I think I'm gonna move to angels

[Adam_Parker]

Hey guys. I've gotten to where I think I'm gonna be moving to angels as my centerpiece fish. I've had my discus for coming on 3 years now. I originally bought a few bad stock when I first started out and lost 2 fairly quick.

I've gotten some from a few breeders and lost 3 of those. Kept up water changes, good food, water quality, etc. I think I got 2 that were German and mixed them with Asian. Doable, but I think I just messed up on that myself.

3 months ago I got a 2.5" cobalt locally. It was in surprisingly good shape. I raised it to nearly 4" in qt and moved it to the 125 with my 5 and 6" discus main tank.

I'm watching them eat as usual. The little guy was eating, and immediately just dove to the bottom head first and could not swim. It lost its color and turned almost white, with cloudy eyes.

I quickly moved it to the qt tank. It tried to swim, turned black, and died. Never have I seen this happen in my 20 years of keeping fish. It was perfectly fine, then dead in 10 minutes.

With that said I can't continue unfortunately to pay for these expensive but beautiful fish. The ones I have now are healthy, very thick, and seem to "know" me when I come to the tank.

But as expensive as these are, I think it's best for us to move to cheaper angels. Not always that much cheaper, but some can be just as majestic as discus imo.

I have 8 discus left and will continue to provide the best care for them I can. With that said, do we have anyone here that keep angel specific tanks? How many would be ideal for a 125? Never kept angels in such a large tank. Thanks everyone here!

[Gregkarr09]

post some pics of your discus tank. As far as Angels go they say 10 gallons a fish but if you have good water change routines then you can easily do 20.

[Adam_Parker]

Here's 2 recent photos. Only thing that worried me about lots of angels would be breeding pairs and aggression. Though if there's a lot maybe it'd not be as bad?

https://i.imgur.com/eztWdgE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/A2qjPtg.jpg

[Adam S]

I've raised batches of angels to one year of age with <5 gallons per fish. All depends on how much water you're willing to change and what look you are going for. I think 12-16 would look good in that setup if the angels are the focus, but a scaped tank with 7 and a school of 25 green neons would also look nice. You have a lot of options with a large tank.

To stop spawning aggression, just crank the heat down. 72-74°F is fine for angels and makes them less frisky.

[Kyla]

I think your tank looks great as is! I've kept only 7 of my fav discus in a 180 gal and they love it, and are happier than ever. Maybe 8 in the 125gal is your magic #....

[Rxfisher]

113521I like your taste in decor

Here's mine

[Gregkarr09]

Man thats such a gorgeous tank!!!!!!! stay the discus course mate!!!!!! that tank is next level!!!!!! you will regret angels, I don't mean to be negative i'm just saying! push through!!!!!

[Willie]

If it weren't for discus, all my tanks would have angels. :o

Willie

[Ryan925]

That may not be a great setup for young discus but would look great with adult discus or angels

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I've thought about this myself. For me it's the work involved with keeping Discus. It is a rewarding challenge but I think about how much more I could do with my 180 gallon (with less work) if I had different fish in there.

It has been a good experience keeping Discus but I look forward to trying some thing different in the near future. Not sure what I'll do with my current Discus so I guess it'll be a gradual change over to other fish, like mix in some of my desired changes in my current setup and see how this goes.

[Adam_Parker]

I'd almost like to sell mine at the moment but I don't care to try and ship and I live in Arkansas where I don't think too many people are keeping discus nor want to spend on them.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

The only other Discus keeper on-Island I know of took my last group when I wanted to start fresh with my current ones, besides this I could give them away to the LPS. I figured I'd wind up simply going ahead with any changes I'm thinking of such as adding other fish, substrate, etc. and seeing what happens. If some of my Discus live then great, that would be nice. I've already spent over $7k on Discus (fish alone) over the past year, expensive but the real thing is the time spent vs enjoyment I actually get. It's been nice but I'm ready to try something different now.

[White Worm]

Nothing wrong with an angel tank.

113545

[adrian31@outlook.com]

Nothing wrong with an angel tank.

113545

Really nice, clean tank. I could have fun with this.

[White Worm]

Thx, I'm keeping 16 young angels in a 72g bow. Already have 1 confirmed pair. They are all approx 7-9 months old.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

Thx, I'm keeping 16 young angels in a 72g bow. Already have 1 confirmed pair. They are all approx 7-9 months old.

Interesting. What is your WC schedule? Do you need to maintain consistent water PH as we do with Discus? Obviously never kept Angels before.

[Hidan]

The only other Discus keeper on-Island I know of took my last group when I wanted to start fresh with my current ones, besides this I could give them away to the LPS. I figured I'd wind up simply going ahead with any changes I'm thinking of such as adding other fish, substrate, etc. and seeing what happens. If some of my Discus live then great, that would be nice. I've already spent over $7k on Discus (fish alone) over the past year, expensive but the real thing is the time spent vs enjoyment I actually get. It's been nice but I'm ready to try something different now.

From what I have read, Discus can be kept with angel if the angels are smaller than the Discus. (I haven't tried that so maybe someone here who has can confirm). In which case you could just add Angels to your Discus tank and make the gradual change.
Angels are a beautiful fish and while Discus are better looking, Angels are much easier to keep as they are a lot more hardy, at least in my experience keeping angels.

[William1]

I know what you mean. My discus are big and healthy, but are boring. The only time they are active is when the lights are out. And I have turned them down to 60-70% output. They just sit there. My water is hard and not ideal for wild discus. I just feel like angels would be much more interesting. I may add a group of five koi type, not sure. First I need to get the brown algae in check. Maybe three algae eaters. Can't do anything else about it with the hard water. No rush, but I too kind of wish I had chosen angels instead.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I know what you mean. My discus are big and healthy, but are boring. The only time they are active is when the lights are out. And I have turned them down to 60-70% output. They just sit there. My water is hard and not ideal for wild discus. I just feel like angels would be much more interesting. I may add a group of five koi type, not sure. First I need to get the brown algae in check. Maybe three algae eaters. Can't do anything else about it with the hard water. No rush, but I too kind of wish I had chosen angels instead.

I think I'll add some angels, some cardinals, maybe some rams. Not all at once. From my past experience, all those additions pretty sure it'll impact the Discus though, I'd be really surprised if they all lived. Before I start any of this I'm waiting for my driftwood to cure to put back in. This is one thing I wanted to do before more or less moving on from my strict Discus-only tank.

RE: wish I chose angels instead: I always wondered in past what it'd be like to keep Discus, so I'm glad I did. It has been a rewarding experience. But I completely understand how you feel, they do take a lot more work than other fish and may not be as active as some other fish.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

From what I have read, Discus can be kept with angel if the angels are smaller than the Discus. (I haven't tried that so maybe someone here who has can confirm). In which case you could just add Angels to your Discus tank and make the gradual change.
Angels are a beautiful fish and while Discus are better looking, Angels are much easier to keep as they are a lot more hardy, at least in my experience keeping angels.

Thanks for posting this. I believe Angels do better in lower water temp also so I'm hoping that 80F will suit both my Discus, and Angels when I get them. My Discus are adults.

[White Worm]

Interesting. What is your WC schedule? Do you need to maintain consistent water PH as we do with Discus? Obviously never kept Angels before.

I change approx 50% 2x a week. I don't concern myself with water parameters with angels because they are no where near as particular as discus. Easy to keep and breed.

[White Worm]

Some adults the size of my hand but lazy right now.
113563

One of my proud and protective dads with his new youngn's.
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[adrian31@outlook.com]

Some adults the size of my hand but lazy right now.
113563

Left, front: is that an Altum? I could get into these. I like the freedom to have gravel, plants (which I'm no expert in), etc. I'd have to order from a supplier in the US again though since my LPS only has a limited selection of very small Angelfish.

[bwssr]

I used to raise and sell angels by the thousands. I have over 140 tanks to care for and it was a choir but I raise just about every breed I could get my hands on. My favorites were the black angels. I had 10 meridian water changers and it seemed like they were running all the time. My angels were the healthiest around and I had no trouble selling them. The thing that killed it was what the humidity was doing to my house in the winter. I want to go into Discus but right now I cannot. I lost my house a while back and renting a place that is not big enough. My tanks that I kept are in storage. So right now I'll just watch what you guys and gals are doing.

[Hidan]

I think I'll add some angels, some cardinals, maybe some rams. Not all at once. From my past experience, all those additions pretty sure it'll impact the Discus though, I'd be really surprised if they all lived.


hanks for posting this. I believe Angels do better in lower water temp also so I'm hoping that 80F will suit both my Discus, and Angels when I get them. My Discus are adults.
Angels do fine upto 30C, but probably prefer slightly lower temps, I would suggest 28. Just start lowering your temps 1 degree at a time and the Discus should adapt to it.
Since your Discus have not been in a community tank, they are probably not used to competing with others, but my guess is since they are fully grown, they will adapt just fine. Start with smaller angels, so the Discus still stay the bosses of the tanks.
You could also look into Roseline barb if your looking for activity. Beautiful fish and some members have had success keeping them with Discus and Angels.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

Angels do fine upto 30C, but probably prefer slightly lower temps, I would suggest 28. Just start lowering your temps 1 degree at a time and the Discus should adapt to it.
Since your Discus have not been in a community tank, they are probably not used to competing with others, but my guess is since they are fully grown, they will adapt just fine. Start with smaller angels, so the Discus still stay the bosses of the tanks.
You could also look into Roseline barb if your looking for activity. Beautiful fish and some members have had success keeping them with Discus and Angels.

Well I added six Angels (3 Blues and 3 Koi) and four GBR's three days ago. The new fish are all tiny, maybe 2" or so but getting on well and seem quite comfortable among the relatively huge Discus. No change yet in the Discus, if they make it through the next week then hoping all should be ok. It's created a nice change in my tank, has renewed my interest quite a bit.

WC: I've always done >50% daily WC and haven't missed a day since I've been keeping Discus. Pretty sure I'll continue with this so long as I still have Discus.

[Hidan]

Sounds good. Post some pics when you have the time to take them.

[CANAMONSTER]

If your a discus keeper then you are a picky fish keeper who likes everything prestige. This will not go away with less picky fish. You will still maintain other fish with the upmost care. I have also tried what you are and realized all fish are work if you are someone who like to keep everything pristine and perfect. My opinion is the least maintenance fish are no fish :)

[adrian31@outlook.com]

If your a discus keeper then you are a picky fish keeper who likes everything prestige. This will not go away with less picky fish. You will still maintain other fish with the upmost care. I have also tried what you are and realized all fish are work if you are someone who like to keep everything pristine and perfect. My opinion is the least maintenance fish are no fish :)

lol so true. You know, I can't help but remember the time when I raised 6 Piranha inchlings when I was a teenager. All 6 grew huge in the 125gal I had them in, but I didn't change one bit of water for them, or siphon bottom/clean tank. Ever. Didn't know any better at the time. Though I did periodically scrape algae from the inside tank walls. WC apparently wasn't necessary for their survival but I shudder to think of what was below in that 4" gravel substrate in the tank.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

My pics are never great, can't seem to get more of the Discus with the new ones right now:

113623113624113625

[White Worm]

If your a discus keeper then you are a picky fish keeper who likes everything prestige. This will not go away with less picky fish. You will still maintain other fish with the upmost care. I have also tried what you are and realized all fish are work if you are someone who like to keep everything pristine and perfect. My opinion is the least maintenance fish are no fish :)

Disagree, changing less than 100% of the water on my angel tanks daily doesnt mean they get any less care. Tanks stay clean and fish are healthy and breeding. How much water to change and the idea of pristine and perfect is personal opinion. I could do alot less and probably have the same results. Discus just happen to be one of most demanding freshwater fish when it comes to their water parameters. Angels, not so much. I have had zero issues with illness and the stores that purchase from me have said I have better stock than what they can order. Thats why they prefer to order local. They also have never run into any illness issues with my stock. Granted, keeping discus has taught me alot and has made it easier to keep any other freshwater fish.

[CANAMONSTER]

Disagree, changing less than 100% of the water on my angel tanks daily doesnt mean they get any less care. Tanks stay clean and fish are healthy and breeding. How much water to change and the idea of pristine and perfect is personal opinion. I could do alot less and probably have the same results. Discus just happen to be one of most demanding freshwater fish when it comes to their water parameters. Angels, not so much. I have had zero issues with illness and the stores that purchase from me have said I have better stock than what they can order. Thats why they prefer to order local. They also have never run into any illness issues with my stock. Granted, keeping discus has taught me alot and has made it easier to keep any other freshwater fish.

That's what I'm saying. You will give the same respect to other fish after keeping discus

[White Worm]

I'm sure that keeping discus has definitely given me a better understanding of the freshwater fish hobby. I know more now than I ever wanted to know about fish and water.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

I'm sure that keeping discus has definitely given me a better understanding of the freshwater fish hobby. I know more now than I ever wanted to know about fish and water.

Isn't that the truth.