Help!

[mkelly66]

OK, so I have jumped into Discus with no planning ect.. So please don't beat me up! I have a 40 gallon bow front that I have had running for a while. I have 2 fluval/aquaclear 70's and a 40 gallon sponge filter running. I upped the temp. to 85/86F. Tank is bare bottomed, with some rock formations and a # of live plants, both floating and "potted". I already do a 20/25% water change 4/5 times a week. I had 6 mixed angels that I raised from quarter size to small breeder size. I gave them to my Nephew to have some fun with breeding. Also in this tank are a few tetras, mixed danios, and some neons.
The LFS had various discus 2/2 1/2 in. for sale. So I bought 4 of various colors and 1 - 3 1/2 in. I'm remodeling the basement so eventually they will be moving down stairs into a similar setup but in a 72 gallon bow front.
Having said all that, they are thin, though they are taking black worm. I think I need to treat them prophylactically, just to ward off any problems. So what do you guys suggest?

[rickztahone]

First, I will start by welcoming you on board :)

You are not going to like what you hear, I can certainly tell you that. You have done everything backwards, and because you dove right in, it makes it that much more difficult to correct your mistakes.

I'm sure I have your attention now. The first problem is that you went to an LFS to get discus. Considering the fact that you (someone who admittingly doesn't know much about discus) think they are thin makes me think they are in even worse shape than you may think.

Secondly, that tank is way too small for discus. It is good that you have a plan to place them in a larger tank, but I probably would have done that from the get-go.

Your filtration seems adequate. Your temp can go down to 82-83F. Having plants and other things crowding an already crowded tank is not very practical. You will need to up your water change percentage to at least 50% and you can get away with doing 5x weekly changes. You should aim for feeding them a lot and you can possibly get some size to them, depending how they look. A picture would help tremendously here.

[Pardal]

Just for that size of fish and the need to feed them heavily to avoid stunt fish, most of us do water changes daily.
You got the bare bottom part right though. But those of us that learn from our mistakes a way back will always quarantine for about six weeks. Don't want to beat you up. but read as much as you can from this forum as is a lot to put in one post in organized fashion. Also
Check the sponsors here on simply you will have quality fish to start with it.

Julian

[Jack L]

read through this stuff

http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/index.shtml

meds, well you didn't qtank, so sort of miss that step in the process. id apply careful observation

[warblad79]

I think your biggest mistake is buying from LFS. You have a decent setup but if I were you I would definitely ditch the other fish, plants and other stuff that's take so much space. They need a lot of space to swim and also water changes. So its very important to remove the unnecessary stuff.

[krislewis3]

Can you post photos of your discus? Since you don't know much about discus, perhaps they aren't thin, but just young. Jumping in with meds, when you don't have a diagnosis might make matters worse! Photos would be helpful for some of the more experienced folks here to gain more insight on their health, thereby giving them the ability to better advise you.