Water change frequency..

[ravi.j.pandya]

I am a beginner to Discus keeping..i just have bought 12 juvi for my 250 Gallon tank with bare bottom with 1375 Gallon/Hr. filter capacity sump.. now my actual question is by how frequent i should change my water ? i am using my tap water with 140 TDS on regular basis...

[Neptune]

The general rule is sub adults will get stunted if they do not have 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and very low nitrates(<20 is usually the bar I believe?).
The little guys are usually on a BIG feeding regiment, with messy foods so you have to change the water a lot.

When I had 50 cent size fish I changed 60% of the water daily when I could.
Others will chime in but I know some breeders will change water multiple times per day to get the fry started out right.

What are the actual size of your fish.

[ravi.j.pandya]

Thanks for your valuable suggestion...

As of day my smallest one is around 2" & I am doing water change thrice a week...my all the water parameters are almost in perfect condition...I'm feeding them twice a day...should change the feeding schedule ?

[Neptune]

Thanks for your valuable suggestion...

As of day my smallest one is around 2" & I am doing water change thrice a week...my all the water parameters are almost in perfect condition...I'm feeding them twice a day...should change the feeding schedule ?

I would up the feeding AND the water change(WC) regiment.

[darshan.more]

Hey Ravi try to make some goat heart mix. I feed my discus with goat heart mix twice a day ( Morning and night before water change ) and tetra bits thrice or twice a day in between. I'm doing daily WC and the fish grew more than a inch in a month. Not all of them grow with same rate. I have one which is still small though. My fishes were very skittish but with daily water change and lots of feeding condition improved and now I can actually swim with them :p . Not Literally

[White Worm]

If you want them to put on some size and weight, feed them 4-5x a day with a varied diet of live and prepared foods and change at least 50% every other day while vacuuming any waste or food. They are not crowded at this point so you should be fine. Some do more, some do less. Age your water if possible for 24 hours and make sure you use water conditioner.

[Bizarro252]

I bought 6x 3" juvis in a 55gal. They are now 4-4.5" (two are growing faster than the rest) after ~2 months. They seem happy and healthy so here is what I do :)

I feed them 4x a day:
Frozen homemade mix
Flakes from an auto feeder while I am at work
Frozen homemade mix
Frozen bloodworms (they love the dang things so much I feed them these last because I dont have to clean up afterwards lol)

I change 30gal a day, every day. I dont think I have missed one yet, if I dont have time to do a good job I still just exchange the water because I am a weirdo.

I see ~15ppm Nitrate before the WC and ~5 after. So at my feeding amounts, with the relatively small tank, a daily change is basically necessary. When they are adults and I am not cramming so much food into them I hope to be able to enjoy a 2-3 times a week regimen :)

EDIT:
Filtration is 2x (stacked) sponge filters and a Fluval 406 with prefilter and spraybar - packed with biohome ultimate, purigen, sponge, and polishing pads.

[Clawhammer]

Thanks for your valuable suggestion...

As of day my smallest one is around 2" & I am doing water change thrice a week...my all the water parameters are almost in perfect condition...I'm feeding them twice a day...should change the feeding schedule ?

What is your water change %? With 12 small ones in a 250 gallon bare bottom, if you are doing 50% 3 times a week, that is probably good enough (and why your water parameters are good).

Share some pictures if you can, we would love to see! Good luck, welcome to the forum!

[Jenene]

Am I the only one that thinks a 250 is way too big for 12 juvies or did I miss something? IMO wouldn't they do better in a smaller tank for the time being~ easier to feed and change, then move them up as they grow?

[pamdb33]

Am I the only one that thinks a 250 is way too big for 12 juvies or did I miss something? IMO wouldn't they do better in a smaller tank for the time being~ easier to feed and change, then move them up as they grow?

I agree. I would start them out in a smaller tank. Easier to clean and you have less volume of water to deal with when doing daily WCs.

In the past I've fed juvies 4x day and completed 90% WCs in a 46 gal tank.

[Jenene]

I agree. I would start them out in a smaller tank. Easier to clean and you have less volume of water to deal with when doing daily WCs.

In the past I've fed juvies 4x day and completed 90% WCs in a 46 gal tank.

I was thinking more like a 75 though. That way they could stay in there until big enough to move to the final tank. If his smallest of the 12 is already "2 Thinking anything smaller than a 75 may be pushing it. No expert here though. Never did a grow out. Sounds fun though! Best of luck and send pics please!

[pamdb33]

I was thinking more like a 75 though. That way they could stay in there until big enough to move to the final tank. If his smallest of the 12 is already "2 Thinking anything smaller than a 75 may be pushing it. No expert here though. Never did a grow out. Sounds fun though! Best of luck and send pics please!

If they are over 2" then I would go with a 75 as well. I also fewer discus in the group when I used the 46 gal.

[Willie]

A wise fish breeder explained it to me this way. How often should you make water changes? How often do you flush your toilet?

For 2" - 5" fish, I'd go with 100% daily to maximize their growth potential.

Willie

[White Worm]

I wouldn't advise 100% WC's unless the hobbyist really knows the water they are using. Since many use tap, you may kill all of your fish if you do not age and aerate it.

[Willie]

I wouldn't advise 100% WC's unless the hobbyist really knows the water they are using. Since many use tap, you may kill all of your fish if you do not age and aerate it.

I'd agree you have to age your water. But water quality is far less important than consistency and cleanliness.

Willie

[White Worm]

Yeah, cleanliness is the goal and if you age the water, you could probably change as much water as you want. If you don't age the water, your quality is the focus as there are dissolved gases in tap that will kill your fish quick. Many don't age and store their water so going over 75% is a big chance with expensive discus.

[Salvatore989]

Forgive me as I don't have any discus yet till I understand everything. I have a 70 gal tank. I want to put in 4 discus. Can I get away with doing 20% water changes a week. Or is that not enough at all?

[Paul Sabucchi]

4 is not a good number, in a 70 gal I would put 7. Follow the advice given on the forum: if you are getting juvies to grow out leave it bare bottom and change as much water as possible (I do 75% every day), if you are getting adults them you can add some decor and change water less frequently. Anyway always use water that is aged and chlorine free. Whatevet frequency of water chanhes you can do, try and do at least 50% every time (otherwise waste substances will always increase over time) ciao

[Willie]

Forgive me as I don't have any discus yet till I understand everything. I have a 70 gal tank. I want to put in 4 discus. Can I get away with doing 20% water changes a week. Or is that not enough at all?

It's not enough if you want them to grow. You'll do a lot better starting with a smaller tank, but pound the water changes.

Willie

[Kfactor]

I just got my first 6 discus I just have them in Quarantine right now and there only around 1.5” and am doing 50to60 % on the 20 g daily