Would you recommend......

[Discus-n00b]

Would you recommend putting a bottem feeder in a discus tank? Like a few cories?

Any other bottem feeders that can go with discus?

I want something that can combat waste just incase i miss a WC or something.

Any suggestions/ideas?


Any ideas on how i would lower the pH of my water without storing it? It will drop overnight but i do not have room for storage of water.

[Carol_Roberts]

Bottom feeders produce waste of their own.

If your water from the tap is higher in pH do not worry about adding it directly to the tank (after adding a dechlorination product)

[Abercrombie6202]

The problem with cories is that they will die in HIGH temperatures of like 90 degrees +

If you havea planted tank i'd put some botias or clown loaches.

[Discus-n00b]

Ok thanks, just brainstorming.

I know they would not even be close to a substitute for WC's either. Just thought they could help out a bit.

No planted tank yet......i'm a newbie so i thought i'd start off with BB, even though i would LOVE to keep discus in even a fake planted tank!

Ok then i'm good with the pH. :D

Thanks!

[stevestauberjr]

My clown loaches get along great with my Discus.

[Discus-n00b]

What about the waste factor?

Do the loaches help with uneaten stuff?

Do they produce a lot of waste?

[Abercrombie6202]

my little botia which is close enough to a clown loach eats all the BW that hit the bottom of the tank :)

[breed_beyond]

I'd have to diagree with Carol on not worrying about ph coming out with a higher ph and adding it to the tank, I had the same problem and discus kept crashing because the ph was never stable! Now that I age my water they are happy.

[stevestauberjr]

I don't know how much waste they produce but since I change my water and syphon the bottom everyday I don't ever notice a large amount of feces and I have 4 loaches.

[Discus-n00b]

I'd have to diagree with Carol on not worrying about ph coming out with a higher ph and adding it to the tank, I had the same problem and discus kept crashing because the ph was never stable! Now that I age my water they are happy.

Hmmm only problem is i don't have room to age my water......well not enough anyway. Only be able to do 10gal. :(

[breed_beyond]

What kind of ph fluctuations do you see? You could also add crushed coral to keep it stable.

[Discus-n00b]

It went from about 8.0 to 7.2/7.0 overnight.

[breed_beyond]

Yeah that's big drop that could cause discus alot of stress and they could end up darting around the tank, try a nylon with some crushed coral in your tank, or in the filter if you use a hang on back or canister.

[Discus-n00b]

I use an AC500

I agree with Carol that bottom feeders produce waste of their own, and I change water daily to clean up that mess. I find that Ancistrus "Plecos" have made my life a lot easier now that I added them. I have no algae spots and the glass stays clean on the inside. They need driftwood for long term survival, and that might turn some people off.

[lesley]

Hi Discus-n00b

I have eight corydoras in my (sparsely) planted 6x2x2 and I am going to put some more in. I vacuum the sand every two days and do a water change off the top 10". I am finding that when I vacuum there is no waste food, although obviously there is a certain amount of general muck.

I think that the corys do pick up food that is missed by the discus, (not that there is too much of that) although they would of course produce waste. I think that they are small enough that the waste would not be overly significant.

Mine appear to be happy in a temp of 84 which is what I keep the discus in, (in their quarantine period they were at 88, forgot to check the heater).

One of the things I like about the corys is that they are not too large, and they don't disturb the plants, mainly Anubias which don't mind lower light levels. My discus are my main focus and interest and I don't want something as large as the clown loaches in there (although I think they are gorgeous looking fish).

I use rainwater and I recently forgot that lots of rain (joy, joy) which we recently had would be highly acid (mine is normally 6.8-7.0) and I had a major pH crash in my BB tank (lost one lovely young discus, and probably another, it can't make its mind up yet) but in the planted tank everyone is still happy. I guess a planted tank has a more natural buffer?

Just food for thought for you, hunt around this site and read lots and then decide what you think is best for you. I have had excellent help here and think that Simply is Simply Great!

[Debbie]

There are some cories that can live well with higher temps. Just research which cories will be ok. I have successfully kept metae and aneus with mine. I tried C. paleatus but they didn't work out.

[Mykiss]

Debbie, I have also tried C. pleatus and they really didn't like the warmer temperatures.