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Thread: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

  1. #46
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    Somebody mentioned this on page one, I believe...Angels would be an excellent choice. They don't require the dedication that discus do well. I have both and although I do at least 30% WC daily on both the Discus tanks and Angel tanks in the fish room I do only 50% weekly on my 125 gallon display tank at my shop and there are Angels in it that are older than dirt and still spawn.

    I know that your heart is set on Discus but if you start with 2 1/2" fish with no previous experience you are setting yourself up for disappointment. There are many beautiful strains of Angelfish. I think that you decided on Discus because they are referred to as the king of the aquarium and are the most time intensive fish to keep, and you want a challenge, and from what I know about autism once you become obsessed the obsession is very strong and you will ignore what I'm saying.

    Just so you know, I started with Discus. I was 45 years old and could afford to buy adult fish. I read everything I could get my hands on (there is no better resourse than Simply Discus) and I still made mistakes. My fish survived because they were adults.
    Mama Bear

  2. #47
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    Thank you!!!!! This exactly! Mom here....and I’m not going to let him spend all his money and watch it literally go down the drain. Do it right or do it twice. And in this case, doing it twice means more money spent!!!!
    Thanks for the reply! Adults make mistakes too.

  3. #48
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    You don't want him to fail on his first try. It would but him in a bad mood for a long time. It will be hard for you to make him understand that he will not be settling for a second choice fish. As I said, I have both. All things considered my Angelfish are a lot more fun.
    Mama Bear

  4. #49
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    100% agree with Liz. Starting off right is key. I really love a tank of angels, which can be just as stunning as a tank of discus, but cheaper and easier to maintain. To see what I mean, check out Joey's AMAZING platinum angelfish tank in his aquarium gallery: https://youtu.be/cuU1BJ0H5uY
    And here's another vid after they have settled in a bit,
    Incredible colour contrast and shimmer! (Fast forward to 7:07mins in the vid to see the angels) https://youtu.be/uDc5-jkRqGo

    And if you have your heart set on discus, my advice is to be patient and wait until you have a lot more funds to purchase larger fish. When my step daughter was trying to save up $ for an iPod she cleaned out our friend's vehicles, weeded gardens, raked leaves and cleared snow from our neighbours yards and front walkways. There are lots of "side hussles" you can do to make extra $. As long as your parents are involved (eg for safety if going door to door at neighbors' homes etc) you can think outside the box and you'd be surprised how much people love to help a kid with entrepreneurial spirit!! Our step daughter raised over $100 selling toys and clothes and pop and baked goods and little beaded salamanders at a yard sale a couple years ago! It can be fun to save up $ creatively
    Last edited by Kyla; 12-30-2017 at 04:34 PM.

  5. #50
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    Quote Originally Posted by LizStreithorst View Post
    You don't want him to fail on his first try. It would but him in a bad mood for a long time. It will be hard for you to make him understand that he will not be settling for a second choice fish. As I said, I have both. All things considered my Angelfish are a lot more fun.
    I've had Discus only in my 180gal tank for over a year now and for about half that time I keep thinking about how nice it would be to get Angelfish. I've been more or less bored with just Discus only, and the constant work (WC & tank cleaning maintenance) is so much, it's mind boggling to non-Discus keepers. Finally, about two weeks ago I got six Angelfish to put in, so far so good. Love the Angelfish, they are pretty and are so active & interesting. Not to mention require so much less work to thrive.

  6. #51
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    Wow....mom and discustip here together.....I think we are making some headway! Tip is willing to hold off on getting the discus so he can wet his feet with angels. He is mentioning his other favorite fish ( flower horn cichlid) but mom thinks having one fish in a 60 gallon tank is not a good idea.

    So as we turn our attention to angel, ( thank God!), can you offer resources to purchase them with the best variety and greatest health? How many can go into a 60 gallon? Same food as discus? Any great online resources for angels?

    God bless you all for sticking with us during this time of learning!!! Seriously...you’re all more helpful than you know!!! Can’t wait to show you in a few weeks what he gets!!!!

  7. #52
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    Liz that posted above breeds and sells some nice angels. I don't have any but if I was going to get some I would order from her.

  8. #53
    Silver Member Willie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    Quote Originally Posted by guggas View Post
    Liz that posted above breeds and sells some nice angels. I don't have any but if I was going to get some I would order from her.
    Me too. Her half blacks are of exceptional quality.

    Willie
    At my age, everything is irritating.

  9. #54
    Moderator Team LizStreithorst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    I am a hobbyist breeder. I am not commercial. I work to support the fish, not the other way around.

    I know that my half blacks kill, but they would not appeal to this young man. I have some nice gold pearscales coming on that he might like. I also have a huge spawn of super cool parabias that that the parents will have no choice but to deal with free swimming tomorrow. I love it when my wigglers mutiny. These will be cool fish because they are pearlscales.

    These folks need to visit Angels Plus. Thanks for saying that my fish are good, Willie.
    Mama Bear

  10. #55
    Homesteader Adam S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mom Seeking Answers to MANY questions....are we in over our head?

    +1 for Angels Plus. Healthy fish with good shape.

    They'll eat pretty much anything, but a quality flake or pellet is easiest. Supplement that with frozen or freeze-dried foods a few times a week, and your angels will be happy.

    How many fish depends on how many water changes you want to do. 8-10 is a good place to start with twice weekly water changes.

    A couple other thoughts:
    - Strongly encourage you to get standard fin angels and not veils or super veils. They need a bit more care and can get ratty looking if you neglect or crowd them.
    - With just a sponge filter, the waste will settle all over the bottom. It's not particularly harmful, but it looks bad and you have to vacuum the entire bottom of the tank. A small pump near the bottom of the tank will pool all the waste into one or two spots, where it can easily be siphoned up a couple times a week. Something like this (click here) is a very good, very cheap option.

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