New to discus, got a few questions and some pointer would be appreciated!

[ScottW]

Do I need to add a airstone or heater to the aging water?

[Jenene]

Do I need to add a airstone or heater to the aging water?

Yes. The air stone will help release the gasses and the heater will get the water to temp so it is safe to put in your tank without shocking your fish. I have insulated my barrels with some silver insulation wrap to keep the heater from having to work too hard.

[ScottW]

Would a 65 gallon or 75 be better for 6 discus?

[DatDiscusDude]

75

[ScottW]

Thanks everyone for the help so far! Another question... will a fx6 and fx4 on a 75 be too extreme? I figure it will keep the water clean and circulating.

[tonytheboss1]

A bit of overkill since either one alone could be sufficient but look at it this way, when you increase to that 150g (lol lol) you'll be all set. Hell I have FOUR filters on my 125 (chk sig), redundancy is a blessing in disguise! "T"

[ScottW]

A bit of overkill since either one alone could be sufficient but look at it this way, when you increase to that 150g (lol lol) you'll be all set. Hell I have FOUR filters on my 125 (chk sig), redundancy is a blessing in disguise! "T"

Haha my girlfriend would kick my a**!

[ScottW]

Im thinking about buying 3 to 4 inch discus. Will a large water change of 75% work after every other day? Also, can I add the sterbai corys before the discus with pool filter sand? The sand will be white so the waste and feed should be easy to see to vacuum.

[tonytheboss1]

You're gonna get some mixed opinions on this one but here goes. First, 5 would be a better number to start as a group to abate aggression issues. They are shoaling fish & are more comfortable in large groups. While they are in their growth cycle, daily water changes are most beneficial. Can you get away w/ every other day ...... certainly but it's not optimal. The sand & cory cats will work better after the Discus are adults. Start bare bottom, quality/variety/multiple feedings, mega W/C's & in short time you'll have some beauties. "T"

[ScottW]

You're gonna get some mixed opinions on this one but here goes. First, 5 would be a better number to start as a group to abate aggression issues. They are shoaling fish & are more comfortable in large groups. While they are in their growth cycle, daily water changes are most beneficial. Can you get away w/ every other day ...... certainly but it's not optimal. The sand & cory cats will work better after the Discus are adults. Start bare bottom, quality/variety/multiple feedings, mega W/C's & in short time you'll have some beauties. "T"

Thanks Ill stick with bare bottom for now. What would some quality foods be besides beefheart?

[Jenene]

I would recommend stocking up on Al's freeze dried back worms and Discus Chow. Those are my two biggest staples now that I am weaning off of beef heart. Al's foods are readily accepted, and fed in the correct amounts will not mess up your water since they don't dissolve quickly. I also feed Forrest's Aqua Bites. He is an exporter that works with Kenny Cheung, a great sponsor here. Since I have fish from him I decided to try it and they love that as well. I use frozen blood worms as an occasional treat. There are many other high quality foods out there that I am sure many others here will chime in on- but these are my favorites and my fish have grown beautifully on them.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumd...rd-Connecticut

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...Grade-Granules

[tonytheboss1]

This is from a few years ago but still works well for me .........

Re: Alternate to Beef Heart Mix

Can someone please advice if simply feeding blood worms and brine shrimps will suffice the nutritions required for discus. I am little worried as my discus refuses to accept tetra bits or any other discus pellets.

You'll need a bit more than just that. There are a number of different things you can choose to diversify your discus' diet. Mine is a bit extreme (OCD) but the choices are many. Food varies every couple a days - live blackworms, Hans frozen beef mix, San Fran Bay Frozen Bloodworms, Mysis Shrimp, Ocean Nutrition Discus Flakes, Als Austrailian freeze dried blackworms, O.S.I. Spirulina Flakes, NLS Discus Formula pellets & Dainichi Cichlid - Color FX + Vita-Chem once a week. "T"

My gang never gets bored. Most of these are readily available online or at your local LFS. "T"

[ScottW]

I picked up a brand new 75 for $90 bucks. How many discus could be housed in a 75?

[Ryan925]

General rule is one per 10 gallons although some of us are slightly overstocked

[ScottW]

So 7-8ish?