water changes for discus

[mecasadys]

hey guys im kind of new to discus keeping, my breeder friend gave me 6 new discus and i have them now in my 55g 4 ft tank, they seem to be doing fine ive had them almost a week. Just wondering atm i am doing a weekly 25% water change and every second day leading up to the weekly i am doing a 10% water change. Does this seem a good amount?

Just to let everyone know i have 7 dwarf cichlids in there as well as a black knife ghost fish, 2 marble angels, 2 dwarf gouramis and a small silver shark. All of the fish are coesisting quite peacfully atm.

[DiscusBR]

What is the size of your discus? The smaller they are, more WCs are required. What is your filtration? Your tank is overpopulated. I suggest getting rid of most tankmates, especially the black knife ghost (nocturnal fish that will disturb the discus at night and can get too agressive for discus during feeding) and the angels.

[mecasadys]

i have a 800litre per hour fluval 210 and a 1200l/ph hour generic brand filtration. the discus dont look stressed but you think i should get rid of my angels and black knife? they are 2.5 inches to 3 inches top to bottom fin? what about my dwarf cichlids are they ok?

[DiscusBR]

i have a 800litre per hour fluval 210 and a 1200l/ph hour generic brand filtration. the discus dont look stressed but you think i should get rid of my angels and black knife? they are 2.5 inches to 3 inches top to bottom fin? what about my dwarf cichlids are they ok?

The question is not how discus look at the moment, but how they will do in the long term. Your tank is definetely overpopulated and you need to get rid of tankmates. I woud start with the black knife. You have juvenile discus, not adults. If you don´t want to end up with stunted fish, they require several feedings a day and at least one water change (50% or more). The right way to do it is to separate them in a bare bottom tank to raise them properly. For beginners, it might be better to buy adult discus form a reputable source (like this site´s sponsors). You can read more about discus care in this forum. Check out especially the stickies in the beginning of each section, like this one:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?28937-How-do-I-set-up-my-first-discus-tank

[mecasadys]

ok ill get rid of the bgk when i can and the angels, i have been doing a lot of wc though il c how it goes

[mecasadys]

yer its just i really like the bgk and he doesnt seem to disturb the discus at the moment, will this change when he gets bigger?

[DiscusBR]

yer its just i really like the bgk and he doesnt seem to disturb the discus at the moment, will this change when he gets bigger?

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?74774-Black-Ghost-Knife&highlight=black+ghost

[bwssr]

Personally I would give them their own grow out bare bottom tank until they reach adult size.

[0Dgreen]

My 55 qt/growout i do 90% WCs every other day.

[Crystalwaters]

I have 6 discus in a 55 gallon, they get 5-6 water changes a week, 60%. New to discus too, I made the mistake of adding them to a planted community and doing few and small water changes. They are doing much better now in a bare bottom with tons of water changes.
I received some advice which you may find helpful too :)

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?97488-New-Discus-keeper-Did-I-buy-stunted-discus&p=907282&viewfull=1#post907282




1) Juveniles should be raised in what's called a barebottom "growout" tank. This is to make it easier on you to give them proper feedings and tank cleanings. It's a rigorous schedule and a planted tank with gravel is a recipe for disaster.

2) Water changes: You'll need to do at least 1 HUGE water change per day, preferably 2 large ones per day. When I say HUGE, I mean that most people here who have success change 90% at each WC. This is vital for these little guys and you won't get good growth and health without it. Just put them into a smallish tank for now...you could easily use a 20 gallon for 5 discus of that size. This will make cleanings and water changes much quicker and easier for you.

3) If it was me, I'd be feeding them at least 6 small meals per day. They'll eat beefheart, small pellets, discus flake foods, freeze dried blackworms, etc. I'd stay away from bloodworms only because they will quickly start refusing other foods in favor of the bloodworms.

4) During the daily water change, be sure to wipe down the inside of the tank with paper towels.

Once they are in their own tank, set the temps between 83 - 86 degrees.

Once they've grown another inch or two you'll be able to tell whether or not they are stunted. Good luck with them. =)

[warblad79]

Too much fish for 55g and not enough water change. Stunted