First Discus - Am I doing this right?

[HaveABalloon]

Hey!
So, These will be my first Discus. I have reef tanks, and one other freshwater SAC tank with severums, festivums, and plecos in it. I am "rescuing" 6 very skinny, somewhat malnourished discus that are about 2.5 inches each. I have a 55 gallon tank set up for 2 months that has gravel in it. I assume its cycled, I have two cory cats and two tadpoles in it that have been in it for about 1 and a half months. I am taking the gravel out, using the same filter media, and doing a 40 or 50 percent water change on it before I pick up the discus this evening. I took all but one small cory catfish out, and cranked the temp. up to 86 degrees. Does this setup sound okay? ( I need to test my water, but it should be alright) I'm using a tap-water, RO water combination, and know the ideal parameter would be no ammonia, little to no nitrate, no nitrite, softer water, lower pH and lower Alkalinity. Am I forgetting anything? and what do people recommend to have them settle more comfortably? Also, can/should I use microbacter (by brightwell aquatics) when I put them in?

[Northwoods Discus]

Bare bottom, 55 should be good size for 6 small discus. Since they are being rescued and are thin they may be infected with parasites. Clean water is most important at first. Very dim light to start. The cycle may need some help so the microbacter won't hurt. Large daily water changes of 50% plus until they are eating well. Assess their progress. They may require deworming etc. but wait until they are eating well. Good quality food that does not dirty the tank too quickly such as freeze dried blackworms.

[strawberryblonde]

I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but if it was me, I wouldn't use the filter.

First up, with just 2 cories and 2 tadpoles in it, it's not cycled enough for discus. Discus have a higher bio-load than those itty bitty critters have been providing in the tank for 6 weeks.

Secondly, especially with tadpoles, I'd be concerned about what parasites and bacteria they've added to the tank, and the filter media. If the discus are already compromised they shouldn't be exposed to any new pathogens.

So for me, I'd ditch the filter media and start with fresh, or simply rinse it well in a bleach solution, then rinse again and soak in water with Prime added to neutralize the bleach. While that was soaking, I'd scrub the tank with a bleach solution, rinse well, neutralize and then refill it.

Then you're left with what to do to cycle the tank. There are a couple of very good products on the market that will allow you to instantly add fish. One is Pure Aquarium balls and the other that I trust is Dr. Tims. One and Only.

Even with those products you'll still need to do large daily water changes and will need to keep an eye on your ammonia and nitrites to be sure that they stay in check.

You're taking on a tough challenge with discus who are so small and are already in bad health. If you're really sure you want to make the investment of time, money, water and possibly medications for discus who may or may not survive, then I wish you all the best and keep posting here for help with them. =)

[redlionvjx]

good luck with your fish