Another introduction

[Meshelly]

Hello, I am Meshelly. I reside in Kansas and am ready to acquire my first discus. I have been the caretaker for a couple of 55+ gallon community aquariums for about a year and a half. And in that time I have learned a ton. But I am desiring the next level of challenge. I have been researching discus for several months. And I have a tank that I believe is finally in the right place with it's water chemistry. So, I am now beginning to look into different vendors to purchase my first discus. Needless to say, I am a touch excited. ;)

[rickztahone]

Welcome to the forum Meshell! I like it when someone joins us and says they have done their research. Planning is a big part of the hobby. With that said, what are your specific plans for this upcoming tank? Maybe we can help you a little :).

The best advice I can give you is to go ahead with purchasing from a vendor here. Further advice? If you can wing it, become a Premium Member (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?104050) and you actually get good discounts with some of our discus sponsors as well as other sponsors that sell dry goods, other forms of food. In essense, the membership almost pays itself at first with the acquiring of the discus. Plus, it helps our great forum stay up and running :)

Again, welcome, and please let us know if you need help with anything.

[Meshelly]

My soon to be discus tank is a 65 hex. I have a very thin layer of sand at the bottom and a large piece of driftwood that still has the water a tea color (how long will that last?). Otherwise, the tank is empty of décor. I am running two filters on it at the moment. One is a canister and the other is a sponge. Right now it has 28 neon tetras that are doing well with the 83 degree temperature. I figure I'll put several of those neons into my community tank(s) as the discus begin to get bigger. Oh, and I almost forgot there are also two bristlenose plecos (we call them mud and sauce) that have lived in that tank for a year and a half.

On the water chemistry, pH tends to be stable around 7.0. I have thought about trying RO DI, but am not sure if it is necessary. I flip flop on that issues as I read. Nitrites are always zero. Ammonia is always .25. Nitrates are at 5-10 ppm. We had a month a couple of months ago where we could not get nitrates below 40. The lfs owner suggested that our gravel might be losing it's paint. We removed our pretty green gravel and have been at 5-10 since. :D

[Eddie]

Welcome Meshelly. Is ammonia . 25 from tap? Must have chloramines?

All the best with your new tank!

[Chad Hughes]

Welcome to the best forum on EARTH! ;)

[Meshelly]

Ammonia out of the tap is .5 the one time I tested it. I have put a lot more effort into checking nitrates and pH of our tap water.

[rickztahone]

Ammonia out of the tap is .5 the one time I tested it. I have put a lot more effort into checking nitrates and pH of our tap water.

If you have a fully cycled tank, none of these should be of too much concern. Now, if your pH fluctuates, that is another story and you would need to age the water.

[Keith Perkins]

Welcome to the forum. Hard to say how long the driftwood will stain the water, but it will continually lessen and discus won't mind the tannins in the least anyway. As far as who to buy from, any one of the sponsors here. See who has the fish you like the looks of best and then buy with confidence. All have great quality healthy fish, so it's just a matter of which has the coloration etc. that trips your trigger the most. Good luck deciding.

[Eddie]

Ammonia out of the tap is .5 the one time I tested it. I have put a lot more effort into checking nitrates and pH of our tap water.

Okay so your source water is treated with chloramines, not an issue. If the filters are cycled, the ammonia should read zero eventually. It's not even really an issue with a ph of 7.

Can't wait to see the setup.

Eddie

[Meshelly]

Last night my husband told me, "Piss or get off the pot." So, I finally ordered my first discus. They should arrive tomorrow. In defense of my husband, our tank has been stable for a month and I have been sharing all that I am learning with him. So, I guess he figures that we have several months of research behind us and it is time to get the actual experience of discus....or maybe he is a touch excited too? :confused:

[Loosir]

So, I finally ordered my first discus. They should arrive tomorrow.
Here's a bit of advice. When you get your fish you must immediately post photos or Rickztahone will flip out!! :D:D:D but seriously Congrats!

[rickztahone]

Here's a bit of advice. When you get your fish you must immediately post photos or Rickztahone will flip out!! :D:D:D but seriously Congrats!

Yes....yes he will.....













:mods:

[Meshelly]

Don't freak out yet. Fex Ex tracking says they're in the truck, but they aren't here yet. :p

[Eddie]

Don't freak out yet. Fex Ex tracking says they're in the truck, but they aren't here yet. :p

Nice!

[Meshelly]

The fish arrived alive and well. They are still pretty pale, but they were beginning to get a little bit of color when I left to come to work. I tried to take a couple of pictures, but they did not turn out very well. I will attach one of those for now.
91071

[Loosir]

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

[rickztahone]

The fish arrived alive and well. They are still pretty pale, but they were beginning to get a little bit of color when I left to come to work. I tried to take a couple of pictures, but they did not turn out very well. I will attach one of those for now.
91071

Do you have another picture of these? Where did you purchase from?

[Meshelly]

I am posting another picture. The first picture was taken when they first arrived around noon. These next two pictures were taken around 8 p.m. tonight. They are gaining color, but they still aren't eating. I know, it is early. I went ahead and did a 30% WC in hopes of not disturbing them too much, but also in hopes of getting a routine going. I am looking forward to turning more light on so I can see them better. But I will state that I have enjoyed watching them begin their 'pecking order'. If I have them identified correctly, the dark angel is the most dominate with one of the blue diamonds in close second. And the Marlboro red is the one that comes out of hiding the least.

I order these little guys from Hans. They are only 2.5" and there are 2 blue diamonds, 2 red pigeon bloods, 1 Marlboro red, and 1 dark angel. I thought about ordering bigger fish, but I kept coming back to the thought that if I can grow them from 2.5 then I can consider letting them spawn if two happen to pair off...which is something I haven't read that much on and I find interesting, but scary.

91079
91080

[rickztahone]

Hans has quality discus. I would have suggested to not use sand if you were going to grow out discus, especially at that size. Good luck, feed a lot and do a lot of water changes and you will have some nice big discus soon :)

[Loosir]

I order these little guys from Hans. You have chosen wisely! ;) I also have Stendkers and love them to death

[Meshelly]

The spouse got in the way of bare bottom. The tank is in the living room and he was very adamant about wanting something on the bottom of the tank....of course that was at a point where I had removed all the gravel that he had previously liked. So, a thin layer of sand was our compromise.

Also, they had even more color this morning. Only one ate anything, but I am sure they'll be more open to eating later today.

[rickztahone]

The spouse got in the way of bare bottom. The tank is in the living room and he was very adamant about wanting something on the bottom of the tank....of course that was at a point where I had removed all the gravel that he had previously liked. So, a thin layer of sand was our compromise.

Also, they had even more color this morning. Only one ate anything, but I am sure they'll be more open to eating later today.

yes, they will take a while to adapt. Typically I tell people to not even try to feed their discus the first 2 days. They typically just don't eat and you leave crud on the tank floor. By the 3rd day they should be super hungry.

[Meshelly]

Thanks for the encouragement. I tried feeding them before my water change tonight and several of them did enjoy a flake or two. They seem more stressed by tonight's WC, but they are still doing well.

[rickztahone]

They will also get used to frequent water changes. Want advice? Don't tiptoe around your tank. In fact, when I do WC's I tend to be a lot louder than I should be, but my discus grew used to it, just as all my previous discus. When I am about to do a WC, I lightly tap the hose attachment to the back tank pane and they don't freak out any more. They know what's about to happen, lol. This is only after a few months of having this group btw.

[Meshelly]

Good news! A quote from my husband (partially in jest), "I'll go feed our favorite children." And then he went to the freezer and pulled out the beef heart. I think he is coming around to being more than just impartial towards the discus!

[Keith Perkins]

Sounds like the fish aren't the only creatures being trained. Well done.

[Akili]

For water changes ask him to give the favorite children a bath, mind you no soap just a rinse !!!

[Meshelly]

Akili, that is hilarious. I think I have awhile before I'll ever get him to do a water change. I am just happy that he is enjoying them too. I love that when we go up to the tank they come out to greet us!