New discus owner with lots of discus questions :D

[Juku Eja]

Hi all,

Brand new to the forum here from Indonesia and happy to announce that I've very recently purchased half a dozen young discus fish. They're only been in my tank for less than 36 hours but thank heavens they are already eating and looking relaxed, if not still a teeny bit sheepish.

Being a discus newbie, naturally I have a ton of questions but let's do one thing at a time so you guys won't be annoyed by me. For this post I'll post a few pictures of my tank and the 6 new discus, and then if anybody would so kindly answer or give their valued opinion to a couple of things :

1. What kinds of discus do I have? This is the first time that I'm a bit intimidated by the sheer number of different varieties and strains and names for a single species of ornamental fish.

2. How are they looking right now in terms of shape, colour/pattern, stuntedness, and what can I expect from them in terms of future colouring and sizes if given decent care and diet? I got them from a couple of local LFS and they're all about 7 cm from nose to peduncle. I'm aware they are most definitely not in the upper range in regards to quality with the prices I'm getting them for (ranging from Rp 50-60.000, which equates to $4-5 per fish), so I tried my best to look for the best body shape and health out of the lot.

My plan in getting young discus instead of more mature ones are firstly because of their lower prices (doesn't hurt that much if anything bad happens to them), and secondly also I want them to become used to the small schooling fishes already in the tank so they can hopefully see that they're friends, not food.

So, on to the pics then!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/tank.jpg
The tank they're in. Around 480-litre (125g) planted tank with a 120-litre sump underneath. Been established for about 6 months and housing rainbowfish, Harlequin rasbora, a couple species of Asian barbs, and extensive clean-up crew of young BN catfish, small cobitis loaches, Caridina typus shrimps, and trumpet snails for sub-substrate cleaning.

The discus!
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/red-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/red-03.jpg
First 2 are these ones. I'm guessing they're Red melons? Personally in my eyes they're the most decent in terms of body shape and potential for growth.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/yellow-01.jpg
This one is a Yellow Pigeon Blood, methinks? Sorry for the poor pic, was taken only a few hours after purchase, so still very shy. Looks in good shape and also good potential for growth.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/stripes-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/stripes-02.jpg
This one is also still very shy during the shoot, and it's a Turquoise, I think? Maybe a little stunted?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/group-03.jpg
The two shy ones hiding under a log.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/blue-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/blue-02.jpg
These two are I think are the least compared to the others in terms of shape and growth potential. Can see the bigger eyes relative to the body size. Also colouration a bit darker than desired. Blue Diamonds, right?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/group-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/group-02.jpg
The blues and reds together.

Thanks all looking forward to the replies.
Riz

[mkng07]

I'm no judge but your discus look really nice

[Juku Eja]

I'm no judge but your discus look really nice

Thanks Matt, I hope they will grow and bulk up well

[SNap0283]

Welcome to Simply! The type of fish appear to be more or less what you labeled them as. Breeders all give different names to different fish when its really a lot more simple than that. The "blue diamonds" are the only ones im unsure of. They may be cobalts or may be blue diamonds. If they have stress bars they are cobalt, the picture was hard to tell for sure.

To me these fish look to be nice quality. Its hard to know for sure based on just a few pictures but the shape and eye to body size ratio looks good aside from the blue ones. The blue appear to be a bit stunted and have an elongated shape. As for growing these guys out I can not stress enough how difficult it will be to grow them to full potential in a planted tank with other fish. Young discus grow much better in bare bottomed tanks with only other discus in there. Based on their size that is how I would suggest you raise them for about 1 year, then they will be ready for a planted tank. If you simply must raise them in the tank then you need to be prepared for daily 90% water changes and spend upwards of an hour wiping down everything and cleaning the substrate COMPLETELY. Even then they will not grow to have great shape and will not grow to full size.

[Juku Eja]

Hi Snap, thanks for the extensive reply.

The blues appear to have no mood bars whatsoever so pretty sure they are Diamonds instead of Cobalts.

Thanks for the compliment for the quality of the fish. Regarding raising them in a planted tank, I have spent hours reading about the pros and cons of doing so prior to purchasing the fish, and basically have come to a compromise and accept that in the end the fish probably won't grow as big as they should if I have kept them in a BB tank and feed them the high protein diet most people do. That's why I get the "lower-end" fish so that I don't have sky high expectations of them. All I can do is give them the best possible water condition (shouldn't be a problem with my oversized filtration) and as good a diet as possible within reason for a planted tank. Currently I am feeding TetraBits, frozen BW, live daphnia and mashed up vege alternately. If they get to 6-7 inches long, that would be great and any bigger would be a welcome bonus.

[krislewis3]

In my limited experience, it's not just the potential size of the fish that is a concern in a planted tank, but the health of the fish. Once you have a health problem, which isn't unusual in this hobby, your plants and substrate will complicate the matter, and you may lose some fish! In the end, you may realize that plants and substrate work better once your fish are adults, and have less health concerns! Good luck....Kris

[Akili]

All I can do is give them the best possible water condition (shouldn't be a problem with my oversized filtration) and as good a diet as possible within reason for a planted tank. Currently I am feeding TetraBits, frozen BW, live daphnia and mashed up vege alternately. If they get to 6-7 inches long, that would be great and any bigger would be a welcome bonus.Live foods can carry pathogens that can infect pet fish with diseases that are difficult to cure.So be careful while feeding live daphnia.

[krislewis3]

In my limited experience, it's not just the size of the fish that will be affected by a planted/substrated tank, but more importantly, their health. Once you have a health issue (not uncommon in this hobby) your chances of keeping your fish alive in a planted tank go way down. My advice.....don't wait until one or more fish get sick, clear your tank to a bb now, and once the fish are full grown, and stable, put your substrate and plants back in! Good luck....Kris

[Stefanusgo]

Juku Eja, Selamat Natal dan tahun baru! I'm originally from Malang and now reside in the U.S. I'm also new to the discus hobby and have already made many mistakes just like the ones you're about to make. I bought my first discus in May and by July, they all started getting sick and died one after another. They were young juvies and I had them in a planted and sanded tank. Didn't know I needed consistent water changes and never realized the importance of a clean bottom. They were always skiddish and hiding in the corners or under a plant. Never swam around, just stayed in one place most of the day. The result was I lost most of them and the ones that survived are now all stunted. At about 10 or 11 months old, they're all still only 3 or 3.5 inches long with big eyes. I don't expect them to grow to 6 inches. As a matter of fact, I'll be extremely happy if they get to 5". By the end of July, I found this site and just kept reading. It was all I did for a week. I learned a lot about the fish and what they need to thrive and stay healthy.
By August I decided to buy 125 and after a few weeks, moved them from the 75 gallon. I also kept the new tank bb and performed 50% daily water changes. In September, I bought a few more juvies and the results of the new batch is incomparable to the first. After a few weeks of qt, I added them to the 125. Now, they're already much larger than the first batch. They swim around all day, and never hide as I or anyone approaches the tank. They actually come up to the front of the tank if anyone approaches. I can't tell you how important water changes are and how vital the cleanliness of the bottom should be. This is just my experience with these fish and the vast difference in the results of my first and second batch of fish. Ultimately, they're your fish and you can care for them the way you see fit. However, if you're looking to get 6 inch healthy discus, you won't get that without proper care and maintenance. I wish you the best of luck and I hope they give you as much joy as I have found with mine.

Stefan

[Jack L]

In my limited experience, it's not just the potential size of the fish that is a concern in a planted tank, but the health of the fish. Once you have a health problem, which isn't unusual in this hobby, your plants and substrate will complicate the matter, and you may lose some fish! In the end, you may realize that plants and substrate work better once your fish are adults, and have less health concerns! Good luck....Kris

fish must be cheap there. in States, at a LFS, those go for $40 + $US and look the same as far as quality.
but IME they can change a LOT as they grow, what looks good now may be goofy later, but that is part of the growing out.

plants...yeah, even the heat that Ds like will not work well with some plants, and if you need to raise the temp higher for some reason, that will definitely nail some plants. that said, i do planted.

you don't have to ask a lot of questions, there is a ton your can read here http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?48-Discus-Basics-for-Beginners

it would have been better to read up prior to buying, but better late than never

[Jack L]

i like your tank. but growing in there is going to be a lot of hassle.

i were you, i would go buy another, tank. take the Ds out of your display and feed them i an boring glass box, and do what all the discus pros say.

you are going to have a mess in your display tank if you start feeding them like you need to and raise the temps up.

[Juku Eja]

Live foods can carry pathogens that can infect pet fish with diseases that are difficult to cure.So be careful while feeding live daphnia.
Very aware of that. However, if one of the leading discus farms in the US feeds their young discus their own cultured live daphnia, why wouldn't I?


In my limited experience, it's not just the size of the fish that will be affected by a planted/substrated tank, but more importantly, their health. Once you have a health issue (not uncommon in this hobby) your chances of keeping your fish alive in a planted tank go way down. My advice.....don't wait until one or more fish get sick, clear your tank to a bb now, and once the fish are full grown, and stable, put your substrate and plants back in! Good luck....Kris
Thanks for the concern Kris and I totally understand where you're coming from. That's why I'm starting my discus venture with, for lack of a better word, "cheap" fish so if I happen to lose a few I won't feel too guilty. As for clearing out my tank to become BB, er...that's a bit of a tall order with 6 months worth of growth in there. As I said before, what's happening now is a compromise and my responsibility is to get the best out of both worlds as much as I can.


Juku Eja, Selamat Natal dan tahun baru! I'm originally from Malang and now reside in the U.S. I'm also new to the discus hobby and have already made many mistakes just like the ones you're about to make. I bought my first discus in May and by July, they all started getting sick and died one after another. They were young juvies and I had them in a planted and sanded tank. Didn't know I needed consistent water changes and never realized the importance of a clean bottom. They were always skiddish and hiding in the corners or under a plant. Never swam around, just stayed in one place most of the day. The result was I lost most of them and the ones that survived are now all stunted. At about 10 or 11 months old, they're all still only 3 or 3.5 inches long with big eyes. I don't expect them to grow to 6 inches. As a matter of fact, I'll be extremely happy if they get to 5". By the end of July, I found this site and just kept reading. It was all I did for a week. I learned a lot about the fish and what they need to thrive and stay healthy.
By August I decided to buy 125 and after a few weeks, moved them from the 75 gallon. I also kept the new tank bb and performed 50% daily water changes. In September, I bought a few more juvies and the results of the new batch is incomparable to the first. After a few weeks of qt, I added them to the 125. Now, they're already much larger than the first batch. They swim around all day, and never hide as I or anyone approaches the tank. They actually come up to the front of the tank if anyone approaches. I can't tell you how important water changes are and how vital the cleanliness of the bottom should be. This is just my experience with these fish and the vast difference in the results of my first and second batch of fish. Ultimately, they're your fish and you can care for them the way you see fit. However, if you're looking to get 6 inch healthy discus, you won't get that without proper care and maintenance. I wish you the best of luck and I hope they give you as much joy as I have found with mine.

Stefan
Hi Stefan, Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru juga! How lucky you are to be able to live in the US.
Sorry to hear about what happened to your first batch of discus. Certainly wouldn't want it to happen to mine but thank heavens early signs after a couple of days are very encouraging. All six fish are active and moving about at their own pace all over the tank. Most are definitely not afraid of me coming close to the glass and they all are even already eating frozen BW out of my fingers. So, fingers crossed!

[Juku Eja]

fish must be cheap there. in States, at a LFS, those go for $40 + $US and look the same as far as quality.
but IME they can change a LOT as they grow, what looks good now may be goofy later, but that is part of the growing out.

plants...yeah, even the heat that Ds like will not work well with some plants, and if you need to raise the temp higher for some reason, that will definitely nail some plants. that said, i do planted.

you don't have to ask a lot of questions, there is a ton your can read here http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?48-Discus-Basics-for-Beginners

it would have been better to read up prior to buying, but better late than never

Hi Jack,
Temps here are already steady at 29-31C for months despite my best efforts to lower it. Perks of being in a tropical country, eh? The plants that couldn't stand those temps have already died off long ago. So at least on the temperature side I'm quite safe.

Thanks for the link and believe me that I've read up as many articles, threads, and watch videos until my eyes water before buying. So yeah I guess I'm a sucker for punishment :p

[Ryan]

Hi Riz,

Welcome aboard!

I'll just jump right in with the fish. IMO they are already a little behind in growth, and some don't have the best shape. That's obviously not your fault as you just got them. The large eye size, especially on the first ones (red pigeons, whatever trade name you give them) are an indicator that they've fallen behind. I have seen miracles on Simply in the past -- people have bought horribly runted fish from the LFS and somehow managed to get them to grow and look decent as adults. It just depends on how far their growth has fallen behind. At some point they do reach a "point of no return" where no amount of good food or water changes will help them. Only time will tell if that's the case for you.

In terms of shape, the blues and the turquoise fish look the best IMO. The turk is actually pretty round, and though the blues have a bit of a pointy face (usually not a desirable factor in discus), a lot of the blue diamond types do carry that shape as youngsters. It's not uncommon for them to be a bit pointy. If you look closely at the tails of the blues, you'll see a black bar between the caudal peduncle and the caudal fin -- this bar would not be present in high quality blue diamonds. This leads me to believe that they're probably a BD cross or throwback of some sort.

As you've probably read by now, growing out young discus is highly dependent on keeping their water very clean. This is usually harder in a display tank with substrate and plants. That's not to say that it can't be done, but it's certainly more work for you. Our recommendation here has always been bare bottom grow out tanks, and that's for one very simple reason -- we know it works. It's sort of our way of helping people get onto the right path with discus. It's a proven method that almost always ensures success. It's not the only way, and people are free to throw that advice out the window, but it's the easiest way to get your feet wet with discus and get comfortable with their needs and their quirks.

My suggestion is to try your hand at these and see how they do for you. If things go well, great. If they don't, you can always make adjustments and try again. Everyone here has had a set of "starter" discus. Once you feel comfortable with them and you learn what to look for in terms of color, shape, and overall health, you can always look for higher quality fish at a later date.

I will say that starting with larger fish (5"+) in a display tank tends to make life much easier, but of course they will cost you a lot more in the beginning.

At any rate, enjoy your first venture with discus. I hope you find them enjoyable. Most of us are here because we got bit by the "discus bug" at some point and never looked back.

[fishguy456]

Juku Eja, Selamat Natal dan tahun baru! I'm originally from Malang and now reside in the U.S. I'm also new to the discus hobby and have already made many mistakes just like the ones you're about to make. I bought my first discus in May and by July, they all started getting sick and died one after another. They were young juvies and I had them in a planted and sanded tank. Didn't know I needed consistent water changes and never realized the importance of a clean bottom. They were always skiddish and hiding in the corners or under a plant. Never swam around, just stayed in one place most of the day. The result was I lost most of them and the ones that survived are now all stunted. At about 10 or 11 months old, they're all still only 3 or 3.5 inches long with big eyes. I don't expect them to grow to 6 inches. As a matter of fact, I'll be extremely happy if they get to 5". By the end of July, I found this site and just kept reading. It was all I did for a week. I learned a lot about the fish and what they need to thrive and stay healthy.
By August I decided to buy 125 and after a few weeks, moved them from the 75 gallon. I also kept the new tank bb and performed 50% daily water changes. In September, I bought a few more juvies and the results of the new batch is incomparable to the first. After a few weeks of qt, I added them to the 125. Now, they're already much larger than the first batch. They swim around all day, and never hide as I or anyone approaches the tank. They actually come up to the front of the tank if anyone approaches. I can't tell you how important water changes are and how vital the cleanliness of the bottom should be. This is just my experience with these fish and the vast difference in the results of my first and second batch of fish. Ultimately, they're your fish and you can care for them the way you see fit. However, if you're looking to get 6 inch healthy discus, you won't get that without proper care and maintenance. I wish you the best of luck and I hope they give you as much joy as I have found with mine.

Stefan

+1+1+1+100

ive gone through the exact same thing

[Juku Eja]

Hi Riz,

Welcome aboard!

I'll just jump right in with the fish. IMO they are already a little behind in growth, and some don't have the best shape. That's obviously not your fault as you just got them. The large eye size, especially on the first ones (red pigeons, whatever trade name you give them) are an indicator that they've fallen behind. I have seen miracles on Simply in the past -- people have bought horribly runted fish from the LFS and somehow managed to get them to grow and look decent as adults. It just depends on how far their growth has fallen behind. At some point they do reach a "point of no return" where no amount of good food or water changes will help them. Only time will tell if that's the case for you.

In terms of shape, the blues and the turquoise fish look the best IMO. The turk is actually pretty round, and though the blues have a bit of a pointy face (usually not a desirable factor in discus), a lot of the blue diamond types do carry that shape as youngsters. It's not uncommon for them to be a bit pointy. If you look closely at the tails of the blues, you'll see a black bar between the caudal peduncle and the caudal fin -- this bar would not be present in high quality blue diamonds. This leads me to believe that they're probably a BD cross or throwback of some sort.

As you've probably read by now, growing out young discus is highly dependent on keeping their water very clean. This is usually harder in a display tank with substrate and plants. That's not to say that it can't be done, but it's certainly more work for you. Our recommendation here has always been bare bottom grow out tanks, and that's for one very simple reason -- we know it works. It's sort of our way of helping people get onto the right path with discus. It's a proven method that almost always ensures success. It's not the only way, and people are free to throw that advice out the window, but it's the easiest way to get your feet wet with discus and get comfortable with their needs and their quirks.

My suggestion is to try your hand at these and see how they do for you. If things go well, great. If they don't, you can always make adjustments and try again. Everyone here has had a set of "starter" discus. Once you feel comfortable with them and you learn what to look for in terms of color, shape, and overall health, you can always look for higher quality fish at a later date.

I will say that starting with larger fish (5"+) in a display tank tends to make life much easier, but of course they will cost you a lot more in the beginning.

At any rate, enjoy your first venture with discus. I hope you find them enjoyable. Most of us are here because we got bit by the "discus bug" at some point and never looked back.
Hi Ryan and thank you for the reply. One of the signs of a great forum for me is how the existing members give thoughtful and considerate answers to even a newbie's most foolish questions and this certainly has been the case so far.

I have this crazy idea that just came up after reading you reply. My sump filter underneath the main tank where the discus are has 3 chambers, and the last chamber is empty except for the intake pump that goes to the main tank. That last chamber is about 40x40x40 cm so most of the time it holds around 50 litres of water give or take. My crazy idea is to transfer all 6 discus there (and also add some hardy floating plants for nutrient soak and cover), then transfer them back to the main tank once they gained a bit more bulk. Of course the concern is that 50 litres for 6 fish sounds a bit cramped, but my main consideration is that under there I have essentially a BB tank so I can at least see and siphon the waste out, and also they won't have competition during feeding time from the boisterous rainbowfish so I can ration the amount of food better.

Good idea? Bad idea? "What-the-hell-are-you-thinking" idea?

[SNap0283]

That wouldn't help. The problem is the trapped debris in the substrate is exposed to the water the discus are living in. Since the sump is the same water it wouldn't help. Now after everyone has beat you down on the substrate let me provide you some hope.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?121033-One-Year-Fish-anniversary!!

Now a few differences, those fish are probably 4-6 months older than yours when introduced to a tank with substrate these few months are the most important time. But it shows you can grow out sub adults into very nice fish but it is a LOT of work. With 2-3" fish it simply is not possible. If you can I would suggest a BB tank AT LEAST 3-4 months if you must rush things. Then again if you are OK with having not perfectly huge fish and you are meticulous in your cleaning you can keep them healthy and growing well enough in your tank. Take all of our postings as a warning of how extremely difficult it can be. But it can be done.

[Juku Eja]

That wouldn't help. The problem is the trapped debris in the substrate is exposed to the water the discus are living in. Since the sump is the same water it wouldn't help. Now after everyone has beat you down on the substrate let me provide you some hope.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?121033-One-Year-Fish-anniversary!!

Now a few differences, those fish are probably 4-6 months older than yours when introduced to a tank with substrate these few months are the most important time. But it shows you can grow out sub adults into very nice fish but it is a LOT of work. With 2-3" fish it simply is not possible. If you can I would suggest a BB tank AT LEAST 3-4 months if you must rush things. Then again if you are OK with having not perfectly huge fish and you are meticulous in your cleaning you can keep them healthy and growing well enough in your tank. Take all of our postings as a warning of how extremely difficult it can be. But it can be done.

Thanks for the link Snap. Wonderful to see progression pictures from sub-adult to adult in that thread. Not expecting mine to grow as well as the ones in the link did, mine being already slightly stunted and all.

I think I might clear out some my reasoning behind my idea of moving them to the sump. As active as the discus are right now, during feeding time they are still competing with the speedier and gluttonous rainbowfish. They are by no means famished, but they could definitely eat more if they are allowed to. So that's one reason : for the discus to have a bit of peace feeding and for me to properly ration out the food.

The second reason is that being in the sump tank the discus waste (poop) would settle in the BB sump tank instead going into the substrate in the main tank, and much easier for me to remove mechanically with a hose. Not that I'm too concerned if a bit gets sucked up by the pump and into the tank because my substrate is being maintained by a posse of cleaners that breaks down larger waste particles pretty efficiently, and the smaller particles would be further broken down by the snail army, ready for consumption for the plants. That's why thinking of having water lettuce in the sump also to further suck up the added nutrients.

Fully aware that the water in the sump is totally the same as the main tank. It's just being in the sump more of the discus needs are more controlled than in the main tank. Main concern is still the size of the sump chamber.

[Juku Eja]

Ok I've done something that should do better to ensure proper feeding of the discus rather than putting them in the sump : moved 6 of the of the 10 rainbowfish into the koi pond until the discus are bigger.

[Filip]

Hi Juku Eja.
Don't get your hopes up and expectations too high.
Growing youngs for the first time in full bottom planted tank it's most likely doomed to failure.
It's not just size here in question. They are most likely to get sick,thinned,encounter Hex,Hith,have poor appetite, show no activity and vitality etc.
In general you wont be able to see their normal healthy and happy behaviour,but you'll see fish hanging in corners.

You can help things out a bit, with some minor planting changes,switching to Sand bottom and big Wcs.
and don't rely on your big sump that much.
It's not all about nitrates in clean water.Wcs are crucial, filtration is supplemental when it comes to Discus.

Sorry if I've been too harsh, but as a sworn planted enthusiast I've already been there.
Good luck.

[Juku Eja]

Hi Filip, thanks for the heads up.
After reading so much of the good, the bad, the ugly and even a couple very long and heated threads in the archives about this tetchy subject, my expectations are realistic. Realistic meaning that I really think having 6 young discus being fed a varied diet in an established 480-litre planted tank using large sump filter, doing 50% WC weekly and employing an extensive clean up crew should be able to keep the water quality in good check, and that should result in at the very least healthy, active, reasonably well-fed fish that should eventually grow well enough while most likely not to jumbo large sizes, but decent enough sizes that reflects the level of care they've received.

[John_Nicholson]

Hi Filip, thanks for the heads up.
After reading so much of the good, the bad, the ugly and even a couple very long and heated threads in the archives about this tetchy subject, my expectations are realistic. Realistic meaning that I really think having 6 young discus being fed a varied diet in an established 480-litre planted tank using large sump filter, doing 50% WC weekly and employing an extensive clean up crew should be able to keep the water quality in good check, and that should result in at the very least healthy, active, reasonably well-fed fish that should eventually grow well enough while most likely not to jumbo large sizes, but decent enough sizes that reflects the level of care they've received.

Good luck with this but in my opinion you are wrong. Your water will not stay clean enough for your fish to reach their potential. They may live and they may even grow some but they will never be what they could have been if they were raised in a better situation. I see folks come in here all of the time and try this. It normally works well for a few months and then they crash. Most post about how great it is going the first few months but few ever post about the crash,

-john

[ericNH]

Good luck with this but in my opinion you are wrong. Your water will not stay clean enough for your fish to reach their potential. They may live and they may even grow some but they will never be what they could have been if they were raised in a better situation. I see folks come in here all of the time and try this. It normally works well for a few months and then they crash. Most post about how great it is going the first few months but few ever post about the crash,

-john

I know you aren't concerned about growing them to their potential, but John also mentions the normal "crash" in this kind of situation. I've been there, crashed, and wished that I had listened in the first place. You have a chance to avoid this.

Thats said, if you're less concerned about your new discus than the rest of your tank as a whole (which I think is the case) then you're on the path that's best for you. It can be done - you can have some discus in a planted tank, it takes some extra care, but be prepared for casualties. Good luck, I wish you the best! You have a great tank.

[Juku Eja]

Hi John and Eric,
Again many thanks for the concern. Shows that this forum is indeed discus first and foremost, which is exactly what it should be. Compromise is a given for me trying to grow young discus in a planted tank, and hopefully that compromise will show observable result in the future.
In this post I will also pledge that I will regularly post updates, good and bad, in the coming months and if it does end in a "crash", I will post that too, pictures and all.

Btw, what is the "crash" exactly?

[John_Nicholson]

People will often see the fish get sick "all of a sudden". In reality they have been getting sick from the poor water conditions for a long time but the owners don't see it until it is too late to really do much about it.

-john

[Filip]

Hi John and Eric,
Again many thanks for the concern. Shows that this forum is indeed discus first and foremost, which is exactly what it should be. Compromise is a given for me trying to grow young discus in a planted tank, and hopefully that compromise will show observable result in the future.
In this post I will also pledge that I will regularly post updates, good and bad, in the coming months and if it does end in a "crash", I will post that too, pictures and all.

Btw, what is the "crash" exactly?

Please do so Juku . Share your experiences with others , no matter good or bad .

My crash (as John describe it) happend after 3 years of keeping them.
Some were 1 , some were 2 some were 3 years old.
They got loss of balance - propably a swim bladder disease (head standing , tail standing) out of the blue as John said above and they all died in just 5 days.
But in this period of 3 years i had multiple HEX, HITH, HLLE, velvet, cotton eye problems and i spend a great deal of time and energy treating them in QT and in a display tank.

So thats why i think your are also kinda doomed here with your mission .
Here is a pic of the tank and fish , as a loving memory :)

929989299993000

[Juku Eja]

Wow Filip that is a wonderful looking tank with wonderful looking discus!

If you don't mind can you tell us a bit of a background about the tank? Like how many litres was it, how big were the fish when you first got them, what was your feeding and maintenance regime, what do you think caused the crash, etc? Or maybe you can just post a link to a thread if it's already documented here in the forum?

[Filip]

Thanks Juku Eja.
Here is a link from the same 65 G(260 l.) tank with current situation and spec's.
I don't have this previous setup documented here on SD forum.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?121117-My-65-gallon-planted-discus-tank

Wcs were ussualy once or twice a week 80% Wc.
Feeding were 2 times a day big amount of beefheart,artemia,tetra discus,market store shrimps.
They started from 2.5 Inch and grew to 4-5 inch range.
And some of them were already bought as a grown 5 -6 inchers from friends.

The crash as stated above is from constant poor water quality. They simply can't put up with it and go sick out of blue and don't respond to treatment and meds. and eventually die.

My point is that this kind of planted tank is only trouble when it comes to raising young discus.
No matter how appealing It looks to us, its just isn't doable.

[jmf3460]

one thing no one has pointed out yet is the amount of black beard algae you have growing. While I do agree with everyone on how you have somewhat set yourself up for failure with the discus, I do want to add that the black beard algae will eventually take over and absorb all nutrients intended for your plants if you don't get a hold of it now. its a stubborn algae but usually lowering your lighting or shortening your light period can help a lot more than you think. using H202 can also help in spot killing it. when it turns red its dying so that's what you want to see. might want to do some research on bba (black beard algae) while you are researching everything else just to get a better grasp on what can help with it. just a heads up

all in all you have a beautiful planted tank, perfect for rainbows, tetras, barbs and tons of other tropical fish, just not well suited for juvenile discus. good luck and keep up the good work on the forum asking and taking the advice of others.

[Juku Eja]

one thing no one has pointed out yet is the amount of black beard algae you have growing. While I do agree with everyone on how you have somewhat set yourself up for failure with the discus, I do want to add that the black beard algae will eventually take over and absorb all nutrients intended for your plants if you don't get a hold of it now. its a stubborn algae but usually lowering your lighting or shortening your light period can help a lot more than you think. using H202 can also help in spot killing it. when it turns red its dying so that's what you want to see. might want to do some research on bba (black beard algae) while you are researching everything else just to get a better grasp on what can help with it. just a heads up

all in all you have a beautiful planted tank, perfect for rainbows, tetras, barbs and tons of other tropical fish, just not well suited for juvenile discus. good luck and keep up the good work on the forum asking and taking the advice of others.

The BBA has until recently largely confined itself to the DW, however I'm starting to see clumps of it growing on the substrate which is annoying. Good point on the BBA absorbing nutrients instead of the plants. Think it's time to go for it with the H2O2.

[Juku Eja]

Hi all,
Wish everybody had a nice holiday and a happy new year to everyone at SD.

I have pledged before to give updates, good or bad, on the conditions of the 6 young discus I purchased approximately 2 weeks ago and how they are faring in the planted tank.
I regret to say that after an encouraging start, things started to go steadily downhill for 4 of the fish : the 2 blues, the turq, and the PB. They refused to eat after the 3rd/4th day and the turq and the blues went very, very dark, almost black to the point I couldnt even see the mood bars on the turq.
On day 6/7, I made the decision to relocate the 4 aforementioned fish downstairs into a chamber in the sump filter where they can be by themselves and added some hornwort for added cover. When.I netted them to be moved, I noticed that their slime coat smelled extremely fishy, which was worrying. Alas, even the move was to no avail and slowly they wasted away, ever refusing food and yesterday sadly all 4 have passed away, each one having sunken foreheads and cheeks.
The remaining 2 red melons surprisingly aredoing well, if not a little timid. They are still in the main tank and are eating, exploring, and looking good generally.
This experience so far has taught me a few things, most importantly the validation of the advice of many in this thread, is that adult discus is infinitely a better option than young discus if you are adding them in an established community planted tank, especially with active surface feeders like rainbows and barbs where they stand little chance to compete for food unless you put it right inf front of their noses.
I will keep continuing to update the progress of the remaining two discus. Hopefully they are settled and can stay healthy and grow.

[ericNH]

This experience so far has taught me a few things, most importantly ..., is that adult discus is infinitely a better option than young discus ...

Hi Juku Eja, I hope you had a good holiday as well. I'm sorry to hear you lost 4 of your discus. But from your posts it looks like you are taking the advice of the discus here seriously, so you are on the right path. I respectfully disagree with your post on the most important thing - I feel that even more important than getting adult discus from a good source is clean water. You may be able to keep sub-par discus and even get them to a decent state in clean water; on the other hand, even the healthiest discus will eventually succumb to disease in poor water. I'm sure you already knew that. I am just nit-picking here. Don't be discouraged! I think you have it in you to keep great discus, just keep swimming :)

[Las Vegas]

Juku, sorry to hear your fish passed on. Just try to learn why they died and fix it. I saw your tank, looks nice, but planted tanks do this a lot to Discus. That's why a lot of Discus owners keep the fish in bare bottom tanks. Before others attack my comment, IT'S JUST MY EXPERIENCE, not to use the heavily planted tanks. They hide or grow diseases for the Discus. Yes it looks wonderful, but it most of the time, comes with a price for Discus owners.

[Juku Eja]

Thanks eric and mark, that was the reason I hunted for the most value-for-money a.k.a. cheap-but-healthy fish, to prepare for something like this. All I can do now is to make sure I give the bet possible water and feed for the discus, within a planted tank capacity of course.

[Kyla]

Thanks eric and mark, that was the reason I hunted for the most value-for-money a.k.a. cheap-but-healthy fish, to prepare for something like this. All I can do now is to make sure I give the bet possible water and feed for the discus, within a planted tank capacity of course.

trying to grow young discus in a planted tank (or a sump attached to a planted tank) is not advised, esp if you are new to discus keeping, and is directly related to why your fish died. ive got over 20 years in the hobby, and even i wouldnt attempt it. im worried your remaining melons may have issues down the road if left in the planted tank....

i think you would have had much more success with all your discus in a BB tank with daily wc. this way you can feed the fish multiple times a day and still keep the water very clean. BB tanks are so easy to do maintenance on that you would also be saving yourself some time and effort.

do u plan to replace the lost fish?

[Juku Eja]

trying to grow young discus in a planted tank (or a sump attached to a planted tank) is not advised, esp if you are new to discus keeping, and is directly related to why your fish died. ive got over 20 years in the hobby, and even i wouldnt attempt it. im worried your remaining melons may have issues down the road if left in the planted tank....

i think you would have had much more success with all your discus in a BB tank with daily wc. this way you can feed the fish multiple times a day and still keep the water very clean. BB tanks are so easy to do maintenance on that you would also be saving yourself some time and effort.

do u plan to replace the lost fish?
With young discus? Nah. With full-grown discus? That remains to be seen, but definitely not in the near future.
The 2 melons currently look good. A bit shy when I get close to the tank, but eating and seemingly ok so far. I probably will ask around the local LFS or some of my fellow local hobbyists if they want to get them off me. If not, then I'll still happily keep them with me in the planted tank. Going BB is a bit out of the equation though.

[DanLFC97]

Yesterday I got two adult discus. Now they both recovered and they are swimming. I have checked on them and now one them the skin is peeling ,they have cloudy eyes and they got slightly darker.(I didnt get it like that from the store)
I also gave them a small amount of food and they didnt eat it.

Here is a picture of it.
http://prntscr.com/9si7f4

[Juku Eja]

Well I guess this is the conclusion of this thread. As promised, an update is due whether the result good or bad. The last melon discus finally passed away a few days ago after a month of hanging on. To put it simply they simply did not eat and just slowly wasted away. I think the main reason for them not making it not that they were put in a planted aquarium, but that the aquarium is already populated with fish that are more boisterous and outcompeted them for food. So the lesson is if you want a discus to survive in an established tank with established residents, then get one which is already full-grown and will not be outcompeted for food.

So yeah until circumstances change and I can provide a good environment for any new discus, might be a while before I go near them again.

[brewmaster15]

Im going to move this to the beginners board. There are lessons in this thread that may help others.

Thanks for sharing the whole story. Often we get the beginning ..but not the conclusion.

Thank you,
Al

[ericNH]

Yea I also want to thank you for sharing the whole story. Like Al said, when a new discus-keeper's journey comes to a discouraging end it rarely gets posted, for obvious reasons. The fact that you did allows a first-hand account of someone's efforts along with the actual results to be available for other new-comers to see.

Anyway, your tank is cool, even if it not's right for disus.

[Juku Eja]

Im going to move this to the beginners board. There are lessons in this thread that may help others.

Thanks for sharing the whole story. Often we get the beginning ..but not the conclusion.

Thank you,
Al
Thanks Al. Hopefully this thread can be of help to both new and experienced keepers.

Yea I also want to thank you for sharing the whole story. Like Al said, when a new discus-keeper's journey comes to a discouraging end it rarely gets posted, for obvious reasons. The fact that you did allows a first-hand account of someone's efforts along with the actual results to be available for other new-comers to see.

Anyway, your tank is cool, even if it not's right for disus.
Cheers Eric. I'm a new discus keeper, but long-time fish keeper, so of course had my fair share of deaths both natural and stupid so best thing to do is to let everyone else knows what I did wrong.

Frankly I am a bit surprised at how timid a young discus fish can be considering the reputation the adults have. I had young angelfish barely 2 inches long and they did not bat an eyelid when competing food with full-grown 4-inches-long Boesemani rainbows, very stark difference to the discus.

[Juku Eja]

Sorry double post. Mods can delete this one pls thx.

[Filip]

Thanks Al. Hopefully this thread can be of help to both new and experienced keepers.

Cheers Eric. I'm a new discus keeper, but long-time fish keeper, so of course had my fair share of deaths both natural and stupid so best thing to do is to let everyone else knows what I did wrong.

Frankly I am a bit surprised at how timid a young discus fish can be considering the reputation the adults have. I had young angelfish barely 2 inches long and they did not bat an eyelid when competing food with full-grown 4-inches-long Boesemani rainbows, very stark difference to the discus.

Juku Eja . I think you misinterpret your experience and outcome here and drawing wrong conclusions from it.

Your discus did not got sick and die because they got outcompete for food . They got sick- lost appetite and then die because of low water quality .They need a fresh(sterile) water more than any other freshwater fish you have kept . Every remark and post in this thread is acctualy about that - clean fresh water.

[Juku Eja]

Juku Eja . I think you misinterpret your experience and outcome here and drawing wrong conclusions from it.

Your discus did not got sick and die because they got outcompete for food . They got sick- lost appetite and then die because of low water quality .They need a fresh(sterile) water more than any other freshwater fish you have kept . Every remark and post in this thread is acctualy about that - clean fresh water.
Hi Filip,
Yes I certainly don't think that they died just because they got outcompeted for food. I do think that my water quality is good with the amount of plants and size of filter I have, but perhaps not good enough for raising juvenile discus to a growth rate and size that veteran members here are used to. Having said that, IF I had put the 6 discus in the tank all by themselves and not surrounded by 30+ other active fish both sizeable and small, I'm sure they would have fared much better and confident most if not all will still be alive and kicking now, albeit growing at a slower rate than if kept in a sterile, bare-bottom tank with daily water changes.
Simply put, I underestimated how fragile the discus are compared to other juveniles like angelfish and rainbows, and how susceptible they are to stress and diseases.

[Filip]

Hi Filip,
Yes I certainly don't think that they died just because they got outcompeted for food. I do think that my water quality is good with the amount of plants and size of filter I have, but perhaps not good enough for raising juvenile discus to a growth rate and size that veteran members here are used to. Having said that, IF I had put the 6 discus in the tank all by themselves and not surrounded by 30+ other active fish both sizeable and small, I'm sure they would have fared much better and confident most if not all will still be alive and kicking now, albeit growing at a slower rate than if kept in a sterile, bare-bottom tank with daily water changes.
Simply put, I underestimated how fragile the discus are compared to other juveniles like angelfish and rainbows, and how susceptible they are to stress and diseases.

Well, even if you decide to introduce large grown discus again some day, don't underestimate them either.
Because this kind of deep substrate planted environment with only weekly WCs could be detrimental for them also.
Don't forget, juvies or grown ups they are still very delicate fish that requires much more maintenance and fresh water than all the rest of freshwaters that we usually keep.

[Jack L]

Juku
Fwiw when I grew baby discus in a planted tank I removed the school of tetras that I found where hogging all the food

[Juku Eja]

Well, even if you decide to introduce large grown discus again some day, don't underestimate them either.
Because this kind of deep substrate planted environment with only weekly WCs could be detrimental for them also.
Don't forget, juvies or grown ups they are still very delicate fish that requires much more maintenance and fresh water than all the rest of freshwaters that we usually keep.
Nah, definitely won't underestimate discus of any size maintenance-wise.


Juku
Fwiw when I grew baby discus in a planted tank I removed the school of tetras that I found where hogging all the food
How did that go for you, Jack? Did the babies grow well?
Edit : Found your thread. Very impressive, especially starting with those gnarly-looking babies. Absolutely tip my hat off to you bro.

----------
Riz

[Jack L]

yeah, its been going for 8 months or so now. it is a lot of work working around the plants, wood and stone. i had to remove some of it to help vacuum out detritus, but its been working so far. i've done it before, years ago, just a lot of maintenance.

[atterate]

Hi i am a new in discus

i bought some pigeon at 1" size i bought 6 of them and i've had them for around 1 week and they stayed at the corner of the tank each time
i come to see the tank is it normal? or are they sick?

[rickztahone]

Hi i am a new in discus

i bought some pigeon at 1" size i bought 6 of them and i've had them for around 1 week and they stayed at the corner of the tank each time
i come to see the tank is it normal? or are they sick?

You bought 1" discus? May I ask where you were actually able to buy 1" discus? Do you have pics? How large is the tank? What are you feeding them?

[atterate]

9891198912

here's my fish and btw i'm from indonesia

my tank is not really large since i was using and old one
but i am making a new one with 55 gal capacity

and can i mix the 1" fish with a 3" or 2"?
or should i separate them?

[DONTKNOWYET]

I personally think that a lot of the problems associated with planted tanks are because one needs to learn how to keep the plants healthy before they can keep any sensitive fish in it. Once you do, a planted tank is superior to any other tank in terms of keeping fish healthy.

In their desperation and old fashioned habits folks "siphon" their substrate to get rid of things....What most folks don't realise is that "cleaning" the substrate means releasing ammonia and other toxic gases into the water column. You don't need discus to kill fish. You'd kill most your fish earlier than later with habits like that...

In a discus growing cycle, you feed, and feed and feed...I haven't kept discus but that's what I did to other type of growing fry. Imagine what goes in the substrate, in your lovely looking planted tank....food left overs by the number. Now "CLEAN IT UP" because you read on the internet you need to keep a discus tank clean..... Your literally gas your fish if you do that.

The issue is not microbes or planted tanks being unhealthy for fish. The issue is "issues with ammonia, nitrites and harmful gases". The majority of fish issues are related to that, including under-filtered and probably some neglected BB discus tanks where the owner had lingering ammonia/nitrites due to overfeeding, trying to grow their fish as fast as they could in a tank with filtration or water changes that could not support the effort...

My idea of a BB tank is one that has a bunch of emersed plants grown above. You'd be surprised at their "water purifying ability". They are massive natural ammonia suckers that get to it before a chemical reactions such as nitrification or other microbe chemical reaction is achieved.

I came across this thread a while ago and I wanted to post it to see what you'd make out of it. It's from a forum for planted tanks enthusiasts. It makes a good read, including what that fellow fed his discus....to make it recover. It's not me by the way. I found it accidentally. I hope if the owner of the thread ever came across, he/she is not going to mind because its in the name of knowledge.

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/save-the-last-discus-of-congo.38348/

[Filip]

I personally think that a lot of the problems associated with planted tanks are because one needs to learn how to keep the plants healthy before they can keep any sensitive fish in it. Once you do, a planted tank is superior to any other tank in terms of keeping fish healthy.

In their desperation and old fashioned habits folks "siphon" their substrate to get rid of things....What most folks don't realise is that "cleaning" the substrate means releasing ammonia and other toxic gases into the water column. You don't need discus to kill fish. You'd kill most your fish earlier than later with habits like that...

In a discus growing cycle, you feed, and feed and feed...I haven't kept discus but that's what I did to other type of growing fry. Imagine what goes in the substrate, in your lovely looking planted tank....food left overs by the number. Now "CLEAN IT UP" because you read on the internet you need to keep a discus tank clean..... Your literally gas your fish if you do that.

The issue is not microbes or planted tanks being unhealthy for fish. The issue is "issues with ammonia, nitrites and harmful gases". The majority of fish issues are related to that, including under-filtered and probably some neglected BB discus tanks where the owner had lingering ammonia/nitrites due to overfeeding, trying to grow their fish as fast as they could in a tank with filtration or water changes that could not support the effort...

My idea of a BB tank is one that has a bunch of emersed plants grown above. You'd be surprised at their "water purifying ability". They are massive natural ammonia suckers that get to it before a chemical reactions such as nitrification or other microbe chemical reaction is achieved.

I came across this thread a while ago and I wanted to post it to see what you'd make out of it. It's from a forum for planted tanks enthusiasts. It makes a good read, including what that fellow fed his discus....to make it recover. It's not me by the way. I found it accidentally. I hope if the owner of the thread ever came across, he/she is not going to mind because its in the name of knowledge.

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/save-the-last-discus-of-congo.38348/


This is the common knowledge about planted tanks in the hobby which unfortinately dont works in practice with discus (Just in theory maybe).
The main problems in planted tanks with discus are not plants them selves but the deep dirty substrate and nutrient rich water column they are put in to in order to grow .
That substrate is a home for a lot of pathogens that many fish and especialy discus, are not accustomed to live with .

P.S . If you seek first hand quallity information about anything in this hobby , go to forums specialized for a particullar matter and stick to that.
Dont expect to find trustworthy knowledge for keeping discus in a plant oriented forum , and vice versa , dont expect to find great wisdom about plant keeping here on Simply Discus :) . Thats my piece of friendly advice .

[prakash.dudharejiya]

Hi All,
Before six month I have bring 20 discus coin size fish. After six month I have found that some fish group Ver big size till 3 inch and some near by 1 inch.
1 week ago I seen that small size fish got black colour and then stared dying.. now only have 12 discus big size and only one small size 1 inch.

My tank has capacity of 100 liter. Tank size 26 " 12 "16 . I use food as only tetra bite and some time live blood warm.

Any help will be welcome....
111307
111308
111309
111310
111311
111312

[Filip]

Hi prakash and welcome to the forum .
You have nice looking group of discus in your tank , but your keeping routines are very inappropriate and thats probably why you have lost 8 discus along the way .
Please consider changing your methods of keeping before you start loosing some more discus .

First and foremost you need a much bigger tank to keep discus .
200 - 250 liters is considered as a Minimal tank size for discus .
You need to get a bigger tank As soon as possible or if you are unable to do that any time soon , you need to cut down your stocking levels to a minimal level of 5-6 discus and sell or give away the rest .
Right now you are way overstocked and that will surely result in more deaths in near future .

Second and not less important is how much water do you change on this tank ?
With this overcrowded stocking levels you should be changing 90% water change DAILY to keep them healthy and alive .

Third and less important issue is your feeding routine. Feeding only tetra bite as a staple diet is not an optimal nutritional choice for raising young discus . You should consider varied diet and stay away from blood worms because they can carry pathogens that may be potentially harmfull and compromising for discus immune system .

Good luck with your fish Prakash and please consider changing something before its too late for your nice looking discus .Being only 6-7 months of age they still got potential to become descend looking discus , if you change your way of keeping them .

[prakash.dudharejiya]

Thanks for reply.
I am going to purchase big tank next month. So it will create more space..
I heard that rain water is good for discus. So can add rain water in tank.

[Filip]

Thanks for reply.
I am going to purchase big tank next month. So it will create more space..
I heard that rain water is good for discus. So can add rain water in tank.

I wouldn't put rain water in my tank .
First it has totally different parameters from your current tap source , and second I often have rains in my town that are so dusty and dirty that I have to take my car on a carwash after them .

[prakash.dudharejiya]

http://youtu.be/qnud-FS-BDw1

[Kaushal]

Hi everyone.
Can anyone tell me how to start a new thread in this site.

2 of my discus died last night, very heart broken because of this.
I checked all the water parameter, everything is under control.

But out if these 2 dead discus, i was breathing heavily coming at top surface.
Other one suddenly had some sort of truma, she swam incredibly fast,striked here and there in tank glass, then rested normaly for 20 minute, then again did the same, again become normal, and later in the evening when i came home , i found her dead.

i had 4 discus in my tank, of which 2 are no more now.

Please support and guide me. i heard this is the best place for discus related issues and suggestion.



Hi all,

Brand new to the forum here from Indonesia and happy to announce that I've very recently purchased half a dozen young discus fish. They're only been in my tank for less than 36 hours but thank heavens they are already eating and looking relaxed, if not still a teeny bit sheepish.

Being a discus newbie, naturally I have a ton of questions but let's do one thing at a time so you guys won't be annoyed by me. For this post I'll post a few pictures of my tank and the 6 new discus, and then if anybody would so kindly answer or give their valued opinion to a couple of things :

1. What kinds of discus do I have? This is the first time that I'm a bit intimidated by the sheer number of different varieties and strains and names for a single species of ornamental fish.

2. How are they looking right now in terms of shape, colour/pattern, stuntedness, and what can I expect from them in terms of future colouring and sizes if given decent care and diet? I got them from a couple of local LFS and they're all about 7 cm from nose to peduncle. I'm aware they are most definitely not in the upper range in regards to quality with the prices I'm getting them for (ranging from Rp 50-60.000, which equates to $4-5 per fish), so I tried my best to look for the best body shape and health out of the lot.

My plan in getting young discus instead of more mature ones are firstly because of their lower prices (doesn't hurt that much if anything bad happens to them), and secondly also I want them to become used to the small schooling fishes already in the tank so they can hopefully see that they're friends, not food.

So, on to the pics then!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/tank.jpg
The tank they're in. Around 480-litre (125g) planted tank with a 120-litre sump underneath. Been established for about 6 months and housing rainbowfish, Harlequin rasbora, a couple species of Asian barbs, and extensive clean-up crew of young BN catfish, small cobitis loaches, Caridina typus shrimps, and trumpet snails for sub-substrate cleaning.

The discus!
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/red-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/red-03.jpg
First 2 are these ones. I'm guessing they're Red melons? Personally in my eyes they're the most decent in terms of body shape and potential for growth.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/yellow-01.jpg
This one is a Yellow Pigeon Blood, methinks? Sorry for the poor pic, was taken only a few hours after purchase, so still very shy. Looks in good shape and also good potential for growth.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/stripes-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/stripes-02.jpg
This one is also still very shy during the shoot, and it's a Turquoise, I think? Maybe a little stunted?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/group-03.jpg
The two shy ones hiding under a log.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/blue-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/blue-02.jpg
These two are I think are the least compared to the others in terms of shape and growth potential. Can see the bigger eyes relative to the body size. Also colouration a bit darker than desired. Blue Diamonds, right?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/group-01.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b86/d_golem/discus/group-02.jpg
The blues and reds together.

Thanks all looking forward to the replies.
Riz

[Kaushal]

hi everyone.

i am from India.
Its been only 3 months since i have started keeping fishes.

Out of 5 discus that i had initialy are now 2 discus.
Lost 3 discus already, because of different reasons.

Not to mention, i have read a lot of post before buying my fishes and discus.
Made some mistakes even after knowing i am doing a mistake.

[Filip]

hi everyone.

i am from India.
Its been only 3 months since i have started keeping fishes.

Out of 5 discus that i had initialy are now 2 discus.
Lost 3 discus already, because of different reasons.

Not to mention, i have read a lot of post before buying my fishes and discus.
Made some mistakes even after knowing i am doing a mistake.

Hi Kaushal and welcome to Simply discus .
I'm sorry to hear about your 3 died discus .
Most of the times discus get sick and start dying because of low water quality - Ammonia , nitrite or high nitrate content in water column .
Please introduce your tank and discus in a new tank thread with pictures and info . and maybe we can see where we can improve your discus keeping routines.
Cheers .

[shaikmohammed3892]

Hi Friend's I have 1 Question What is Best PPM For Discus Plz Help Me
I Have TDS-3 Digital Meter

[bmo]

hello,im bmo,ive been keeping varoius tanks of freshwater fish,howener have started another 75 gallon tank with discus,i went with 5,going on 4 months now,apparently one of two was harrasing the other,trapping in corner,then the bullied one just hides under some driftwood, i then seperated it to its own tank,color has come back,sress bars have dissipated, the four get along great,my delema is now i have a single seperated,going to try and beef it up,maybe a week or two,they are all juveniles,my concerns are as follows,should i reintroduce it after qt,getting it fattening up?my qt tank is only 24 gallons, so adding more to it wouldnt be the best bet,ive put in some neon tetras so its not alone,discus still seems to be shy,anyone have any success with a single?

[Filip]

hello,im bmo,ive been keeping varoius tanks of freshwater fish,howener have started another 75 gallon tank with discus,i went with 5,going on 4 months now,apparently one of two was harrasing the other,trapping in corner,then the bullied one just hides under some driftwood, i then seperated it to its own tank,color has come back,sress bars have dissipated, the four get along great,my delema is now i have a single seperated,going to try and beef it up,maybe a week or two,they are all juveniles,my concerns are as follows,should i reintroduce it after qt,getting it fattening up?my qt tank is only 24 gallons, so adding more to it wouldnt be the best bet,ive put in some neon tetras so its not alone,discus still seems to be shy,anyone have any success with a single?

Hi and welcome BMO.
You can try and reintroduce him with the others after a while . The hierarchy may change once the rest get their strength again .
Some members here also have had succes rearangin their tanks decor oftenly to create new territories to fight for and some also reported good results having a big mirror placed on the back of the tank .

[nah]

After reading most of the posts I removed the sand from my new Discus home, before they arrived. I left one corner with sand and planted three small plants. Other than that it is now bare bottom. True about every now and again rearranging the decor. My son, I mentioned in another thread, studies neurology at the local medical school. He confirmed that fish and humans need a change up from time to time. Except for guppies, he said. They only have a 15 second memory, according to son.

[Filip]

After reading most of the posts I removed the sand from my new Discus home, before they arrived. I left one corner with sand and planted three small plants. Other than that it is now bare bottom. True about every now and again rearranging the decor. My son, I mentioned in another thread, studies neurology at the local medical school. He confirmed that fish and humans need a change up from time to time. Except for guppies, he said. They only have a 15 second memory, according to son.

Wise decision Nah. Youll have much better succes on growing healthy discus this way .

[nah]

Had it not been for those of you who are dedicated to both the hobby and this forum I could have made a sorry mistake. The removal of the sand gave to my fish one more gallon of living space. I will see how my experiment with the tiny planting at one end of the tank goes. I do know that the cleaning will be much more efficient. Thanks for your advice.