Starting a Discus 3 foot tank

[Mikemeets]

Hi guys

Im new in the Discus hobby but comming from a 3rd world country (South Africa) we do not have all the meds ens as the rest of the world so here goes...

I got 5 discus, 3 are about 2,5" and 2 are 2" but the 3 big ones are picking on the 2 smaller ones that have semi stopped eatting only to eat when the lights are off, but they are starting to show signs of stress to the point where i am stressed sick for them haha.

2nd problem i found was me being really stupid, i set up the 3foot tank befor it had cicles properly but the filters were in my friends 3foot tank for about a week befor i placed them in the new setup and adding my 5 inported Discus fish straight away aswell out of my cycled 2foot tank from work into the non cycled tank at home.

Problem is everything was fine for 3days till i added my sand into my tank that i got from my friend with the 3foot tank about 3 days ago (old sand) that caused a nitrite spike at 0.8mg/l. First thing i did was **** myself and add non iodized sea salt to the tank, 2nd thing i did was to do a 70% water change that dropped the nitrite to 0.6mg/l on day 1, day 2 i did a 50% water change and nitrites were at 0.3mg/l. Day 3 (couple hours ago) i did a nother 50% water change and is standing at 0.1mg/l (pat myself on the back) the fish are way more happier in the 86ºF with 3 table spoons of sea salt in the water now.

From tomorrow i want to start watering down the salt in the tank with fresh clean water and doing 50% water changes per day for 2 weeks then changing to 2 times a week 50% water changes but remember i am not a breader and dont wanna hear about 100% water changes or dropping my ph or what is my ammonia nitrite and nitrates, i just wanna keep my discus fish alive without knowing my ammonia nitrites ens. Doing everything without being a scientist in a 3rd world country where i dont have antibiotics for my fish or really water test kits.

Thanks in advance for the guys that gives me the easiest awnsers on the forum and dont bother giving me advice the guys who is breeders and advance hobbiests who is gonna criticize.

Kind regards Mike

[Mikemeets]

I forgot to say after the nitrite spike i put 4 stockings of gravel from the 2foot tank they were in onto my sand in the 3foot tank, i had 2 4month cycled cornr filters in my 2 foot tank and moved 1 over yesterday to my 3 foot tank, so im running now the 2 in each side of my tank the marltons bio filter II that were in my friends discus tank, 1 power head filter and now the corner filter from my works 2foot tank.

[Mikemeets]

Question is... how do i get the 2 discus to eat right and grow without showing signs of stress, clamped fins and darkening up and bit on the skinny side

Question 2... did i do the right thing with the salt and high water changes till the tank is cycled properly with bacteria to brake down the ammonia and nitrites of the fish waste... ps its got a big piece of driftwood and 5 normal amazon swords, 1 pigmy chain sword and 1 bush (un-potted) micro sword planted in the sand (i know salt is bad for plants).

[Mikemeets]

Just had a look at the one small one that looks sicks poop... its wite and dark brown mix... meanning in the strand of well poop its got brown areas with wite areas... semi sick fish? Or is its amune system fighting the sickness or is it cos he only eatting when lights are off?

[nc0gnet0]

Thanks in advance for the guys that gives me the easiest awnsers on the forum and dont bother giving me advice the guys who is breeders and advance hobbiests who is gonna criticize.

Sacrifice a chicken and prey to the sun god Aethon, all will be well my friend!

[Disgirl]

Michael, as a brand new member here, with obviously sick fish who need immediate help, it would be best for you and your fish if you don't ask for help and at the same time do it rudely. We have many knowledgeable people here who could offer the help you need, but they sure won't do it when you are giving out your rules on what you will or won't listen to. Some humility and a willingness to learn are what is needed now. As the saying goes, "You will catch many more flies with honey than vinegar."
Barb

[LizStreithorst]

Take Barb's advice.

[two_one_seven]

I think the real question is do you want to help your fish or do what is easiest? Once you make the commitment to take these creatures into your care then you have to follow through. Just listen and learn, you are in the right place for that.

Brian

[OC Discus]

That was my first thought Barb, but I didn't say it.


Michael, as a brand new member here, with obviously sick fish who need immediate help, it would be best for you and your fish if you don't ask for help and at the same time do it rudely. We have many knowledgeable people here who could offer the help you need, but they sure won't do it when you are giving out your rules on what you will or won't listen to. Some humility and a willingness to learn are what is needed now. As the saying goes, "You will catch many more flies with honey than vinegar."
Barb

[hank91]

I think maybe his real connotation was lost in translation. No worries. Let's save some discus.
Sounds like they need medicated but meds are not available to him so what do you all suggest he try? Salt and water temp to 90?

[Mikemeets]

I always see people critisize on forums so I dont need that :) thats basically what I ment, all i want to know is how to keep them healthy and alive besides doing crazy breader tips about 100% water changes, i dont have hunders of ours either to spend on them per day cos of powers that be ie. Work and girlfriend and a baby on the way haha, just wanna know if what im doin is right.

What i have noticed is dont just treat sick fish in a QT setup cos ussually u stress the fish more out with methalin blue and diff water chemistry... what i did is push water temp up to 32ºC add salt and do big water changes but i cant keep that up forever ether cos my girlfriend will divorce me so fast lol all i need is a simple way to keep fish with a balanced outlook at keeping fish healthy and alive but at the same time still having a social life.

[Mikemeets]

Ps i got 4 neon tetras in with the discus doin very well but thought they hate salt so im thinking the neon tetras i got is a hardy bunch... cant figure out how to post pics of my tank but if any of u guys got line msger give me a hello haha user name on line is warlord6999 lol excuse the user name its for a apps game im playin called Rage of Bahamut but yeah lol if anybody needs pics hit me up on line :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Mike, sounds like you have young discus in a uncycled tank and have cross contaminated the tank with sand, fish and filter from other sources. Best you can do for the fish is 100% daily water changes.

Since you also have implied that you will/can not take the above actions perhaps discus are not the right fish for you so keep a community tank without discus so you have time for girlfriend, new baby and work. Just a note, the baby will change your life forever and there will be no social life for a while.

[Mikemeets]

Lol social life was wrong word to use more like social with my baby and wife but lets c how hardy these buggers are, my friend keeping very healthy discus on 50% water changes a weak in the same setup as me and they lay eggs almost weekly but they eat them up, really big discus the size of a medium size dinner plate, dont know maybe South African water just better than rest of the world lets see, ill post pics in 6months time, nitrites are finally on zero and temp is on 32ºC and did a 25% water change this morning and planning on doing 50% in a couple hours, still got 3 very nice discus just 2 are bothering me with clamped fins and hiding from my lfs but other 3 have almost doubled in size since getting them a month ago but just the move from a 2foot 29gallon tank to the 45gallon did not do the other 2 much of a favour... if the 2 make it ithink then they could be stinted or stunted however u okes say it. Lets c still love these buggers lol my apple snails are aswell getting huge and got them with the discus, more a mix setup than a breeder setup. Ow well let time run its course and lets c what happens with them :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Mike, your friend has adults and you have juvies, hence the daily water changes needed for growth and health of your fish.

[Mikemeets]

I got a big pond aswell for 2years with millions of livebearers (swords, mollies platties guppies) in with blackwiddow tetras in thats how goed our water is, had 5 tanks at a time with lots of diff fish in, broke down most my tanks now i only have the pond and 2tanks cos i would not have the money lying around to look after so many tanks haha my angels at work are a very beautiful bunch so if it doesnt work out with the discus ill move over maybe to angel fish instead and add them to the whole mix... i dont understand how a fish for sale to the public can be so hard to keep, should be taken off the lfs list world wide and only be sold thru breeder farms to other pro preeders instead of a pet if u ask me... there is nothing simple about simply discus lol but let me give them a bash and c what happens.

[Mikemeets]

Ohk so if i do daily water changes of 50% wich i can do easy ill be on the right track? Cos 50% a day is easy but i dont wanna do 100% cos its like setting up a 3foot tank everyday which is crazy in my opinion and nothing to enjoy cos u working like a slave, im happy with doing 50% a day and lets c how they turn out and no cross contamenation took place just moved the discus from small tank to new tank and moved pump and gravel over from the old discus tank? Like i said i got nitrites down to 0 so lets check, this is the 1 0 1 of keeping discus fish in the blind with no water test kits ens ens ens like in the stone ages haha f@ck i hate countries that dont have everything fish need cos of price involved of the import stuff... ill just fly over to the states and marry a american girl and problem solved haha sorry not many would like my british sence of humour haha very dry and poor taste ;D

[Mikemeets]

Ps why does my discus poop float??? Doesnt it settle on ur substrate?

[Larry Bugg]

One of the things that really get people stirred up here is when someone comes on asking for help and at the same time states that there are restrictions placed on what the op is willing to do. This is the way this thread started out. Giving limits to remedies and saying I only want an easy way out is very much like saying I don't really want your help and I don't want what is best for my discus. This really puts people off.


ll just fly over to the states and marry a american girl and problem solved haha sorry not many would like my british sence of humour haha very dry and poor taste ;D

If you know your sense of humor is in poor taste then why go there. If you really want help this is not the way to go about getting it!!


Ps why does my discus poop float??? Doesnt it settle on ur substrate?

Discus poop does sink.

Discus really aren't that difficult a fish to keep It only appears to be that way because people tend to not follow some basic steps and the discus get sick. Once sick it is not so easy anymore. All discus really require is good clean water and good quality food. Maintain both of these and you have 90% of discus keeping licked. People tend to get blown out of shape about the 100% water changes but they don't usually realize that we give a definite distinction between juvies and adults and what their water change needs are. With juvies most of us do recommend 100% water changes daily. It just boils down to the fact that in our experiences we have found this necessary in order to grow discus out to their full potential. For most of us our experience has been that not following this results in discus that are stunted in growth which can lead to additional problems. We take a different stance when it comes to adults. They still need plenty of clean water but because they are no longer growing rapidly the need is reduced. With adults some do a 20% to 30% daily and others do a 50% to 75% every 5 to 7 days. I think both methods can work. With my large tanks (125 gallons to 220 gallons) I do about 40% every 3 days.

You don't have to have fancy test kits and shouldn't have to have loads of medication to be able to keep discus. I haven't tested my water in several years. Continue to do the daily water changes and hopefully you will see your discus pull through this. If it was me I would also pull the substrate from the tank because it tends to collect some really nasty stuff in it and really hampers with the ability to grow out discus. I don't usually put any substrate in with discus until they are at least young adults.

[Mikemeets]

Ahhh u c i like Larry already haha he gave me a great awnser and straight to the point, ohk thanx ill do what u state but ill only be doin 50% changes per day for a while till they nice and big but 50% is best i can do for now, ill keep u guys up to date with the fish as i go along per month :)

[Quintin]

Hi mike.Im also From south africa and what you say about unavailabilty of products is untrue as most pet shops carry them and some also have seachem products.Which part of sa are you from?

As for your problem you have uneavenly matched discus sizes.And its not very easy groing juvies in gravel tanks.Remove all other fish from tank and remove all substrate.Do at least 80% water change daily to remove said ammonia,nitrites and nitrates.if the smaller ones dnt get to eat you could put them in a seprate tank for a while.A 3 foot nt so bad , you could do 50% water in the morning and 50% at nite.You also need to feed them 5-6 times a day.Healthy food.

good luck and hope you take the advice,i also have some stunted fish and am also still learning,but by following some basics learned here it has become eisier to keep good large healthy discus.Read the stickies in the bigginers section and you could find so good advice.Oh yes and the 3 foot will eventualy also be too small as you would want at least 6 discus, and basic rule is 10 gallons per discus

[Mikemeets]

Hey Quin lol yup im from Scottburgh on the south coast, my petshop has diddly squat in it and they very small aswell so yeah i was lucky to get my tetra nitrite test kit for 140 bucks!!!! Crazy price but hey if i didnt have it im sure all my fish would be dead with a nitrite reading of 0.8mg/l but got it down to 0 now, i got sand in my tank cos its a planted tank so no luck of taking out the sand, ill just have to explain to the lady that the fish need clean water and do big *** waterchanges per day, i told her the other day when she got grumpy about all the water the whole time that the poor fish cant look after themselves so its my job to make sure they get fresh water haha it worked lol i must move back to pretoria cos there was a huge lfs in attebury value mart that had everything. Ill keep an eye on these buggers lol my 3 big ones are about 8cm long with the 2 small ones at 6cm. The 2small ones i can always move back to their 2 foot tank at work where they were in just till they catch bit of size from eatting again and re add them after a month... ill figure this out how im goin to deal with these nice fish

[Mikemeets]

But good advice so far but ill keep u guys up to date.

[Quintin]

Im from Durban.You should save up some cash and come at least to toti they have good petshop there and you can get what you need.Dnt worry about meds too much as large water changes usualy do the trick.some times the meds even kill the fish.cant you bring the 2 foot from work and save the fish the trip.Discus dont like travveling up and down.If you really gonna keep it planted daily water change will be neccesity.All my tanks are BB as its just way easier to clean.You can keep them in planted tank when they adult 12-15cm.And you will be fine.the problem with juvies being the nt hardy.May i ask where you got ur discus from as healthy fish also better buy.when you get fish that small that are sick they dnt do well to recover easily.

[nc0gnet0]

What's the big deal about a 3 foot tank anyways? heck, most 55's are 4 foot?

[Madaboutdiscus]

Best bet is to completely remove everything from the tank except discus. No substrate no plants no other fish. Just the discus, heater, and filter. Turn your temp back down to 28 but do it slowly. Do daily at least 50% water changes. If you can do bigger that's great if not at least 50. Start there and I'd say your fish will improve. You have some tiny discus and they need good quality care until they're bigger.

~Victoria

[OC Discus]

I would temporarily put them in a holding tank while removing the substrate so they are not exposed to the toxic stuff coming out.


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[Madaboutdiscus]

I would temporarily put them in a holding tank while removing the substrate so they are not exposed to the toxic stuff coming out.


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+1

~Victoria

[Mikemeets]

Ahh ohk sounds like a plan... i could turn the 2 foot tank into a holding tank BB and move it home, grow them out bit then re intraduce them to the bigger tank in a couple months... or ill c about removing the sand in the big tank and keep the 2foot for a hospital tank BB... i get my Discus from a supplier by the name of guy up in durban that supply the petshops, he imports them and ive heard totti got a couple decent petshops around but distance bit hectic but i do go up to totti once a month for my girlfriend to go to kingsway hospital for checkups so let me know where in totti and i could swing by one of them next timee :) thanx so far for the advice.

[Mikemeets]

BBM me if u guys want pics of them... still dont know how to upload pics on this site haha... 7c503e7d... but think im going to move the 2 foot home and make it a BB qt tank or hospital tank cos always good to have a tank on hand for when things dont go right.

[musicmarn1]

Best of luck Mike :) your taking the advice and criticism quite well lol! :angel: Par for the course here, but only truly, because people care and want you to have healthy fish that grow and please you, people fall out of the hobby all the time because they really didn't believe it takes what it takes and it can be a shock. but Larry is right if you love discus once you get them healthy and growing its easy! sick discus are hard lol

the guys here helping you know that success wont happen without a lot of clean water for young ones, it just won't.gravel and young discus just don mix, hence nitrate, from debris.

But I'm excited to hear your progress, your doing it and that's awesome!! we all love it when someone gets their discus healthy again and there is some great advice here, as a beginner I've made lots of mistakes and its true that bare tank bottom with 50% daily will help a lot,

but bullying and stress though will be hard for the little ones, can you get egg crate to divide the tank? Cheap plastic with lots of holes so water moves through but the smaller ones can eat. If they don't get enough now they will be waaaay behind in growth.

Or else yes moving smaller ones to the smaller tank, though they really benefit from being in a larger group for confidence lol.

[Mikemeets]

Ohk i made up my mind, im braking down the 2 foot at work and taking it home to make it a spare tank for my 2 small discus getting beat up by the other 3 strong and healthy 8cm discus, the 2 foot only gonna have a corner filter heater and a T8 20w light in it with a upside down pot in it, cos its only a 29gallon i can do 100% waterchanges in it per day, the 3foot ill do 30gallon changes per day i think its a 45gallon tank so doin 30gallons at a time is more than 50% water changes per day and keep it as my show tank (hate bare bottom tanks) im sure the 2 little ones will bounce back fast in a clean bb tank in a month with no meds

[Mikemeets]

Lol sorry the main msg i sent when i had a couple beers in so i was writting what i was thinkin lol thought everybody gonna complain instead of helping in a nice way... dont text while drunk ahould be this post title hahaha

[OC Discus]

Mike, you might find the aggression just as bad or worse in the tank with three discus. Five is considered minimum unless you have a breeding pair. If so, try to do the other things suggested and use the small tank for hospital/quarantine.

Best of luck

BTW- Aggression is normal and will diminish over time. IME the key to reducing aggression is to feed enough so the bullys get all they want with plenty left for the other fish. Allow about an hour before removing uneaten food. "Overfeeding" is often necessary to help young fish grow, so vigilance with water changes is also necessary to keep the water pure with overfeeding. These two things are the most important things you can do to have healthy fish: 1) Plenty of food, 2) Pristine water. Removing substrate will help with both of these. No where for uneaten food to rot, easy to see and clean the bottom. As others have said, when the fish are grown and require less food substrate might be an option. I have six discus of different colors that are now about 5". The only decoration is two artificial tree stumps that can be taken out and scrubbed. Keeping the tank clean is so much easier.

[Mikemeets]

Ahhh was thinking taking the 2 out could cause other problems with the 3rd in line... i got 2 8cm ones that dont take each others ****, but they like each other aswell, like a love hate relationship haha they always swimming together but they can lock mouths and slap each other silly in a face off but 2min later they school and eat together... paired up by any chance? Or are the equal matched off?

[Mikemeets]

I found overfeeding works and getting the big boys to eat on the one side and sneaking in food at the othersiide so the other 2 snatch up a bit of food b4 the others realize haha sneaky sneaky :P

[Mikemeets]

But 2foot tank is getting broken down on saterday and moving it home, so ill set that up bb... ill keep an eye on the 3rd in line once the 2 have been moved over and c but seen him stand his ground well aswell but not when both the alphas chase him then he backs down but on a one on one he takes it well... when he is in his own corner he shows his colour well and nice and round till the 2 big boys swim by then he makes like a dog scared of the other one ai shame but then as soon as the 2 swim by he opens up again... the 2 small ones just hide and clamped fins + dark in colour... poop still fine tho, checked this morn one of them its brown but thin where the big ones got chunky floaters lol really no jokes yuk... but ill take advice after setting up 2 foot im thinking adding all small ones on sat then braking down the big one by taking out driftwood sand and plants on sunday leaving my 3foot tank ugly and adding them back into the 3foot :( such is life hey

[OC Discus]

Bare bottom doesnt have to be ugly. Especially if you have colorful fish. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/13/my3u7amy.jpg


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[Mikemeets]

Very nice!

[Mikemeets]

Thats now how u do a BB tank

[Mikemeets]

I had my 3foot BB for 3days but the bottom glass scared the crap out of the discus the reflection but could stick a black paper under the tank so that i dont get reflection from the white foam under the tank...

[Madaboutdiscus]

Get some white or light blue colored spray paint and spray paint the bottom. I like the textured stuff I think it looks like sand. Don't spray the inside of the tank spray the outside bottom and sides too if it pleases you.

~Victoria

[Mikemeets]

Haha who is really gonna spray the inside... lol but thanx its a better idea than sticking paper to the outside bottom of the tank

[Mikemeets]

Shame, my lfs got a new discus juvi in yesterday and this mornin its dead cos water temp and conditions were not right :'(

[Mikemeets]

I told them to stop waisting their money and wait for a customer to order them cos their tank setups is for hardy fish and not ment for discus...

[Mikemeets]

Does anybody have any experience with tetra prima? Any good or is it ohk? Im mixing with bloodworms, flakes and now this tetra prima.

[Quintin]

Tetra Prima is fine.I feed imine that some times.Nutrafin Max Discus sinking granules work beter for me though.then if you cn get beef heart its the best for juvies bt makes ur tank slimy.lots of cleaning.

[Mikemeets]

Nah no beef heart for me, ive read up its a messy food yuk lol but thanx on the tetra prima, my discus tasted it and just spat it out the first time lol now they eat it 2nd time round, even my neon tetras try to eat it lol and anything left behind my apple snails get hold of it

[Mikemeets]

Hi guys just converted cm to inches and my two big ones are 4" and 1 is 3 and a half and the small two are 3"... 4 are all eating and the one small one is healthy and cheaky now he eats and when big ones try and chase him he just swims around them and carries on eatting haha... but one has taken a turn for the worst tho still dark and clamped fins, very skinny and poop is white and thin, he still tries to fight the other small one when it comes close but to weak to really chase him away from his corner (death bed) of the tank...

[Mikemeets]

Thinking just to cul the little guy but then again i feel to bad doing that incase he gets better but he could die in the tank and then just remove him... salt and methalin blue wont help him now and antibiotics i cant get hold of in this small stinkin town... i feel bad for the little guy cos ive bonded so well with them for over a month and even more so after doing hectic constant water changes. if he dont pull through i wanna order a nother two 4" blue diamonds to add with the other 4.... otherwise the 4 i got now get along well and handle each other's aggressions very nicely... maybe just stick with them till i get much better with discus fish keeping.

[Quintin]

You will only get better with practise.You will get down sometimes.I also have some fish from guy.Some are great and some are giving grief.We sometimes get excelent fish and stuff them up.Keep up with the water changes and feed well.Perhaps you should move the one problem discus to another tank and that way he wont be stressed by other fish and can recover.Ive recieved some discus from campcon that could not keep themselves up i had to balance them between sponge and side of tank.3 have made it from there the pigeon and cobolt are doing ok and other blue very stunted due to being local punching bag.We learn what works for us.follow the basics and push thru the hard times.Things will improve and be well worth it.Ive had discus for only a year and starting to get the hang of it now,and gt some lovely fishies to watch at nite.There a breeder called gavin here in durban.Give dash a pm for his number.Hes got some good fish that you can pick out ur self.I can also give you linlieghs number he sell 10cm at R250 but it healthy fish let me know

[Quintin]

Post us some pics of ur fish.Click on advanced post then look towards bottom.Manage attachments and add pics there

[Mikemeets]

Yes im looking for young adults like the 10cm for 250rand, ill ask my old man to take pics with his cannon cos he is a photographer and my phone takes terrible pics, post pics bit later, one thing ive noticed at night i turn my bedroom light off then the 4 school nicely together in the front of the tank and even more so when i turn my T8 25W HO plant light off and room light off and only leave the T8 20w LO on just for a little bit of light, 5th small discus is buggered tho doing really nothing in the tank... sad about it but so im learning, ive taken allot of advice on here about big water changes and water conditions ens but thought ill give the bb a skip with these bunch and just work harder on my tank, im not gonna breed or enter comps with them so having a maxed out 5-6" discus is cool by me... the tank is anyways in my room for my personal enjoyment where only me and my girlfriend ever look at them. So im ussing a mix of everybodies advice except to bb my tank :)

[Mikemeets]

Without u guys i would of lost all my fish by now by only doing 25% water changes per week haha

[Quintin]

Yeh.The people here can be a bit harsh sometimes bt keep in mind they been answering the same questions for years.And by keeping to the basics u will do fine.and do what works for you.I have some adults you see in the pics i posted they all stunted at 12-13cm except one thats 14cm and growing.And they lovely too look at.Not every one can grow monsters every time.There is nothing wrong with 12cm discus.Once i have a 6foot tank i will also try planted but only when they fully grown bt thats because it works for me and does not mean you have to do the same.With a planted tank you just gt to clean more thouroly.What you can also try at a later stage is add purigen to ur filter.Its very pricy but after six months you can just bleach it and prime it and use for another 6 months, and the cool thing about it is that it removes all nitrate from Water.And get a bottle of safe its about R600 iave been treating +- 10 tanks for 6 months and it not even on the halfway mark yet it lasts for ever

[Quintin]

Here are some pics of the discus that could nt keep themselves up.The one is horibly stunted and the other geting to 11cm and doing ok bt will never get over 12Cm in my opinion

[Mikemeets]

Ive had my discus just over a mont, 2 going from 2 1/2" to 4" so feel they growing well the others got 3weeks ago going from 2 and 1/2" to 3-3 and 1/2" but ill uplode pics bit later most def

[Mikemeets]

Those are some nice discus even tho they were stunted and sick once apon a time, i would buy those off of u no jokes haha but im happy that u got them back up to be healthy little discus.

[Quintin]

they nt for sale lol.The more they make you work the more u love them.Even the stunted ones.They still living creatures, and deserve a chance.

[Mikemeets]

Haha good choice, my father took pics of them he just editing the pics quick on photoshop then ill figure out how to upload the pics from my phone

[Mikemeets]

Cant seem to upload the pics from my mobile phone... ugh i hate strugglin haha

[Madaboutdiscus]

Try downloading the app Tapatalk for your phone. It works very well.

~Victoria

[Mikemeets]

Ohk im doing that now :)

[Mikemeets]

I cant comment on tapatalk... kkeeps saying log in when i am loged in

[Mikemeets]

Got it

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[Madaboutdiscus]

Good

~Victoria

[Mikemeets]

8265582656

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[Mikemeets]

Befor the sand went into the tank

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[Mikemeets]

8265782658826598266082662

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[Mikemeets]

8266382664826658266682667

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[Mikemeets]

Odds and ends lying on my phone when i just started the tank, ill send decent pics soon as i get the pics from my old man

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[Mikemeets]

When they were in my 2foot at work over a month ago

8267082671

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[Quintin]

Thanx they look ok.Keep us updated good and bad.Theres nt one person here i think that hasnt had a discus die on them.But yeh thay look ok love to see when they adult.

[Mikemeets]

The blue one is it a blue diamond or a cobalt blue?... or rather wait for better pics

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[Quintin]

Heres the shipment i gt from guys importer list due to me being given the two orange ones as they didnt have a home and need batches of 6-8 at least.The pics are when they just arrived ,ill show pics of thier one month update soon.They much smaller than the ones u gt at the moment.Yours should do ok at the size they are at.Realy like to see tham at about 1 year size.Good luck.

[Mikemeets]

I dont know these fish make me bit shaky to own really, always stressing about them beginning to pissmy lady off lol

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[Quintin]

cant see to nicely fromthe pic when sterresed does the fish have bars.If so its a cobolt, if no bars are present and fish just goes dark its probably a diamond as they have barrs bred out of them.But maby someone more experienced could assist.

[Mikemeets]

Im loving the 2 orange ones with black in the fins

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[Quintin]

My wife is understanding about my discus but cant understand how they consume more water than me daily.But it makes me happy and that makes her happy.Not always smooth sailing but we stand together

[Mikemeets]

Sorry my pics are crap cos my camera on my phone is scratched...

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[Quintin]

The orange ones are the smallest but make all other discus cower in the corners at fedding time.They own the Center of the tank.Cant wait to see how it all pans out,the 2 royals are the dark ones that were bit shaky from traveling.they nt doing to great yet but eating well and have hope for them.The 2 brite blue ones are cobolts, see how decieving as no black bars are visible bt no the are nt diamonds.they were in best shape upon arival

[Mikemeets]

5min pics are done editing

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[Mikemeets]

More old pics

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[Quintin]

waiting...sorry love to see discus from our part of the world

[Mikemeets]

They the same as yours lol aswell imported from Guy lolbut he wont sell direct to me i have to go thru my petshop... tried tricking him into sellin straight to me but it did not work haha ai

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[Mikemeets]

Cos guy selling them at 105rand each and my petshop sellin them at 195 each ugh lol

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[Mikemeets]

Just took these with my phone... waitting for my phone to realize there is new pics on my memory card that my father took.

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[Mikemeets]

Here we go finally... enjoy and i know they not the best looking discus but i love them

My one small 3" one that pulled thru that is very cheeky with the big 4" ones haha

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[Mikemeets]

Here is my blue alpha and my 2nd in charge...

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[Mikemeets]

Finally my tank... with calcium buildup on the outside of the tank (2nd hand tank) cant figure out on how to remove it.

[Mikemeets]

Dont know y the main tank pic wont get sent... maybe cos its a wide pic

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[Mikemeets]

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[Mikemeets]

Yellowing of the water is from that big *** driftwood

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[Mikemeets]

Where can i get a breeding pare of 6" discus and where can i get discus here in KZN for a decent price Quintin?

[Quintin]

Ill see whos gt breeding pairs at present and what prices.Ill have to check with the breeders.Just keep in mind that just because they breed for previous owner they mite nt breed for you.They will also nt breed unless water is prestine and raising babies is another major chalenge.Why you dnt check if any of ur fish pair off on thier own once they reach adult.how many discus you gt rite now

[Quintin]

R190 for that size nt bad.Are you sure its guys import as his lists only have 5-6cm discus.yours look more 8cm size.you see how small the ones i gt,but then again i asked them for the smallest possible as the other 2 were about 2-3cm size and i needed something similar

[Mikemeets]

Yup ive had them over a month bud haha thats y they so big :) i think my blue one and 2nd in charge one has paired off or they just good friends, i got 5 at the moment but 5th one not lookin great, only discus in my tank that look very good is the alpha and 2nd in charge the other 2 have their ups and downs like this morning 3 where dark hand hiding except the 2 big ones but when i get home all will be schooling and happy again except the one that i say is realy sick... but got 2that are great friends and always together and healthy

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[Mikemeets]

Im off tomorrow so was going to do a 100% water change just for the health of the fish

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[Mikemeets]

In the main aquarium pic u can see the 2 healthy ones eatting together

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[Mikemeets]

Setting up ahospital or QT tank is lighting a must? Cos all i got in the tank is a filter and heater is that cool for adding the sick one into?

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[Quintin]

yes thats fine.When treating fish it is advisable to keep lights off.So it would be fine.then you can treat him for whatever and do large water changes on his tank and feed him pleanty.Vacuum all food not consumed within the hour

[Mikemeets]

Cos i got a small 1 foot tank for a qt area instead of braking down my 2foot at work

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[Mikemeets]

My friend has a 4foot oscar tank and a 3foot discus tank a 2foot breeding angel tank and 3 other 2foot tanks with alsorts in and i gave him my ooold jebo r338 tank but he is getting a nother 3foot tank this weekend and would like numbers for people to get hold of for a breeding pare of discus or 6juvies for the tank, send me numbers or advice me what to tell him thanx Quintin

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[Mikemeets]

Thanx for all the help Quintin :)

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[Mikemeets]

Some more of my babies :)

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[Mikemeets]

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[Mikemeets]

With the flash on... anybody know what they are? Cobalt, blue diamond, pigeon blood, snakeskin?

[Mikemeets]

Pics dont wanna upload :(

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[Mikemeets]

Working :)

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[Mikemeets]

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[Mikemeets]

They are not getting the best of conditions but they are growing well for having them over a month... even if they get stunted a bit (except 2) they will still be lovely to me :)

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[Quintin]

They look to be Red Turk, Blue Turk, Blue Cobolt.Ur fish look nice, and no offence here first or second pic the discus eyes are very big compared to body IE Stunted.But over all you gt some nice fish and they will probably grow to be between 12-15cm .Nt bad they really cool fish and if you happy with them enjoy they urs.These fish grow on you.You will see

[Quintin]

Before and after pics of delta my STUNTED female.The lite pic was at 8cm.The other 3 pics about 8months later 13cm.Shes my favorite red turk ever

[Mikemeets]

Ive noticed the eyes a bit on the big side haha but its all good ill get them lookin as good as what i can from what ive learned the past week... maybe their bodies catch up to their eyes hahaha :P

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[Mikemeets]

Wow still nice discus those, i dont care about gold winning fish aslong as they look good :) ive had an awesome looking siamese fighter fish in the past, it was huge and bright red... that thing could of ripped a oscars head off thats how big it was, sad that it died of old age but ill post pics when i find them, it was easy 4" long and 3" top to bottom lol if this was a siamese fighter fish forum that fish would of been winning golds lol.... but sadly u cant nearly compare a siamese fighter with a discus cos of their water conditions, any ******* can grow out a siamese fighter on a good diet with decent water but takes a pro to do discus

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[Mikemeets]

Im sure i got red turqs and blue turqs and most def blue cobalt cos it got bit of stress bars on it

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[Mikemeets]

Just google searched it u are right on the fish they are what u say they are :)

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[Quintin]

Its not as impossible as people make it i actualy have one male siamese fighter per discus tank and they fite with the discus for food.I wouldnt put betta in oscar tank though.Last one went bang, crash smash.Never saw betta again.Bt my oscar does eat anything including fish and chips take away.PS remove batter before feeding oscar hake.LOLhere a pic of Fluffy/Mr Oscar AKA Mr OSCAR Pistorius.Wink Wink

[Quintin]

PS about the PM u sent me this is pic Of SHWEET Daddy D male discus Im willing to board At ur friends place.

[Mikemeets]

Lol just looking for a male to fert some eggs of a discus looking like a white pigeon... let me see if i can find a pic of his quick

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[Mikemeets]

They look like these... would love to c what babies come from this miz82755

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[Mikemeets]

Riaan wanna move his 2 huge oscars to a 3foot tank and move his discus over to the 4foot 55gallon for breeding but lets see what he does, he got 4 1year old 7" discus all laying eggs... hows his luck with just females haha

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[Quintin]

Oh ok.If hes fish is pigeon based i would nt suggest trying to breed x with turk you only heading for UGLY Wabbas.Ill see who gt pigeon based males and drop u a PM.oh and one more thing if parents are white ore albino he may have to raise the fry on egg yolk and thats a nitemare alltogether.The fry cant see the parents as they are attracted to dark colors and therefore would starve if you dnt hand rear them

[Mikemeets]

Dude haha u got lots of fish... are u retired being able to look after all those fish??? Lol ur garage must be packed with tanks lol but like your oscars aswell and u would like riaans 20cm oscars lol

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[Quintin]

I have the same kak in my adult tank with only one male and hes being harrased.The pics you posted are more likely checkerboards and could do just fine with my turk.It up to him.Ill keep u posted.PS tell ur friend to at least keep 1 oscar per 4 foot.THey need thier space.Anyway id do the same as my discus are my first love and all other fish fair game.Id like to contact him regarding his oscars.Perhaps we could do an exchange programme.HE HE

[Mikemeets]

Ill go take a pic of his discus on saterday quick and post on here they are really a healthy bunch but think his canester external tetra filter is making those discus grow so big, wanna get me a canester filter aswell, u dont have a conection with external filters by any chance? Bio sponge filters are good but nothing beats a external canester filter

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[Quintin]

No its nt as easy as it seems friend.I turned 27 Yesterday.Have too many fish tanks and any excuse to get another will do.Im married for 4 years. gt a six year old daughter and 3 month old baby.Manage Locksmith shop,Import And wholesale fish have a Fish shop and am on 24hour call out duty.And still manage to go on discus forum till god nows what time of the morning.(wait i think im having a stroke, No wait im fine) see its nt immposible to be a discus freak.Keep up the hard work and you will enjoy the benifits

[Quintin]

I can organise a canister filter for you through my wifes pet shop.Ill tell my wife you a discus dude and try gt you discount.Im using hang on back filter with 2 sponges bt thats just me.Mabey ur friend just has exceptionalla gd water where hes at that also helps.We should meet up some time.Ill pm you a price on canister filter tommorow.canisters can get noisy after a whaile just a warning

[Mikemeets]

Hahaha im 27 aswell with my first on HIS way haha cant wait, bit ill pm u my number and when u on the south coast pop by, Riaan works in durban so its easy for him to swing by u and have a look at your fish, he wont mind having a "baster" mix discus lol cos it will be his first batch out of his discus, but sure he will want one of my red turqs or blue turqs once they are big if they are males to breed with his aswell... but he got many months to wait and i dont think he can wait lol how u transport ur discus if u had to move them? In a dark bucket with pump inside and heater?

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[Mikemeets]

Im running in my 3foot 2 boi sponge marltons filters, 1 corner cycled filter, a power head filter blowing against a smaaall power filter so that it doesnt cause a current in my tank haha doing the job but way to many filters in my tank so i need all the space i can get out of my 3foot tank and a canester would be perfect

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[Quintin]

If its just to the coast ill put him in 25 litre bucket no air or heater.I dnt keep my discus at work in durban.The oscar is there though.I live in drummond and travvel 50km to work every day.My wife gt horses so we live on farm.He welcome to come check our shop thogh.And i love driving so comming down nt a problem.Im getting a shipment from daro next month so check thier website and tell me what u want i can bring it down with my discus.Good luck with ur upcomming laaity.Trust me they lots of sleepless nites but they well worth it.Look at it this way in 10 years time they can do our water changes HE he.Im cruel sorry.I just spent my first fathersday and birthday with my first born son and it was great.Carefull of THE FACE.THey get u every time.

[Quintin]

Im running one 800 L a Hour Internal filter In my 3 foot baby Bare bottom tank doing 50% morning And 50% nite water changes.Doing just fine and the filter will set u back about R300 compared to R1000 plus for canister.Bt it up to you dude.If i was you id just put double outlet airpump with 2 large sponge filters it works every time

[Mikemeets]

Exactly what ive got lol double outlet airpump with 2 marlots boi sponge filters... the corner filter just there cos it was in their 2 foot tank that they were in and its cycled and i did not have a cycled tank cos of first post on here i had a nitrite spike but tank cycled now with ammonia, nitrites at 0 and nitrates at 5ppm so ill leave corner filter in just for a nother month for the bio filters to catch up with bacteria... lol my kid will be here end of august so im sure lots of sleepless nights coming haha, what im looking for from daro is a dewormer for my discus that wont stuff up my bio filters cos dont wanna cycle a tank ever again in my life hahaha

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[Mikemeets]

Hahaha!!!! My kid gonna do water changes till he blue in the face... he gonna know everything about fish and water quality haha i got a feeling my monkey gonna be a marine biologist lol

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[Mikemeets]

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[Quintin]

Ill let you know what i can get at what price and you cn let me know.Im ok when it comes to the cycled tank as i do 100% water changes.But i take one sponge from established tankes for each new tank to help things along.Just a rough ideadea of ohow fish requirements differ.The good rating for juvies is 2-5ppm on nitrates but adult tanks can handle 500ppm nitrites so you work it out.Babies are hard work.Hmmm sweat sweat sweat

[Quintin]

They should give kids a discus tank for biology in matric if fish are well and unstunted after 6 months u pass iff nt a gd hiding and try again.Just joking but if i had a discus tank in matric id appreciate biology much more i think

[Mikemeets]

Thanx u do that please, im off to bed haha u know the time lol 2moro im doing a 100% water change on my tank on my off day so need my beauty sleep for that haha let me know if u need contact numbers from me or rian or email adresses i can get hold of that, got bbm, wattsapp, line messenger and now tapatalk so take ur pic on how to get hold of me hahaha

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[Mikemeets]

Agree about the discus tank in biology hahaha... hated it then haha

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[Quintin]

Good Nite.Tanks are refilling behind me rite now should be done by 2AM.Then sleep till 4 whan Baby wakes me up and then another day of slaving away at work enjoy ur fish and dnt give up

[Mikemeets]

Hahaha hectic water changes, yup i wish i found this forum b4 i stunted my discus but this batch was my learning curve batch, next batch ill have in a 4foot tank doing what i must from day one... still frustrating when u know u were the cause of having them stunted lol but ill try and fill them out as much as i can for the next 6months.

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[Mikemeets]

How do i upload a video here of my friends females laying eggs?

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[Mikemeets]

My number is 074 781 8155

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[Mikemeets]

Oh btw Riaan has moved his 4 females to his custom 4 foot tank but its much deeper and wider than your general 4foot tanks haha and they are already lying eggs on the silicone corners of the tank lol and eatting them due to no fert taking place from a male, he moved his 2oscars to the 3foot tank but he getting a nother 3foot this weekend but think he is gonna use that as a breeding tank for the Discus.

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[Mikemeets]

Do u know of the importers from alberton up in joburg? Spoke yo them a month ago about importing for me but they were talking about 15 000- 40 000 rands stock they wanna bring in but to rich for my blood

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[Mikemeets]

Gary is his name and here is his number maybe both u guys can import together 083 787 5545

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[Mikemeets]

Here goes tell me what u guys think of my friends 4 female discus...

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[Mikemeets]

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[Mikemeets]

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[Mikemeets]

7" babies these lol

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[Mikemeets]

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[Mikemeets]

Nice Discus he got and would love to have mine like that 1 day

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