How Easy Is Keeping Discus?

[vstar]

I been doing a lot of researches and learning on keeping discus. It been one of my lifetime goals. I got me a 72 gal. bowfront set up now cycling with 2 double stack hydor IV foam filter runnning by AC 20 powerheads and a Whisper 60 (330 gph) power filter. I am getting an RO system to mix with my tap water so I can lower my tds. I really want to do this but everytime I research the diseases and sickness and what to do, I think wow is it that hard to keep them. I know it is worth having them even the time involve in keeping them. But I get butterflies about it sometimes. I have raised africans and had a coral reef tank with no issues because my water is perfect for them, very hard. So do they get diseases and/or sickness this easy? I know I'll never know until I try.

[m.ingram]

Hi vstar
Discus arent that hard to keep at all they do get sick every now and then but you are in the right place at simply discus.Ask heaps of questions as the people on sd are alway glad to answer.
When it comes time for you to buy your discus a good place to buy is from one of the sponsors here on sd . They have great quality fish .

[Wahter]

Vstar,

Discus are easy to keep - they just need clean water and good food, plus an ample amount of space to swim around. Compared to other fish, discus can be thought of as being "higher maintenance", but if you kept most other fish (including guppies) in discus conditions (frequent water changes, etc...), they would end up being quite healthy too.

If you're going to be growing them out from juvenile to adult, you'll want to feed them good foods and feed them often, plus do regular water changes to keep them healthy.

Where do you live and water are your current water parameters? It's possible you don't need the RO unit. Many discus can live fine in slightly higher than neutral pH and GH water.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to start off with good stock - what you see in petstores isn't necessary good, healthy stock and some of them won't grow at all. Take a look at the sponsors of this site - they should be able to get you started on the right track.



Walter

[Chad Hughes]

It's so easy even a caveman can do it! :D

Sorry. I had to say it. LOL!

Anyway, you've been given a true idea of what keeping discuss successfully is about in the above posts. You could also look at the North American contest threads. Every contestant lays out there plan an there is a year's worth of well documented porogress there.

Best wishes!

[vstar]

I am in the nebraska panhandle, and the tds run around 700-750. So I know, I need to get an RO to mix with my tap water to get my tds levels down my PH is at a steady 7.8 all the time. I have been contacting one of the sponsers which is within driving distance from me. I will be buying my discus from him.

[3dees]

I had the same concerns a few weks ago. I have always done big water changes for my other fw tanks but I have always thought discus were just to hard to keep. I decided on wilds. had some problems with the shipment being destroyed by fed ex. lost 5 of 8 green tefe's an 5 1/2 - 6". my supplier is making good on replacement fish and shipping. unless you plan on breeding I don't think they are any harder to keep. just a little more time spent on them. whatever kind you decide to get, please listen to everyone here and get them from a reliable source. I bought from one of the sponsors here and I am so happy that I did. You will not get bad advice from the members here.
Go for it.

[Jhhnn]

I don't think they're really hard to keep, it's just that they're different, and it pays to invest up front.

This is what's worked for me, mostly gleaned from Simply. I've only had 1 fatality in over a year, and that was only a few weeks after my first fish arrived. One just bloated up inexplicably and perished within 24 hrs. I now have 24 discus.

Obtain a group of 6 or more from one of our sponsors. All the same variety, the largest fish you can reasonably afford. Put them in a tank by themselves with temp 84-86F. Quarantine becomes moot. Aggression is minimized, and growth is more even.The traditional varieties are the best buy- Cobalts, Turqs, snakeskins, blue diamonds, some of the throwbacks, too. Obtaining good, healthy stock has always been the hardest part, it really has been. I can't recommend Kenny Cheung highly enough in that regard.

Overkill is basically impossible wrt water changes and the means to achieve them. Spend some money, create a system that makes it quick and easy, even before the fish arrive. It's money and ingenuity well spent.

Invest in good heaters- I like Jagers, and they're reasonable from Kensfish and Igo Pro

If you're raising sub adults, feed them a lot of food in a varied diet, to include beefheart. It takes a surprising amount of food to grow out discus, amounts that most aquarists would consider to be completely excessive. I feed 3 times a day, enough so that it takes 20 minutes or so for the fish to clean it all up. Once full, the more aggressive feeders back off, let the others eat. Everybody gets fat bellies, which seems to even out growth. That's a big part of why large and frequent water changes are required.

Using high tech methods, Chad Hughes, for example, reduces the need for water changing, and I suspect that algae filters might help in that regard, too. Water changes remain a necessity, no matter what. Best to stay well into the safe zone.

It's smart to have some basic meds on hand, just in case- metro and a broad spectrum anti-parasitic, like clout. Maybe kanamycin- be warned it'll kill the biofilter... they can be tough to obtain quickly, even here in metro Denver, and expensive for large tanks...

I have no experience with water as hard as yours, but several members keep discus successfully in water with TDS of 300 or so... mine runs 150-200 TDS, and I don't mess with it at all. Condition it with prime, heat it, age it, aerate it and change it is all I do.

There's more, for sure, with diligence playing a part, along with some luck. I honestly expected a lot more trouble than I've encountered. Part of being lucky was in finding Simply, and choosing Kenny as my supplier...

[vstar]

Thanks Jhhnn, I am being well prepared in what you are telling me, I can't see it being any more harder then other fish, other then more time and better water quality. I will be buying my discus from a breeder in the Denver area.

[scottthomas]

Vstar,

Discus are easy to keep - they just need clean water and good food, plus an ample amount of space to swim around. Compared to other fish, discus can be thought of as being "higher maintenance", but if you kept most other fish (including guppies) in discus conditions (frequent water changes, etc...), they would end up being quite healthy too.

If you're going to be growing them out from juvenile to adult, you'll want to feed them good foods and feed them often, plus do regular water changes to keep them healthy.

Where do you live and water are your current water parameters? It's possible you don't need the RO unit. Many discus can live fine in slightly higher than neutral pH and GH water.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to start off with good stock - what you see in petstores isn't necessary good, healthy stock and some of them won't grow at all. Take a look at the sponsors of this site - they should be able to get you started on the right track.



Walter

I think Walter summed it all up perfectly: Discus are hardy fish but easy to keep healthy if you dont mind them being "Higher Maintenance" You seem to already have plenty of experience keeping fish. You will be fine if sure to buy quality stock!