Probably gonna get blasted for this

[Andy27012]

Let me start by saying I don't own any discus nor have I ordered any, I am just trying to figure out what I would be getting myself into. If I am reading the beginner sections correctly it is recommended to do daily to every other day water changes of 25 to 50% as standard maintence. I could see if you were conditioning them to breed but that seems like a lot as maintence.

[Quintin]

Depending on size of discus,size of tank and how many you keep it varies.As it can range from 100% twice a day to at least 50% daily.For minimal effort you would want at least 6 adult discus 10 gallon per fish tanks.then would do about 50% every second day.Long story short there are no shortcuts with discus.But in my oppinion well worth it.

[musicmarn1]

Yep, Quinta nailed it, no short cuts, or you get sickly fish but they are worth it.....Most days

[Keith Perkins]

For minimal effort you would want at least 6 adult discus 10 gallon per fish tanks.then would do about 50% every second day.Long story short there are no shortcuts with discus.But in my opinion well worth it.

Alternatively I would suggest with adults you could get away with 80% - 90% twice a week. A nice 75 gallon tank with 7 or 8 fish.

[MKD]

Imo, breed or not I still suggest the same what you read to provide them the best and you will be glad how they will turn out. One word to describe "commitment".

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[nc0gnet0]

Let me start by saying I don't own any discus nor have I ordered any, I am just trying to figure out what I would be getting myself into. If I am reading the beginner sections correctly it is recommended to do daily to every other day water changes of 25 to 50% as standard maintence. I could see if you were conditioning them to breed but that seems like a lot as maintence.

consider yourself blasted........

[Larry Bugg]

The recommendations are based on whether or not you have young discus growing out or adult discus. What we have found is that in order to grow out discus to their normal adult size (5 1/2" to 7") they require very clean water. Through the experience of the members of this forum we have found that to achieve the level of clean water needed requires daily water changes usually of at least 50% depending on the number of discus, size of discus and tank size. Over the years we have all had failures and successes that have drawn us to these conclusions. With adult discus the recommendations are different. You will find members here that will recommend daily water changes of 20 to 30%, you will find members that recommend every other day at the same rates and you will find members that recommend every 3 to 5 days at 50 to 75%. All have had success in these ranges. The one constant you will find recommended here is what is required to grow them out. Daily water changes.

[YSS]

It depends on the bio load of the tank. My 265G is understocked and I do 70% water changes no more than once a week. I will probably do less water changes in the winter.

[brewmaster15]

Let me start by saying I don't own any discusJust saw one for (50+) DC Area Dating. Man, I have a few more years before getting there. I am filing a bug report with google. ics nor have I ordered any, I am just trying to figure out what I would be getting myself into. If I am reading the beginner sections correctly it is recommended to do daily to every other day water changes of 25 to 50% as standard maintence. I could see if you were conditioning them to breed but that seems like a lot as maintence.

Not trying to scare you away here, but the advise you've gotten here is sound and comes from alot of trial and error. Its geared towards offering a hobbyist the best chance for healthy good sized fish....Theres no absolute amount or percentage that is applicable across the board, stocking densities, foods fed, filtration, age of the fish ,health and genetics all play a role in this...One thing is for sure... They require alot of water changes and clean water relative to most other fish if you are looking to raise the biggest and healthiest possible.

A practical suggestion is to do what these members suggest and over time play around with the water change amounts.... you will probably notice differences in health and growth when you slack off.


You will not go wrong with doing daily water changes or several times a week ones on growing fish... you can however do very poorly with growing discus if you don't give them clean enough water.

hth,
al

[dleblanc]

I think it depends on tank loading and whether it is planted. Plants will consume a lot of waste, but many people run bare bottom tanks, and there's nothing to consume the waste. I tend to judge based on nitrate levels.

Something to do is to set yourself up to make changes easy. I have a python with a quick connect in the hose, and a staging tank with aerated water at the right temperature and KH/GH. So once it is done pulling out water, I switch to the tank, turn on the pump, no problem.

FWIW, I do 50% every other day, though if I'm out of town, then I'll do daily or even twice daily to catch up.

[musicmarn1]

I think it depends on tank loading and whether it is planted. Plants will consume a lot of waste, but many people run bare bottom tanks, and there's nothing to consume the waste. I tend to judge based on nitrate levels.

Something to do is to set yourself up to make changes easy. I have a python with a quick connect in the hose, and a staging tank with aerated water at the right temperature and KH/GH. So once it is done pulling out water, I switch to the tank, turn on the pump, no problem.

FWIW, I do 50% every other day, though if I'm out of town, then I'll do daily or even twice daily to catch up.

My vaccum consumes the waste pretty darn good on a daily basis


im just teasing i love planted tanks but i dont think i personally would ever suggest thats the way to go for a total beginner, unless they were super experienced with planted tanks

[John_Nicholson]

I think it depends on tank loading and whether it is planted. Plants will consume a lot of waste, but many people run bare bottom tanks, and there's nothing to consume the waste. I tend to judge based on nitrate levels.

Something to do is to set yourself up to make changes easy. I have a python with a quick connect in the hose, and a staging tank with aerated water at the right temperature and KH/GH. So once it is done pulling out water, I switch to the tank, turn on the pump, no problem.

FWIW, I do 50% every other day, though if I'm out of town, then I'll do daily or even twice daily to catch up.

Sorry but this is wrong. Plants do not take up near as much waste as you think. If they did a good job we would all raise our babies out in planted tanks.

-john

[dleblanc]

True that a planted tank and discus at the same time aren't especially easy. How much plants take up depends on plant density and growth rate. If you just have a couple of plants, yes, only so much they will consume. If you have a lot of plants, especially if you establish the tank for a while before you add the discus, then they consume more. It is very easy to overload the ability of the plants, but I still think I'd be needing to change water more often if I didn't have plants than with plants.

He didn't give much of a clue as to his overall experience level with anything other than discus, so no telling. He's right that it seems like a lot of maintenance, and people here are right that it is needed. If you want to reduce maintenance, then reduce loading - instead of 10 discus in 100 gallons, try 5. Plants also help.

[Miss_Fish]

Discus are definitely more maintenance than any other fish I have ever had, but I think seeing them happy and healthy make it worth it.
It's rare to find such vibrant color on freshwater fish; the extra water changes are just a trade off I endure for the pleasure of their company.

I totally understand the OP though, when I first got into discus I really did think I could work around the water changes and find my "own way". I learned very quickly that my way wasn't going to work.

There are a lot of people who have been raising discus well for a long time, and sometimes it's just better to listen to people with the experience and know how, instead of trying to blaze a new path.

I push it as far as I am willing to with every other day 90% water changes and having my fish in a planted tank. My next tank will be sand and driftwood with no plants to see if one really is better than the other.

[Rudustin]

No matter what system you use and no matter how much filtering new clean water is the key, there is no getting around it. The more frequent the better. It leaves the discus vibrant, healthy and long lived. I wish there was an easier answer but the commitment to keeping Discus requires maintenance that other fish do not require. I've tried less frequent water changes and it simply caused issues including losing many fish. Rufus