Selecting Discus

[fstop3000]

Thank you for all the great information!!! I have driftwood in my tank with Java fern growing on it. I used thread to attach it to the driftwood. And after some time removed the thread, and the Java fern roots had a hold on the driftwood with their clinging roots. This simple setup fulfills my need to have some decoration in my tank.

Striving to make more and more water changes!

[skittles]

I am so happy to have found this site. I had just given up on having Discus due to imperfect water parameters (pH, GH, KH), but now I see I can be back in the game!

I have a 225 gallon aquarium (decorated and lightly planted so far.) It's cycling with a school of 15 male Rosy Barbs, 1 Dwarf Gourami, and 8 little Cories. I'd love to set up a community tank including 6 Discus and 6 or 8 Angels. I've seen these two together in LFS, so I know it can be done. I've been advised to put the Discus in first, to give them the territorial edge. I'd also add some tiny, gentle schoolers (cardinal tetras, harlequin razzies) and some very effective algae eaters (bristlenose? or dwarf pleco?--not decided yet.) The Rosies will probably have to go, 'cause they can be a little hyper and they challenge all newcomers. At very most, I'd keep a mixed-gender school of 7.

Any advice? Especially:
* I've read that a water change of 30 percent should be done weekly, but on your site some people are saying daily. I was hoping that a really big tank with only 6 discus needs a little less.

* When bringing Discus home and acclimating them to the new water, how much time do you take? How long do you quarantine the discus before adding them to your main tank?

* How do you feel about getting Discus shipped in from dealers across the country?

* If you quarantine all your fish, why not mix Discus from several sources? Wouldn't that be better in case they breed (diverse gene pool?)

* If the water is clean, why wouldn't a juvie grow beyond 3 inches in such a large tank?

Any other comments are appreciated. Thanks!

[Carol_Roberts]

* I've read that a water change of 30 percent should be done weekly, but on your site some people are saying daily. I was hoping that a really big tank with only 6 discus needs a little less.
You can change the water less often if you have a big tank with few fish AND no hiding places for food to rot
* When bringing Discus home and acclimating them to the new water, how much time do you take? How long do you quarantine the discus before adding them to your main tank?
Iif your tank temperature and pH are higher than those of the bag water I put the discus directly in the quarantine tank. New fish should be kept seperate including nets, hoses and your hands for 6 weeks.

* How do you feel about getting Discus shipped in from dealers across the country?
Best way to get quality discus is to buy from someone who specializes in discus. I buy from those with a good reputation on the forums. They know how to ship discus.

* If you quarantine all your fish, why not mix Discus from several sources? Wouldn't that be better in case they breed (diverse gene pool?)
Fish from seperate sources are quarantined seperately. Do not mix frish in the same tank from several sources - you are mixing germs. Most fish do not breed in the quarantine tank and even if they do most discus are so outcrossed it doesn't matter if a brother and sister breed.

* If the water is clean, why wouldn't a juvie grow beyond 3 inches in such a large tank?

Your idea of clean water and a discus's idea of clean water are two different things. Some grow better than others in graveled tanks. . . . . Some grow better than others in bare bottomed tanks too, but the general rule is that juvenile discus grown out in bare bottom tanks are healthier and larger than those grown out in graveled tanks - many are twice as large.

[skittles]

Carol!
Thank you so much for your answers. I am really flip-flopping as to whether I can keep discus happy in my tank or not. I'll do a little more studying, and then I'm sure I'll have more questions for you....

Thanks again!
Skittles

[RCBruce]

I am a newcomer to the forum, so maybe some of my responses will be out of context of current discussion, so please excuse.
I was reading from the first of this thread the discussion of bare bottom versus gravel versus planted. Lord all the information out here gets kinda confusing.
Even Jack Whatley has changed his advise over the years.
I have a 55gal tank, (hoping to become a 125 sometime this year) gravel bottom about 1/2 inch thick, plastic plants, real wood. I use only R/O water, stabilized in a barrel with proper ph 6.5 and discus trace elements and circulated constantly.
I have 7 medium sized discus, (4 are recent replacements for the ones I lost during hurricane Katrina, 3 are storm survivors) 2 clown loaches and 1 pleco.
I do a 40% water change twice weekly, vacuming the gravel. I run 2 penguin 330 filters,each has a sponge on one side and tetra 2 stage filter media on the other, with ceramic in the media baskets, and 1 sponge filter in the tank.
I feed Ocean Nutrition formula one, beefheart, brine shrimp, and now experimenting with Hikari red discus.
I've tried several things over the last year; carbon, no carbon, adding tap water, (almost lost fish to this little experiment) less frequent water changes, more frequent water changes.
This seems to be what works for me right now. I'd really like to hear opinions, pro and con. After all, isn't that the reason for being here?
I have more pics posted in the photo section under 'pics of the family'
OK, long winded enough...........for now!

[RyanH]

Typically what we recommend here is that when growing out juveniles, it's best to do so in a barebottom tank. This allows you to keep the tank cleaner during the crucial growth months as young Discus are more sensitive to water quality issues.

We will also recommend that beginners to the hobby keep their fish in barebottom tanks until they have gained a solid understanding of how to care for them. The gravel and decorations can be a significant source of problems for the novice and indeed even the experienced hobbyists. This is confirmed by spending 5 minutes reading through the disease section.

Most of the people here will keep the majority of their fish in barebottom tanks as it's just plain easier to care for. I have a 150 gallon "showtank" that I keep wild-caught adult Discus. I keep my plants in pots with a very thin layer of sand along with a large piece of driftwood. The rest of my tanks are barebottom. It has been my experience that Discus just do better in a tank with clean water versus a tank with gravel and decorations.

My advice on carbon: lose it unless you need to remove meds.

hth
-Ryan

[jake]

Re: to what they should look like-

spend some time on the judging section, there are some really awesome fish there, I started with wild browns, back when the world was young and never saw any like are shown on that section, I amnot a fan of BBs either but there are some on the section that are great looking fish.

I appreciated that section, it puts into words what I have just subjectively looked for in fish without really verbalizing it, its a big help. Very well done section.

jake

[Kobe]

hey...am new to this site and to keeping discus as well....an i got a couple of newbie questions wich i appreciate if someone answers me....


1-what is RO unit...how do i get it.....because my tap water is soo hard 8.5.....and i cant keep spending my money on ph down and dechlorinator.....how do u guys keep the PH low ??


2-i dont fully understand how u quarantine ur tank or fish...whats that supposed to mean?


3-over here there are very poor discus in our LFS i want to contact some good breeders can someone give me a couple of sites....


4-do i need a UV sterilizer?....i got a 75 gallon tank and dont know how many i should keep..i heard from someone the more discus u want 2 keep the more need for the UV sterilizer..


5-as i read that experienced people have problems with planted tanks and graveled ones ..... the more i get scared of not having a planted tank....i think i will start with a BB untill i get used to this whole thing...but what do u guys suggest ?

[Kobe]

btw i got 2 blood parrots,2 oscars and a flower horn in the 75 gallon

[tily124]

this is a worderful source I can learn for my discus. Thank a lot

[fishmama]

This is an excellent section/thread. The photos are particularly helpful.

Thanks All!

[robr0924]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

[geekfacejer]

thanks for the info ;]

[baowow]

thanks. this help a lot.

[Harriett]

hey...am new to this site and to keeping discus as well....an i got a couple of newbie questions wich i appreciate if someone answers me....

WELCOME newbie!!! I thought I'd take a crack at answering some questions for you with my 2 cents:

1-what is RO unit...how do i get it.....because my tap water is soo hard 8.5.....and i cant keep spending my money on ph down and dechlorinator.....how do u guys keep the PH low ??

An RO unit = Reverse Osmosis unit. Research it to get the tech details but basically it removes minerals from the water, leaving it virtually neutral [pH] and very soft. Discus do quite well growing in harder water with pH as high as 8, and some have 8.5 and do fine, for general husbandry, although many lower the numbers artificially for various reasons [more research]. When trying to breed discus, a more acidic and softer water makes a more successful spawn, which is where the RO water comes in--research it!

2-i dont fully understand how u quarantine ur tank or fish...whats that supposed to mean?

The tropical fish industry is a fast and dirty business, on many levels, even in the best of circumstances. To ensure your best chances for success with discus, I would look at 2 things: buy discus from people with KNOWN HIGH standards for experience, care, and sales, i.e. buy healthy fish to start with and avoid costly nightmares. [Look at the sponsor section here for numerous possibilities for buying fish--online and in person, depending on geographics.] 2. Even when buying from reputable sellers [and in my experience, this is backed 100% by the breeders themselves], remember that germs are germs, bugs get around, and to ensure your purchase and the rest of fish you may already own, you would be WISE to completely isolate the new discus from the rest of your fish when you bring them home. I mean COMPLETELY, as in tank, tank filtration and equipment, and YOU--hand washing and meticulous attention to potential for transferring diseases. Many of us actually keep our QT tank[s] in another room with another water faucet source to ensure separation of church and state, so to speak. That way, if something comes up, you can probably contain it and not have a rampant issue among all your tanks. QT for most of us is at least 6 weeks, for some of us longer. Water is changed in this bare bottom tank daily, in high %. Close monitoring of the new discus continues daily.

3-over here there are very poor discus in our LFS i want to contact some good breeders can someone give me a couple of sites....

Again, look to the sponsor section and just ask people for feedback---investigate Simply as a site a bit, it's all here. Most folks who really get into discus keeping often prefer buying from breeders/sponsors than from LFS, though occasionally folks come up with wonderful fish from LFS's.
We lean this way because the discus tend to be higher quality, background is known, price is less inflated, and importantly, it hooks you up with the person who knows discus that can be a resource for you should [when] you have questions or a problem. Many also simply want to support our breeder/importer private businesses and the personal service we receive from them.

4-do i need a UV sterilizer?....i got a 75 gallon tank and dont know how many i should keep..i heard from someone the more discus u want 2 keep the more need for the UV sterilizer..

I have a UV and I've never used it, in 7 years....First, if you rely on a sterilizer to keep the bacteria/bug counts down in your tank, chances are you would be better off doing appropriate tank maintenance instead--the concensus across the board by experienced hobbyists is that NOTHING works better or is as important as frequent large water changes and tank maintenance for success in this hobby. Just gotta do it. Second, if you use a UV consistently, the discus immune system becomes somewhat weakened over time, since it is living in a situation where it is not called on to use it's own. If/when you do import a problem/disease, the discus don't have the natural means to fight it as well.
They more discus you want to keep, the more you must focus on clean water and stable tank parameters, NOT UVs, in my experience.

5-as i read that experienced people have problems with planted tanks and graveled ones ..... the more i get scared of not having a planted tank....i think i will start with a BB until i get used to this whole thing...but what do u guys suggest ?

Many of us successfully keep discus in planted show tanks, but some caveats as one of those people are these:
DO raise them in a BB tank--growing discus babies eat like pigs 5-6 or more times a day and as teenagers/sub adults 3-4 x day--BB gives you the ability to stay on top of the maintenance, whereas a planted substrated tank is terrifically harder to manage with that much organic material running thru it. Save the planted tank for your grown up adult discus who eat less, are stronger, and who do not have such sensitive parameters, in general.
Learn the hobby before approaching a planted tank [hobby in and of itself]. discus are quite challenging to master and well worth it. You will increase your odds of success if you take it a step at a time. So, how about do set up a wonderful planted tank and don't put the discus in until they grow up, later?
There are lots of folks here who know SO MUCH and can be great mentors, but I first encourage you to take on the investigation yourself--read the archives, read the 'stickies' which are loaded with tutorials, etc. Read books, and ask questions....you are more likely to get feedback if you are also trying to educate yourself---there's a lot to know, it's a great hobby, I'm addicted, and I sure wish you the best!
Hope this helps!
Harriett