was debating doing a large water change today as I have the time but I also don't want to stress them further... do it or no?

Diet will primarily be frozen blood worms, brine shrimp and pellets recommended by the breeder. With regards to beef heart, if that primarily for growing out juveniles or should I look at acquiring some for these? Is there anything specific when getting it or just going to any old butcher shop?

Is having high flow a concern? I have the FX4 running full open with the outputs pointed to the tank sides so half the tank is fairly high flow and the other half is quite low. The front middle is fairly low as well.



https://i.imgur.com/VFA2oke.jpg

Welcome!! Very nice looking tank!! Ok for feeding yes you should be feeding them 4-5x a day because they are young 3-4” discus still have a way to go before full grown. Also should be changing the water at least every other day till 5+”. This is there growing period and will bring them to their best health. Once grown the water changes and feeding will decrease.
Where did you het your discus from? Some closer pictures will help. I rarely feed beef heart and with your planted tank I’d advise against it. I feed freeze dried black worms (fdbw) and sera granules. Frozen blood worm and brime shrimp are a treat fed maybe twice a week after water changes. Don’t worry about flow problems in a 6’long tank it won’t be a problem. I’m running an fx6 in my 5’ 125g.

Bought in Winnipeg from Fish Gallery. I noticed a little flaking(?) from the tail fins in bags when I got them home. I'm guessing it was from stress (?) as it was a 3 hour ride in an Styrofoam box and of course, it was a blizzard outside. Some more pics below. The one thing I've noticed with the flow is that they are pretty passive at the moment and the flow pushes the food away from them quite quick. I've dialed it back a bit and may just make a spray bar to really lower it down.

Hopefully they look healthy!

https://i.imgur.com/FPKYeLg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/njYT32A.jpg

The fin damage looks like some slight ammonia burn, which is not unusual during shipping. Keep the water clean and it will clear up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by D'bunk

Your water changes are just fine. The number one reason people have to do frequent water change is because they overstock and overfeed. Nitrate are almost never an issue and certainly won't be with your current schedule. Stuffing beef heart into warm water is simply creating a bacteria playground. People end up with sick fish and blame it on nitrate not realizing it's not the nitrate that's important when they change the water, it's the reduction in the bacteria level from all the rotting food that's key.

In any case, your tank is perfect for a small group of discus. I wouldn't put more than 6 discus in there given your other fish. Feed them twice a day. It's more than enough. I'd also stay away from frozen foods. Not much different than raw beef. Almost any major brand of processed dry food is healthier anyway. It is a good idea to mix brands, types, etc. Freeze dried worms and shrimp make a nice change up.

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I guess you must be smarter than all those with decades of discus husbandry experience who recommend (based upon experience and observations) the importance of frequent water changes.
Social media is truly a double edged sword

Nice looking discus! Good luck with them :). Could be fin rot. Find it hard to be ammonia burn you were only traveling 3hrs. But you did acclimate for a long time. They don’t need that long of an acclimation for that short of a trip. Just temp match than over the course of an hour add about 4 cups of water to the bag. Than scoop the fish out and add to tank. Don’t put the bag water in tank. If an overnight shipment it’s best to drop and plop. But with water changes those fins should heal up quickly.