My first trio of discus :) How long can i keep them alive!

[Danlee]

Hey all!

This is my first attempt at discus!

I bought 3 red melon discus on friday. They are about 7cm
Whether i pursue a discus tank depends on how long i manage to keep these new discus alive :)

I've got them in a 2 foot tank which i've painted 3 sides and bottom blue.
I have 2 large sponge filters in there. Have cycled the tank and the sponge filters are already established.

The Temp. is 29C

I'm just a little paranoid with them at the moment.

How long can they go without food?
I tried feeding them today with tetra bits to no success.

I put 6 cardinals with them to try get them to come out more and 2 albino bristlenoses.

They all hide when i approach the tank which is normal but i've noticed one of the discus hides in the corner with its fins clamped together while the other 2 dont clamp there fins and seem normal, i think its being bullied by the other 2 but there are no physical damage and i havent' really seen them chase it yet. Its the smallest one with the clamped fins. Is it sick?

I have seen them poo out white clearish poo. Is that normal? Its not abnormally long i'm like i said just paranoid.

Any help is much appreciated

Thanks
Dan

[Danlee]

Here are a few pics to give you an idea

This is a pic of the tank (i covered the tank with the white towel on the first day to stress them less)
I swear theres 3 discus in there just the other 2 are hiding behind the filter :)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6388.jpg

3 pics of the smallest discus with the clamped fins
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6390.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6389.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/discuss1.jpg

[Jeckel]

Danlee,

Welcome to discus keeping! It's normal for discus to take a few days to start eating in a new environment. You didn't say where you got the fish or what they were eating before you got them. I'm guessing they came from a pet shop, in which case there's no telling whether they were properly cared for or not. If they're not in the habit of eating dry food, it may take a while for them to accept Tetra Bits. The white feces are often a sign of a hexamita infection. If they haven't started eating yet, I'd start a treatment with metronidazole, with the water temperature at least 93 F. If the discus do adjust to their new home, you will probably have a lot of trouble with aggression, and the weakest of the three may be bullied to death.

[RyanH]

Hi Dan,

The white feces usually means parasites or hexamita. I try to treat new fish as though they are carriers of deadly disease whenever I bring them into my house.

I would treat them with prazi and formalin to rid them of parasites.

If you still see white feces, or notice a darkening in color, you will want to treat them for hex.

Honestly, they look a bit beat up and behind on their growth. You may want to try live food to get them eating again. Blackworms work well.

You can also raise their temps. a bit too. I'd bump them up to 31c until you get them eating again and then settle them in on around 30c.

As far as their hiding goes, this is fairly normal. As I said, they look a bit beat up and were not cared for properly prior to ending up in your tank. Starting with fish like this can be challenging.

Keep their tank clean and read through the beginner section for tips on proper care.

One last thing:

Are your filters mature? How did you seed the tank before you put them in?

-Ryan

[White Worm]

Dan,

You may not want to base your discus future on these discus. If these dont make it, it may be from improper care prior to you getting them. They are not the best of quality so you may want to decide if it is practical to spend $$$ on meds if they are ill. Look into the sponsors and compare quality and price. 3 discus will be skittish most times and in general, 3 is not a good number. Good quality discus from a reputable breeder is the most important step in the discus hobby next to lots of reading and research to prepare before you get them.

[April]

as they said..to be honest..they arent healthy happy juveniles. they could be alot older than you think..and runted from improper care before you received them. get the heat up to 90 c as suggested..and try hikari bloodworms or live food. the higher heat gets their metablolism up and makes them eat better.
if these guys dont do well..i wouldnt throw in the towel on discius. what you need is to get some healthy fry from a breeder. and get 6 if you can. youd most likely pay alot less than a lfs and get better quality. in the meantime you can use these guys to learn on and see what you can do with them. if they dont eat and they are passing white poo..then you may need metronidazole.
where in oz are you ? theres a great breeder in brisbane. he posts on here.
welcome to simply. :wave:

[Danlee]

Hey guys

Cheers for the replies :)

I'm in WA. and these came from a guy who imports/orders fish and sells them to shops and the public and he delivers to your house. I've order fish from this guy before and never had problems but i've never ordered discus from him before.

Well an update.
The one in the pic he has passed away. He didnt' eat, and kinda swam parallel to the water surface. He didn't seem to get bullied I think it was an internal worms problem or something.

I bought live brineshrimp following advice from the aus discus forums. Now the remaining 2 are eating which is a good sign, just need to get them to eat what i want them to eat. I bought the tetrabits because the guy who sold me them told me that is what he was feeding them.

I also decided to start my discus meds collection starting with Waterlife Octozin.

I'm currently treating the remaining 2 with that Octozin and will hopefully get some results. I'll keep you guys posted.
I've also increased the temp to 31C

I've included a few pics of the one that died. I called him 'Clampy' because he always had his fins clamped together.

The other 2 don't look as sick as clampy did they swim around the tank together, altho still not eating what i want them to. I was told to treat them with Octozin just in case and it may help them eat better.

Showing some sign of internal worms or something
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6407.jpg

struggling to swim vertical
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6414.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6417.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6418.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6420.jpg

Discus mocking the other discus that it can swim properly
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6419.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6434.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6442.jpg

RIP
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/My%20first%20discus/IMG_6450.jpg

Thanks
Dan

[aquaticplantman]

Poor guy. I'm glad the other two are improving. I'm getting the impression that you want to wean them on to eating just tetrabits? Tetrabits are great, but not as a sole food source. They will still need some nice meaty foods -- bloodworms, beefheart, etc. Keep us updated.

-- Matt H.

[steve.ryall]

Dan,

I dont want to sound harsh, but it seems that you decided to get some discus without doing any research at all. I am sorry that you lost one of your 3 fish, but if the other ones are like that one I think your discus experience will be tainted by the low quality fish that you got.

You have started with fish that needed treatment badly, if it were me I would return the 2 you have left and get your money back. There is no substitute for quality when it comes to discus. Do some research, here is a great place to start reading, get in contact with an Aus breeder, and try again. Sorry if I bring strong opinions, but believe me, it is for your own, and your fish's good.

Steve

[Darren's Discus]

Hey,
sorry to hear of your loss,but do have to agree here looks like those guys had problems before you got them,don't get discouraged if you get a spare tank I will send you 6 juvies at no cost you just pay the freight !


cheers

[t_j]

Hey,
sorry to hear of your loss,but do have to agree here looks like those guys had problems before you got them,don't get discouraged if you get a spare tank I will send you 6 juvies at no cost you just pay the freight !


cheers



That is so nice of you to do that.:thumbsup:

[steve.ryall]

Darren,

What a very kind gesture. :angel: Not many would be so generous. I hope you can give Dan some tips to keep your fish healthy. I look forward to seeing some happy, heathly fish in Dan's tank soon.
Good luck Dan, well done Darren.

Steve

[Danlee]

Cheers again for your opinions and advice Guys :).

Thanks for the offer darren burgess really appreciate it but unfortunately, i don't think i can take you up on your generous offer at the moment until i get a handle on these 2 first. But again Thanks for your generousity :)

I have done a fair bit of research before getting these but nothing is better than first hand experience! :)

I have a 4 foot planted tank which i was planning to house the trio in but i wanted to quaranteen them first, which is the reason for the 2 foot tank by themselves. I painted the 3 sides and bottom blue as I read it makes them feel more secure and added 2 sponge filters because i believe for them to be very effective.

I also change water after every feeding. The water in Perth is fine for discus. I've been told by a few discus keepers here that they just use straight tap water for their discus and they do fine.

I'm trying to get them to eat tetrabits because i was told that is wat they were eating before. But I also bought frozen brine shrimp in the freezer and have sera flora flake which i feed my other fish and plan to alternate between the 3. Tetra, Sera Flora and occasional brine shrimp.
I just need to get them to willingly eat now. They have taken live brine shrimp which is a good sign that they are eating now.

I made the temp. warmer and added a bit of salt to calm them from the trip to my place. Again I didn't realise i would get them in such bad condition becuase I have ordered from this guy who is a sponsor for a few australian forums and he has never let me down before. I've been in contact with a few other people who ordered fish from this same batch and 2 others have had this problem but it doesnt' seem all the fish got it.

I started my discus meds. collection yesterday with 'Waterlife Octozin' and started treating them.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/IMG_6505.jpg
Hopefully after this treatment they will be healthy and eat anything willingly.

And just for interests sake here is the ad for the discus i bought.
http://www.perthcichlid.com/pcs/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=6984

The reason for 3 was because I didn't want to spend heaps on a group to find they die. Was planning to see what happens with this trio and if all goes well invest in a bigger group and better quality.

Anyway i'll keep you guys posted and cheers again for your help and advice, Its all welcome :)

Its been quite the start for my first ever discus keeping experience :)

I suppose if it all ran smoothly it'd be boring

Cheers guys
Dan

[steve.ryall]

To be really honest Dan, after reading the very first thread from the link you posted, this guy should have culled the lot and not try to be greedy by selling them to 'discus newbies' Not someone I would buy from!! ever!

Steve

[Kindredspirit]

I agree with Steve here ~ sounds harsh but it is what it is ~ Get some good quality healthy discus and life will be easier:) Discus ailments are to me, right up there with car and computer problems ~ both of which do not mix well with me:mad: lol!

I will say ...You Are A Good Man Charlie Brown for even trying with these guys! Imagine the success you shall have with sound healthy strong ones?


Keep us posted!

Marie ~ :coffee:

[White Worm]

You took a short cut for the price and dont worry because a few have done the same thing early in the hobby. Everybody loves a deal but remember, you always get what you pay for. Those pics show a tank full of culls. They already knew there was problems to begin with and should have never offered them for sale. There was probably other problems far beyond just gills with "ammonia problems". Discusboy called em on it and the best thing I can say is Steve says...."hmm seems there was a problem, contact me guys, we'll sort something out". No kidding. DO contact him and ask for your money back. Why waste your time dealing with these fish and $ to medicate when you have a great chance at some nice juvies for the price of shipping? You said you want to do this right? Start with quality juvies and grow them nice. It seems you have done some good research so dont waste your time nursing these culls back to health when they may turn out like the first one or not even turn out to be worth keeping even as pets.

[April]

i agree with miskus and id take darren up on his offer. he does good work with his discus. youll find it alot more rewarding tank.
im a bit surprised those were sent to oz in the first place...considering the stipulations of quarantine by aquis etc. and the price to pay for all that..to bring in culls. im surprised the supplier sent them.

[Danlee]

Hey guys

Cheers for your advice and opinions.

Well today was the 3rd and last day of the octozin treatment and they are still alive :).
Tomorow (chinese new year eve :) ) I'm going to do a big final water change then pump them with live brine shrimp before watching them for a day or 2 then adding them to my 4 foot planted tank.

I'm hoping since the tank has lots of plants and other community fish which are discus friendly this will build the 2 discus's confidence because since they are by themselves at the moment they seem kind of skittish which may be part of the reason they aren't as keen to eat the tetrabits i offer because they always hide behind the sponge filters when i approach the tank to feed them. So hopefully with a restored confidence in the 4 foot tank they should then eat readily. Well thats the plan anyway :)

Also the guy i got the fish from very willingly gave me a full refund without any hassle and i got to keep the remaining 2.

And since every fish deserve a chance i'm gonna do my best with the remaining 2 :)

Cheers again for all your help and i'll shall update again after Chinese new year :)

Gong Xi Fai Chia;)

Thanks
Dan

[FishLover888]

Happy Chinese New Year to you too!

I'm going to a Chinese New Year party tomorrow and it is my birthday too!

[Ryan]

Get more than 2 or 3. I post this all the time. Because of the pecking order, your chances of keeping that many fish successfully are slim. A dominant fish will stress and possibly kill a submissive fish if you only have 2... 3 isn't much better.

Best to start with 6 babies.

[White Worm]

14 to 15 days for a QT process is right on the outskirts of the minimum time. You still run a large chance of getting the rest of your fish sick. You should keep THESE discus in QT for 6 weeks to make sure they have recovered and dont show other symptoms or come down with other problems. You and them are just gonna have to deal with their shy behavior since you have decided to keep them. No matter what you do, they still may not feel secure in just a group of 2 even with other community fish. They feel more secure in larger numbers with their own kind most times. You should still go with the other direction but it is ultimately your choice. You may not get the chance at this generous offer again in the future.

[April]

well..dont mix them with any from anyone else at this point. they could be carriers..or break down and youd lose all. they will hide more ina planted tank..two in a big tank wont work. the other fish will get the food long before they are able to get out and get any.
keep us posted.

[Danlee]

Hey guys

Well an update!

Still have the 2 they don't bully each other at all and stick together.
Haven't had any success yet with them eating the tetrabits
But I have seen them peck at live brine shrimp.

Finished the Octozin 3 day treatment and now going to start a treatment of levimisole.

Pics of our chinese new year feast! Mum and sister spent the whole day cooking!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/CNY%202007/IMG_6525.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/CNY%202007/IMG_6528.jpg

And Pics of the feast I bought the Discus

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/IMG_6566.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/IMG_6573.jpg

They are still hanging in there :)
Thanks
Dan

[Darren's Discus]

So much food for two little Discus if they need any help eating that feast give me a call !

cheers

[White Worm]

I'm hungry.

[Peachtree Discus]

Get more than 2 or 3. I post this all the time. Because of the pecking order, your chances of keeping that many fish successfully are slim. A dominant fish will stress and possibly kill a submissive fish if you only have 2... 3 isn't much better.

Best to start with 6 babies.

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. I'm still very new to this discus stuff but i read that advice in a post somewhere on the forums here. Unfortunately I read it after i had been keeping 3 in a tank for about 1 year. 2 of them turned out a'ight :bandana: , but one of them is maad runted. After i got 5+ in a tank in made a major difference in eating and general behavior.

My problem is going to be culling. :(

[Danlee]

Hey

Well an update:

Still have 2 alive and have moved them into my 4 foot tank which is bare bottom atm.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/Gravel%20swap/IMG_6663.jpg

I'm still waiting for an order of moon taitan sand to come in at my LFS.

The duo seem to like the open space alot which is a good sign.

I've also decided to order another 5 more discus from my supplier who supplied me these because he is giving me them at wholesalers prices to make up for this bunch. It was the guy supplying my supplier who had the dodgy fish because everyone else with these fish have had problems and most of them have past on.

Hoping this time will be alot smoother experience because these new fish are better quality (A grade) and are being ordered from a different source.

I'll post up my 2nd discus experience when i get them.

I'll also post some pics when i get the moon taitan sand and have planted some of the plants floating at the top of the tank atm.

Thanks
Dan

[mmorris]

I must have missed something here. Someone on this forum offered you discus and you are returning to the same supplier because his price is cheap? Who is supplying him now? Can you look at the discus when they arrive and honestly know whether they are grade A or not? Do you think your supplier believes you can? Its not wise, in my opinion, to let him `make up' for what he did by selling you more. If he thought in the first place that he might lose a valued customer by delivering these fish to you then he wouldn't have done it. Its not your responsibility to salvage his reputation. I'd really hate to see you have more problems. You obviously care about your fish. Martha

[White Worm]

Big mistake.... Dont follow up one mistake with another. If the original person who sold these to you didnt know they were bad, what makes you think he knows now? Grade "A"??? Thats just a matter of opinion. What did he tell you the grade was of the first ones he sent to you? You are better off going with the sponsor section and get you some quality juvies. It wont be much more expensive than this.. so called.. wholesale price. They should be free replacements if anything!!! Personally, I think you would have to be out of your mind to go back to the same source that sent you those culls when you have a better option to get some free and pay just shipping from darren. Think about it.

[April]

Darren is a good discus keeper. and i know he has nice discus.and hes not trying to make money off of you. hes doing it out of caring and kindness .

[Danlee]

Hey guys

The guy who i bought the discus off is 'Deep Blue Aquaria'
Not sure if i can post his link so feel free to take it off but its here
http://www.deepblueaquaria.com/

He's based in Perth and is a sponsor on many Australian forums.

I've ordered from him many times before and always had great quality fish. It was just this one off that went horribly wrong. He was very willing to make up for it.

The discus this time are from a supplier he has ordered from before and they have sent him pics of the fish
http://www.perthcichlid.com/pcs/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7567

I really do Appreciate Darren's very generous offer and i have no doubt that he has some top quality discus. I was only reluctant becuause i have no idea how sending discus interstate works or what i need to do to recieve them from my side of the country.
I will always be very grateful for the offer from Darren :)



Thanks
Dan

[Darren's Discus]

Thanks April for the kind words.Dan i am not here to pressure you,you do what you want all i want is people to experience what a great hobby Discus keeping is.The difference is there are enthusiasts, hobbyist,and fish sellers as you will see by most of the sponsors here they are not just fish lovers they have a genuine love for Discus and want other people to share in their passion by having the best fish available there not in it for the money.Trust me there are a lot easier ways of making money than selling Discus.What purpose does it serve to sell rubbish to people it gives the seller a bad name and the purchaser thinks oh Discus are'nt any good useally that person will leave the hobby not realizing the full joy that can be had by keeping beautiful Discus no matter what you choose to do,If you continue with discus make shure you buy Quality from someone who cares about the fish !I have placed some pics of juvies here that i currently have these are all my own breed stock you are welcome to 6 if you choose you can have all one type or a couple of each.If you don't want any of these i have a shipment of tony tan fish arriving at the end of the month you are most welcome to get 6 of these at my cost plus freight.


cheers

[mmorris]

Really nice looking discus Darren. Dan- please note that the fish in the photos posted by Deep Blue are not the ones you will be getting. These are, supposedly, from the last batch. Why, then, did yours not look like these? Photos do not always represent what the retailer has to sell but rather what the buyer hopes to get. Darren's, on the other hand, are what you really would get. You've been getting some pretty serious words of warning on this thread; I hope you will pay attention to them. Martha

[White Worm]

Good luck. Please post picture of the new ones you receive. Maybe he will make it up to you.

[mkd]

hey darren,

this is my very first post on the forum ..and i simply salute you for the gesture you have made :) ..you indeed are a rare species ;)

greets,
me.

[April]

darren ill take the top blue one nearest the sponge filter in the fourth pic..and the one furthest to the right in the first pic..and the bottom one in the second pic. :) can you just tell them to start swimming to canada?

[Green Country Discus]

Darren, great offer of kindness and some fine looking Discus you raise ;) . Your fish show the love you have for them!

[Darren's Discus]

Hi,
Dan decided to take me up on the offer of 6 juvies,so it was lights on early this morning in the fishroom ,I decided to gice him 2 white swans 2 snakeskins and 2 blue diamonds. here they are looking sleepy !

[Darren's Discus]

Here are some of the volunteers who thought they would like to move to Perth,bags packed ready to go to the airport! Here we come Dan !

Enjoy
Darren

[ed8t]

What a great story.

Way to go Darren! Looks like you're getting some nice fish Dan!

[fishmama]

Can't wait to see them safe and sound at Dan's place!

What a neat thread to read and enjoy! Hope the discus keeping hobby goes great for Dan!

[Danlee]

Hey

Cheers Darren. Great guy :)

I'll be picking them up at 5.30pm my time. I've just organised a quaranteen officer to look at them when they land becuase its compulsory.
Quaranteen laws are strict as in WA.

I promise to take Heaps of pics and will be making a new thread with it all :)

Will keep you guys updated!

Thanks
Dan

[April]

excellent!! did you send mine too darren to canada? or did those ones end up in his bags? lol. well hope they do great..and you get big beautiful discus .

[Danlee]

Hey

i got the discus today and have posted a heap of pics

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?p=380055#post380055

[Danlee]

Hey all

One of the new blue diamonds has a kind of lump
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/aquariumsrus/Darren%20discus/IMG_6973.jpg

Is it anything to worry about or completely harmless?

I'm hoping the latter:)

Thanks
Dan

[Darren's Discus]

Hey Dan,
good to see all the discus arrived safe and well as for the lump on the diamond i wouldn't worry to much about it just keep an eye on it !


cheers

[Danlee]

Hey Darren

Ah k. cool. Was hoping it was nothing :)

I was really surprised by the size of these!
They're pretty big :)

Thanks again
Dan

[Darren's Discus]

Hey Darren

Ah k. cool. Was hoping it was nothing :)

I was really surprised by the size of these!
They're pretty big :)

Thanks again
Dan

That's what she said last night !

[White Worm]

Good move.