New To Discus

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I plan to start my first Discus tank in the very near future. It will be a while before I actually get my discus though. I plan to keep them in my 75gal tank which will be heavily planted. Many of you may know me from Simply cihclids as Haplover :wave: and mave seen my planted 75. :) I know, many of you will probably recommend I start with a bare bottom tank, but after much reading I already decided against that, I can handle a planted tank no problem. This tank has been running as a Reef tank for the last 8 months but I've discovered that I just do not have the funds necessary to keep up with that sort of tank right now. So, once I reluctantly get rid of all my fish, corals, and liverock I will have to give the tank and filter a good cleaning and then I will begin to set up the new tank. I've been doing lots of reading on these beautiful fish and I can hardly wait to get started. Once the tank is cycled I will start with a few small fish to help the tank mature a bit and then probably around August or September I will finally get my Discus.

The one question I do have though is how many should I keep in that 75? Keep in mind there will likely be a small school of 6-12 Cardinals or Rummy Nosed Tetras in there along with a BN Plec or 2.

[pcsb23]

Welcoem to simply D! First off if you have already decided on planted then I would strongly advise buying adult discus when the time comes. Whilst it is not impossible to grow them out in a planted tank, it is very difficult. I've done it and will not be doing it again!! With decent filtration and regular w/c's (2 or 3 times a week in a planted) 6 or 7 adults would make a good number.

hth,

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Well, my filtration will be an Eheim 2215 so good filtration is not a problem. :) When I had my planted tank before my nitrate levels never got above 5. As for water conditions, I'm blessed with water that comes out of my water filter with a pH of 6.4, a KH of <1 and a GH of 1. My water was made for Discus. :)

One other thing I have not found is weather or not people mix strains. I would guess probably not. I was planning on Snakeskins as they are my favorites.

[pcsb23]

Well, my filtration will be an Eheim 2215 so good filtration is not a problem. :)

Agreed, best cannisters out there.



When I had my planted tank before my nitrate levels never got above 5. As for water conditions, I'm blessed with water that comes out of my water filter with a pH of 6.4, a KH of <1 and a GH of 1. My water was made for Discus. :)

Hugely jealous, mine is liquid concrete :(



One other thing I have not found is weather or not people mix strains. I would guess probably not. I was planning on Snakeskins as they are my favorites.
Mix them how you want. Discus are discus! I would be tempted to get them all together and from the same reseller (one of the sponsors - nudge nudge). Less likely to introduce pathogens they have no immunity for. Qt could be a challenge though! In my tanks I have a variety of strains from wilds through to albinos!

[Lafayette Jeff]

You may be new to discus but sounds like you're an experienced aquarium keeper. I don't think you'll have any problems you can't handle. I've found the secret to discus is higher temps and frequent water changes. I'd recommend 4-6 healthy young adult discus to keep your bioload manageable.

Whew, maybe now that "you haven't posted" reminder will go away when I log on.