Questions from a Newb

[Bebobb]

Hey. I am new here, but am active in a general fish keeping forum on a different website. I just aqquired a 40 breeder. I want to try my hand out on discus. But I have some questions first

1. I don't want a breeding pair, because they are so expensive, so should I get 3 or 4 discus?
2. Would a 535 GPH filtration be suitable?
3. Would 2 weekly water changes of 25% be okay, or should I do more?

[Keith Perkins]

Most everyone here will tell you you should have a minimum of 5 and preferably 6 discus in a group and 10 gallons of water per discus. Sorry, I'm sure that's not what you want to hear.

[mkv]

You can start with 6-7 juvies but will have to go down to 4 by the time they are subadults. For water changes, min 50% daily in a tank that stocked. Once they are adults and you go down to 3-4 feedings a day and you can do do water changes every other day. Just my two cents...

[Bebobb]

I don't know what to believe... I read on this forum that one member prefers 40 breeders over 55s for the minimum tank size. On a different forum, I have been told that it will hold 4 discus fine. And, I could change the water changes to 50% twice a week, and maybe even 3 times a week. I'm worried about agression, though. If agression turns into a problem, would getting all females help any? I'm not accustum to discus, and more smart on regular SA cichlids. Sorry if I sound dumb. Oh, and I think that 40 breeders actually hold more than 40 gallons, more like 48 or so.

@MKV: Are you saying that 4 discus would work out? I'm kind of lost...

[mkv]

I know it can be confusing, I went thru the same right before deciding on keeping Discus. I have 4 on a 55 and there is very little agression between them. What most people believe is that by doing heavy feeding, more frequent and larger water changes you can maximize their growth potential... Go ahead and get 4-6 juvies and keep the water change regimen that fits you schedule best....You can always up the WC's if you feel they are not growing at the desired rate......
Hope this helps

[mmorris]

I'm with Keith here. I don't recommend fewer than six, and ten gallons per discus, particularly for someone new to discus. If you only buy four and there are problems with aggression, you are stuck on options as to what to do. I don't think 25% wc twice a week will be enough, particularly if you are growing out juvies. Sometimes the path to success is to follow the directions you least want to hear. :)

[Bebobb]

I don't know how to feel about this. I have read much conflicting information. I was told that cobalt blue, snakeskin and leopard discus are more agressive. Is this true?

[Keith Perkins]

When I got back into discus I bought an assortment of 2 1/2 inch fish and got:

1 Cobalt
1 Blue Diamond
1 Red Turquoise
1 Blue Snakeskin
2 Marlboro Reds

The Blue Snakeskin is now the largest fish I have and female. She's not the least bit aggressive. One of the Marlboros is the second largest, male, and one of my two most aggressive. The second Marlboro is female and my smallest fish, followed by the Blue Diamond who is male. He rivals the Marlboro as the most aggressive fish in the tank. Long story short, I think it really depends more on the fish and there relationship with the other fish in the tank than the strain.

[diamond_discus]

Seems like everyone agree that it's good to have 10 gallon water for each adult discus. If you are looking for a new tank, you should look for one with long width. You don't need a tall tank, but a wide tank. Discus like to swim right to left. Depending on what you feed the fish .. 25% WC twice a week doesn't seem enough for discus tank. However, you can be your own judge. If the water is clear and clean, then I guess you are okay. If you feed them a lot, discus would poop a lot and you will find that the water won't stay as clean as you would like .. If you can only afford to do WC twice a week, then do a big WC, don't overstock your tank, don't use food that would foul the water easily (like beefheart and even flakes). You can use worms and pellets.

[Singin4Cnu]

The trick to avoiding excessive aggression, I have found, is:

1. Introduce all the discus you plan to keep at once. I have found that if you keep a small group together for too long and try to add new the old ones simply will not have it.

2. Avoid areas where the discus can claim a strong territory. I once had a piece of driftwood in a 45 with the 5 discus I was raising and had to remove it when I found my dominant fish hogging the entire 3/4 of the tank that the wood was in.

3. Get all fish from the same source. This ensures that, for the most part, the fish will have been exposed to the same diseases and same water parameters. I have also found that some breeders have more aggressive discus when mixed with fish from other breeders (Maybe just coincidence :o). Also, avoid mixing wilds with domestics, I have NEVER had luck doing that (Wilds always seemed to be INCREDIBLY aggressive towards domestics).

[Scribbles]

First and foremost, welcome to SD! Secondly, you are getting good advice. Most of us have started out by trying 3-4 discus which is why we know that it usually wont work. Discus do much better in a school of 6 or more in order to spread out aggresion. You could start out with that many in a 40 if you get juvies but you will need a bigger tank very quickly. Discus are cichlids so aggresion is always going to be an issue. Also, if you want to pack a tank with juvies needing lots of food you are going to have to change alot of water. I would do daily large wc.

Chris