Starting out with discus

[amazon55]

Looks like a good start. Are you going to QT your non Discus fish before they go into the display tank?

I do have a spare 19 US gal I can get up and running for qt, was thinking of stocking the other fish all at once to begin with; running it for a month or two until I'm happy it is disease free and parameters are stable and then introduce the discus. Should this be done the other way round in your experience? If so is there a good reason this wouldn't work? I admit I haven't yet discussed this plan with local breeders and I'll still need to locate a suitable pair nearer the time etc.

Cheers,

Gav

[DiscusJimmy]

Hi,

Just to throw my two pence worth in...

Good call on the Synodontis, he will look really cute but muller your neons when the lights go out. Learnt that the hard way. I'd suggest using Cardinal Tetras though instead of Neons. They take the higher temperature better and personally the colouring is far more striking IMO.

I too used pool filter sand but it is a nightmare to clean easily and effectivly. Now joined the BB club! Other members on here suggested using terrascotta plant pots, which work really well and the plants will thrive. I have just really planted on my driftwood and that looks just as good.

I know I am going to get slated for this but...I do not age my water the pH is stable at 7.2 and never changes. All my pipe work is plastic and I have a gas heater so water does not sit in a boiler. All the water her is desalinised (which is just the same as passing it through a giant RO unit. Minirals are added after this process and it remains constant.

I do use a UV sterilizer (opinions on this will vary) but personally, if you get the flow rate from you canister to the unit correct then it does help. I change the bulb everey 6 months as it will start to degrade over time. I have never had any fungus/bacterial problems since using it.

Jim

[lipadj46]

I would not get an old worn out pair from a breeder. Save your money and buy a nice pair from a reputable source. Also skip the otos, they are not compatible with discus. Consider instead a group of 3 ancistrus pleco of some sort (regular bristlenose are cool or something different like a L183 or L213) and leave out the synodontis also. Also consider larger school of cardinal tetras (if you can find larger ones that won't become lunch) in lieu of the other tetras and hatchet fish. Also the apple snail will eat plants and leave eggs everywhere so maybe consider some nerite snails, they have some cool varieties. The rams are nice especially the cooler color morphs as are the cories. That is a short tank so be aware that once the discus start breeding they might start tearing things up so maybe put some cover and wood in there. Just some thoughts.