Ordered My First Discus from Discus Hans

[snoopy65]

Well I placed my order with Discus Hans and they should be here tomorrow. I can not get over how excited and nervous I am. I ordered 3 Brilliant Turquoise, 2 Red Turquoise, and 2 Cobalts.

Any words of advise or encouragement are appreciated.

[pinkjello]

Congrats! I always feel like that when i know im getting some discus. Even thinking about getting some does the same thing lol..Just make sure your tank is ready, temp, ph..etc etc..but im sure you have done that. Sitting and waiting is the hard part! Good luck with everything!:D

[rickztahone]

as long as you are fully cycled you shouldn't have any problems at all. do not feed them for the first 24hrs, keep the lights off to not spook them and keep a close eye on them and make sure they are acting normal

[Scribbles]

Congratulations! You are going to love Hans' discus. Like everyone else has said if your tank is cycled and all is stable you are ready to go. Be sure to post pictures after they have had a chance to settle in.

Chris

[snoopy65]

Yes the tank is fully cycled. My ph is steady at 7.6 out of the tap, 24 hours later, and 1 week later. Temp is at 85-86 degrees. I will definitely take pictures!

Question: They get shipped out this evening Fedex Next Day 1030am. Do I drip acclimate or float and drop? I have always drip acclimated my other fish, but with this being my first discus, I am not sure which I should do.

[bs6749]

You should be able to feed the fish within the first 20 minutes. I have always done this and they have ALWAYS taken food.

I would open all of the bags and float them in the tank. Do not put any tank water into the bags, just let the temps equalize. Once the temps are equal, net the fish out or remove them by hand (preferred) and place them into the tank. Drip acclimation is not the "method of choice" among many here because of possible ammonia toxicity when going from an acidic pH in the bag and using alkaline water to slowly acclimate them. You are causing the fish more stress because you are converting relatively harmless ammonium ion into the ammonia molecule, which is harmful to fish. I always equalize the temps and then remove them from the bag by hand and dispose of the water in the bag.

You are going to love your cobalts when they mature!

[Sharkbait]

How big did you get them? Tank Size? Bare bottom? I'm planning on getting probably the same order not too long from now!

[snoopy65]

You should be able to feed the fish within the first 20 minutes. I have always done this and they have ALWAYS taken food.

I would open all of the bags and float them in the tank. Do not put any tank water into the bags, just let the temps equalize. Once the temps are equal, net the fish out or remove them by hand (preferred) and place them into the tank. Drip acclimation is not the "method of choice" among many here because of possible ammonia toxicity when going from an acidic pH in the bag and using alkaline water to slowly acclimate them. You are causing the fish more stress because you are converting relatively harmless ammonium ion into the ammonia molecule, which is harmful to fish. I always equalize the temps and then remove them from the bag by hand and dispose of the water in the bag.

You are going to love your cobalts when they mature!

I will just float and remove to the tank then. Thanks. My ph is within .2 of Hans so hopefully they won't have any issues.


How big did you get them? Tank Size? Bare bottom? I'm planning on getting probably the same order not too long from now!

The discus are at 2 1/2". They will go into a 55 bare bottom QT for now but will ultimately be in my planted, 6' long, 110 gal.

Fedex says they are in transit and on time!!!! I am soooo excited!

[Eddie]

Might find out what Hans was feeding them and get some of that, to possibly get them eating sooner. I'd keep the lights off but have some light on the tank. Have the temp around 86-88F. Re-check your PH and all your parameters now, since its been a week.

Hope you enjoy your new juvies, all the best with them,

Eddie

[bs6749]

Might find out what Hans was feeding them and get some of that, to possibly get them eating sooner.
Eddie

I believe that Hans feeds them his own burger mix at that size if he is still using it. You can find the recipe somewhere on here or you should be able to email him and he will send you the recipe I'm sure. I know I have it in a previous email from someone but the questions is "where?" lol.

[snoopy65]

He sent it to me. I have some of it in the freezer as well as a small portion for today in the fridge. I also have frozen blood worms & black worms (just in case).

Eddie, I didn't mean that the water in the tank right now has been there a week. I meant that when I do weekly changes on all of my tanks, I check before and after the water change and my ph is always within .2 of when it comes out of the tap.

[Eddie]

He sent it to me. I have some of it in the freezer as well as a small portion for today in the fridge. I also have frozen blood worms & black worms (just in case).

Eddie, I didn't mean that the water in the tank right now has been there a week. I meant that when I do weekly changes on all of my tanks, I check before and after the water change and my ph is always within .2 of when it comes out of the tap.

Oh okay, makes sense. Good job on getting them Hans's food. ;)

Eddie

[Chad Adams]

You should be able to feed the fish within the first 20 minutes. I have always done this and they have ALWAYS taken food.

I would open all of the bags and float them in the tank. Do not put any tank water into the bags, just let the temps equalize. Once the temps are equal, net the fish out or remove them by hand (preferred) and place them into the tank. Drip acclimation is not the "method of choice" among many here because of possible ammonia toxicity when going from an acidic pH in the bag and using alkaline water to slowly acclimate them. You are causing the fish more stress because you are converting relatively harmless ammonium ion into the ammonia molecule, which is harmful to fish. I always equalize the temps and then remove them from the bag by hand and dispose of the water in the bag.

Amen to That! I got 8 discus from Hans in January. They ate within the first hour. Swam right up to my hand. I like to use hand transfer as well. You have chosen some great discus my friend!
Chad

[snoopy65]

Thanks Chad. Fedex says they are out for delivery. I live in a "remote" area so I may have another hour to wait. It is driving me crazy!!

[snoopy65]

They are here!!!!

[Discus-Hans]

Just got of the phone with Snoopy, all fine :)

People if you get Discus in from us, just drop and plop.

If your Ph is 7 or higher it's fine.
We take care the Ph in the bag will be lower on arrival as in your tank.

If the bags are real cold what never happens this time of year and in the winter the heat packs take care of that float the bags CLOSED

At the moment you open the bags Ph will go up fast in the bag, if you want to float the bags KEEP THEM CLOSED.

Best way is cut the bags open, drain them in a net and drop the Discus in the tank. If they settle in a little just start feeding them, some eat direct, some take a little longer,
Hans

[snoopy65]

Thank you for the phone call. Talk about customer service!! They are all doing well, and a couple are nibbling on food. I am trying very hard to stay away from the tank and let them settle in, but it is hard to do! I will get pictures of them in the next day or two.

[Diamond Discus]

Congratulations!! If I would have read this sooner I would have told you to drop and plop...because I have Hans Discus too. You'll love them...I love mine!

[snoopy65]

They are all swimming around in the subdued lighting now. I have the tank lights off but the overhead light on in the room. It is such a relief to get them here all alive and well.

[Justice]

Cool Beans! I am excited for you best of luck to you and your new fish. :balloon:

[Justice]

Just got of the phone with Snoopy, all fine :)

People if you get Discus in from us, just drop and plop.

If your Ph is 7 or higher it's fine.
We take care the Ph in the bag will be lower on arrival as in your tank.

If the bags are real cold what never happens this time of year and in the winter the heat packs take care of that float the bags CLOSED

At the moment you open the bags Ph will go up fast in the bag, if you want to float the bags KEEP THEM CLOSED.

Best way is cut the bags open, drain them in a net and drop the Discus in the tank. If they settle in a little just start feeding them, some eat direct, some take a little longer,
HansWhy would anyone try to float a open bag?

[bs6749]

Why would anyone try to float a open bag?

I've always done this because sometimes when I get fish sent to me they are in the bag for 2-3 days, once I had some angels in the bag for 5+ days. I try to get them "fresh air" as soon as possible by allowing oxygen to enter the bag and thus the water column. Once I had a shipment of rams sent to me and I swear the water in the bag was 95 (pushing it for rams) so I opened the bag to let out the heat so the water in the bag would equalize with the tank water more quickly. I used to do the acclimation procedure involving putting tank water into the bag every 5 minutes, etc. but learned this may not have been good for the fish. Hans may have a point about the pH changing if you open the bag, though I am not quite sure how fast it would actually change. I doubt that it would kill the fish but it may cause unnecessary stress. I do believe that there are times, such as letting heat out of the bag, where bags should be floated open rather than closed. Just my two cents.

[Eddie]

They are all swimming around in the subdued lighting now. I have the tank lights off but the overhead light on in the room. It is such a relief to get them here all alive and well.

Sounds great! Glad they are venturing around their new home.

Take care and all the best,

Eddie

[pinkjello]

lol..thats great! Im excited for you!

[Scribbles]

I've always done this because sometimes when I get fish sent to me they are in the bag for 2-3 days, once I had some angels in the bag for 5+ days. I try to get them "fresh air" as soon as possible by allowing oxygen to enter the bag and thus the water column. Once I had a shipment of rams sent to me and I swear the water in the bag was 95 (pushing it for rams) so I opened the bag to let out the heat so the water in the bag would equalize with the tank water more quickly. I used to do the acclimation procedure involving putting tank water into the bag every 5 minutes, etc. but learned this may not have been good for the fish. Hans may have a point about the pH changing if you open the bag, though I am not quite sure how fast it would actually change. I doubt that it would kill the fish but it may cause unnecessary stress. I do believe that there are times, such as letting heat out of the bag, where bags should be floated open rather than closed. Just my two cents.

When the shipping bags are opened and CO2 is released and oxygen added the ammonium that has built up in the bag turns to ammonia which is more toxic and can cause burns. This is why it is recomended to float the bags closed.

Chris

[bs6749]

When the shipping bags are opened and CO2 is released and oxygen added the ammonium that has built up in the bag turns to ammonia which is more toxic and can cause burns. This is why it is recomended to float the bags closed.

Chris

I'm very familiar with the ammonia/ammonium equilibrium with respect to pH but I don't think the change would be too much and too quickly to cause problems. I haven't ever measured the pH increase when opening a bag of shipped fish, so I could be mistaken. Maybe that would be a great experiment to do. I'll have to get myself one of those pH testers that are pretty much instant and take the pH every 5-10 seconds over a course of 5-10 minutes and record and see what happens to the pH.

[snoopy65]

Well, they are all still with me this morning. 5 are active, eating, and swimming. 2 still hanging at the bottom. They are the same color as the others except they still have their stress bars. Should I try to target feed the 2? or just leave them be.

[Eddie]

Well, they are all still with me this morning. 5 are active, eating, and swimming. 2 still hanging at the bottom. They are the same color as the others except they still have their stress bars. Should I try to target feed the 2? or just leave them be.

I'd just let them get comfortable, may take several days. No worries ;)

Eddie

[snoopy65]

Thanks Eddie, I feel like a new mom with her first child. I know what to do, but because their lives depend on me and discus sometimes can be sensitive, I get paranoid.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Its hard but you gotta let them do what they do and natural instincts will prevail. ;)

Eddie

[Sharkbait]

.....pictures!!!

[Jhhnn]

I'm very familiar with the ammonia/ammonium equilibrium with respect to pH but I don't think the change would be too much and too quickly to cause problems. I haven't ever measured the pH increase when opening a bag of shipped fish, so I could be mistaken. Maybe that would be a great experiment to do. I'll have to get myself one of those pH testers that are pretty much instant and take the pH every 5-10 seconds over a course of 5-10 minutes and record and see what happens to the pH.

Yeh- seems like it's all faith-based simulated rationality, to me. I haven't seen any data, at all, other than what I collected myself. It certainly didn't support the basic premise that the pH will skyrocket when the bags are opened...

[Darrell Ward]

Yes, pictures please! I am planning on giving Hans a call around Tues. to get a few little ones while he's still covering shipping. I'd like to see some of his little ones. All the pictures I've seen have been of adults.