However did you become such an expert on nutrition and WC, Dee? What are your credentials? Al here has credentials as a scientist and also has years of experience in raising Discus. Many of us here have just the experience of raising Discus for many years and learning from our mistakes. Have you ever considered that rather that butting heads with all of us and making yourself seem stubborn you should hang around, read and actually learn something?
Last edited by Second Hand Pat; 05-31-2019 at 09:03 AM.
Mama Bear
Hi Dee, The Amazon basin is not a pool but a massive river system which empties into the ocean. In reality, wild discus are subject to a constant water change. Please review some of the videos on YouTube showing wild discus in their native habitat. Even during the wet season when many of the forest flood floods there is still a flow to the water with the ongoing rains.
Pat
Your discus are talking to you....are you listening
40+years in the fish biz and not trying to butt heads with all the species of fish I keep I like to research and educate myself to increase my chance of success, I research their environment in the wild, water, food , ph, temp,substrate, anything I can do to increase the fishes chance of survival, and what I posted was my findings of what the amazon basin is like
Dee
Dee
I don't consider my tank as blackwater as I have sand and no live plants. I do use peat but not to the extent that my water stays darkened by tannins.
I consider my tank more of a community tank and its been up and running static for some time now.
I'm thinking maybe you thought an aquarium I commented on was mine... No worries.
Hi I am new to the forum.
I just wanted to share something. I had a pair that bred in a 20 gal with water that was so green you can't even see the fish. I was a teenager back then and neglected them. My mom was the one that fed them and all she did was just drop live black worms into the tank everyday. The tank water did not get changed for months, just evaporated water topped off. filter used was a dynoflow. I did not even know they spawn until our move day (parents bought new house). The frys were about a quarter size and there were close to about 50 of them if not more, I didn't count. I sold some to my LFS and gave the rest to my friend. That was the first and last successful spawn, the pair was murder when our new house got broken into (threw something in the water).
Anyways, I just got back into discus and learning a great deal, lots of reading.
Last edited by 4eye gold fish; 08-26-2019 at 04:29 PM.
I've noticed you reading around, 4eye. That is in interesting story.
It's to see that you're back in the hobby. I would love to hear what you do and how it goes with your new set up.
Mama Bear
It's possible to not do water changes. You could have a denitrification system. Maybe you get lucky with the anoxic basket system of Dr. Novak (I didn't btw). IME, my tank runs low on nitrates <5ppm a week, due to low ph 5.2 and live plants (water sprite and wisteria) feeding on the ammonium. But I still have to to do some type of water change weekly to vacuum out the bottom just to keep it looking good so there isn't a bunch of mulm on the bottom. Water changes, generally, are the easiest, least risky, and most straight forward way for people to keep discus. Thus, why it's the most commonly recommended way for discus husbandry, but it's not the only way. Other methods exist, they just take more knowledge, involve more risk, and aren't as easy to recommend as frequent water changes.