How to fatten up discus in a community tank?

[Xirxes]

I am wondering how to get my discus nice and FAT in a full planted, heavy community tank. Its a 125 with cardinals, rummynose, apistos, rams, clown loaches etc...

Just multiple small bloodworms feedings? or multiple flake feedings? Maybe 2x 25% water changes a week to keep levels good?

[digthemlows]

mine are growing, but not as fast as the contest discus in the contest section..........I have a heavily planted 125 gallon and I feed cbw and fbw and tetra colorbits 3-5 times a day, I do 40 -50% water changes every other day...................so if you want growth, change your water often and feed often with varity...............

[Xirxes]

You mean to tell me that you change 50-62 gallons of RO/DI three times a week???

I live up three flights of stairs. Lugging that gallonage would rip the enjoyment right out of the hobby. Even if i used my home RO/DI unit, i would be running the tap for roughly 1.5 full DAYS a week in order to make that kind of water!

Maybe i don't want them to grow that quickly

[alan j t]

if you dont mind me asking
why are you using ro water

[Xirxes]

Our tap in SOCAL is really nasty. 800+ ppm hardness, with heavy chlorine/chloramines and ammonia for algae control and high nitrates/phosphates from farm land runoff.

I would never drink tap water, hence i don't want to keep my fishy friends in it.

Also for pH, hardness and pretty much any other form of chemical management, it doesn't make sense to use anything other than RO here.

If you want 150 ppm hardness, 6.5 pH, low nitrates/rites and phosphates, without copper, flouride and a slew of other runoff metals in SOCAL there is no other option.

[White Worm]

I feed cbw and fbw and tetra colorbits 3-5 times a day, I do 40 -50% water changes every other day...................so if you want growth, change your water often and feed often with varity...............

You mean to tell me that you change 50-62 gallons of RO/DI three times a week???

I live up three flights of stairs. Lugging that gallonage would rip the enjoyment right out of the hobby. Even if i used my home RO/DI unit, i would be running the tap for roughly 1.5 full DAYS a week in order to make that kind of water!

Maybe i don't want them to grow that quickly

This is what you need to do for maximum growth. There are many ratios and variations but its simple....lots of clean water and lots of good food. Growing discus in a planted tank with many community fish is just not the best option but can be done, they just might not grow to be huge and thick.

[alan j t]

man thats sucks
it seems like no other way around it
i dont know much about this but
how about using a carbon filter or three in your water line under your sink
any chance it would help?
i know a lfs owner and he installed it his store and said it works wonders
for his freshwater tanks
it took away chlorine, chloramine and phosfate

[Xirxes]

The waste levels are quite readily removed with heavy carbon, but the metals and other Disolved Solids make it through, making the water quite hard.

Discus can be kept in hard water, its been shown over and over again, but i still find that they are healthier, and plants thrive more in softwater.

[milton]

get yourself a cbr2-10 carbon filter as they remove the heavy metals and use your prefilters on your ro unit to remove the rest.

[iceterran]

The next thing on your list after that is a python.

[Xirxes]

I have a python for removal.. but i am sticking to RODI, because i get it for free from work. I can change 30 gallons a change easy enough, and twice a week 30G is going to have to be enough.

[YSS]

How many discus do you have in your tank?

[Xirxes]

4 medium sized discus, planning on stocking 4 more at the end of things, but i have 50 some odd other small schooling fish in tank.