In need of some help!!!

[zchauvin]

Hey guys whats going on, im new to this board and also discus. My current setup is a 29gallon(30l x 18h x 12w) heavily planted with dw. This tank has been up and running around 2 months. Currently it has 1 pleco, 2 gauramis, and 1 tetra. My plans are to remove these fish exept pleco in about 2 months and add two juvenile discus and ten or so neons. Tank has DIY co2, 72w strip, and water par. are fine with temp set at 80 now and will be raised to 84 before addition of discus. My question to all is if this is possible? I plan on doing 40-50 % water change every 7 days. I know one of the two may get territorial but what do you guys think? Any thoughts, comments are appreciated.

[hedut]

That is to crowed :)

[Vee]

Nope. Juvies require missive water changes every day (50% a day) to grow esp. if you feed beefheart. Lots of poop will get lost in the greenery and go bad. Buy 2 fully grown adult discus. Don't feed as much and change water 2x a week. I've only kept discus for 9 months, and I tried to keeping ONE juvie discus in a 36 gallon tank with tetras etc. My water ammonia spiked and nothing, even 75% water changes a day would fix. Only removing the discus stabilized the tank.

[zchauvin]

yes those four fish fight for space daily lol

[Skip]

as a jr. newbie.. if you are new to discus.. why don't you just raise discus in the 29 barebottom.. grow them out a bit but that tank will be too small.. remember.. discus are more happy in groups of 6 or more,

but first figure out how to feed them. how to water change.. how to clean tank.. THEN!!! add more things to your tank..

that is a lot of stuff that would be going on in your tank.. just Keep it simple.. for your first time out..

[zchauvin]

well i already had the plants and whatnot in the twenty nine and was told two would be fine. I know they may not be in a group of six and one may become dominant but it is possible with the correct upkeep, this is not my first rodeo with waterchanges and basic care just first time with discus. i dont have space or funds for that matter to get a larger tank at the moment as i just started a reef tank as well. And the reef is also in good condition with good water par. and all fish etc. are alive and well.

[Vee]

2 adults!

[TURQ64]

Discus really take as much time and care to keep proper water parameters as any reef....actually, the salt water will take more abuse before showing any signs than the freshwater Discus tanks..Caution should be your guideline. Good luck...

[kaceyo]

2 adults!
Agreed. A mated pair would be your best bet. Juvies just don't do well in heavily planted tanks from what I've seen.

[Exotic Aquatic]

hey zchauvin!

I tend to agree with others here, a larger pair would be better suited.
As far as maintenance goes i would lean toward a small shoal of 6-9 rummynose or cardinals who can weave between the undergrowth and get at uneaten bits.
I would swap out the pleco for a Bnose (longfins are nice) as they are little piggies and poop less than other larger plecs, also grow alot less!!!

You will need to get rid of all your fish before re-stocking.

My stock list would be:
1-2: 4.5"-5" discsu (if 2 get a pair), get quality fish from a sponsor here, you get what you pay for with discus, especially when health is concerned. Try contacting Kevin in the Lucky section.

5-7 rummynose/cardinal tetra (these go in first for a week or two)

1 Longfin marble/albino/regular Bristlenose.

nothing else.

You MUST waterchange a minimum of either 30%-50% bi-weekly (preferred), OR 10%-15% Daily (with a jug or whatever), OR 70-90% weekly. Of course these are just minimums, you can water change more if you like:D

Its really not that hard, you will do fine! Let us know how you go, pics always welcome!!!

We have faith in you, ad are hear if you have a question.

Regards,
Adrian.

[zchauvin]

Well not to say I was only looking for an answer I wanted but thank you for the input. The only reason I wondered about the juvies is because thats mainly what my lfs has, and also the simple fact that the 29 is up and running and I have just finished attempting to aquascape. So my new question is if I do get two juvies and get a 20 or 30 gallon tank would this be fine to grow them out. Bare bottom and just move to a say 50-75 gallon down the road. They are around 2-3 inches I would say and look in good health, I will take into consideration your suggestions on buying from a credible source here also.

[Eddie]

Well not to say I was only looking for an answer I wanted but thank you for the input. The only reason I wondered about the juvies is because thats mainly what my lfs has, and also the simple fact that the 29 is up and running and I have just finished attempting to aquascape. So my new question is if I do get two juvies and get a 20 or 30 gallon tank would this be fine to grow them out. Bare bottom and just move to a say 50-75 gallon down the road. They are around 2-3 inches I would say and look in good health, I will take into consideration your suggestions on buying from a credible source here also.

2 juvies is a bad move, 6 minimum and a 55 gallon minimum.

[zchauvin]

Well I suppose i'll have to wait a while then. Being that I just started my reef tank I'm low on funds for the moment.

[Eddie]

Well I suppose i'll have to wait a while then. Being that I just started my reef tank I'm low on funds for the moment.

Definitely a good idea. There is no rush.

[zchauvin]

Agreed but as you all know I am knew to this forum and discus as well so may I ask. Why is it a bad idea to raise say 2, or even 6 as juvies and set up the larger tank and move them once they are bigger. Is it that I would be taking a risk being new to discus or just easier or both lol. I am not questioning judgement just trying to further my knowledge if you understand.

[Eddie]

Agreed but as you all know I am knew to this forum and discus as well so may I ask. Why is it a bad idea to raise say 2, or even 6 as juvies and set up the larger tank and move them once they are bigger. Is it that I would be taking a risk being new to discus or just easier or both lol. I am not questioning judgement just trying to further my knowledge if you understand.

Discus are schooling fish, they thrive in groups and are more secure. 1,2,3-4 fish won't allow for the group dynamics that Discus are instinctively accustomed to. They build and incorporate a pecking order or ladder of stronger to weaker fish. There will be a constant stress that will only be seen when the few fish fall ill. One fish will become a bully/leader and ultimately cause the remaining fish to fall ill or die.

[andyl9063]

if i were you, set aside all plants on another tank or put them in potted and make tank bare bottom. buy 6 juvies from someone on here and raise them. It will be the best experience you'll have with raising discus. of course, you will need wc every day or like me, every other day. I have 14 in a 29g tank bare bottom. I would leave the pleco for it to clean the glass, depending on their size. Rehome or trade back the gourami and tetra.

I got my 14 juvies around the size of a quarter, now, most of them are 2'' and up, its only been a month or two. Its pretty much seeing the work you put in it and seeing them grow.

[zchauvin]

Cool deal so if I just buy a 29 tall, put a filter and a heater and get 6 juvies would be good?

[flyman767]

I don't recommend a 29G tall. I had one years ago and my discus were NEVER comfortable in that tank. Also, there a pain in the a@@ to clean. I could not give that tank away fast enough!! The only fish that might do 'ok' in a 29g tall might be angelfish.

[andyl9063]

flyman is kinda right, mine is a 29g tall and its tougher to scrub than my 30g long........
as long as you have GOOD clean water and feed them plenty of different food, they will grow.

[Eddie]

Cool deal so if I just buy a 29 tall, put a filter and a heater and get 6 juvies would be good?

No, they will outgrow the 29 in a month or 2. I'd get a 55 for them.

[Bill63SG]

Well not to say I was only looking for an answer I wanted but thank you for the input. The only reason I wondered about the juvies is because thats mainly what my lfs has, and also the simple fact that the 29 is up and running and I have just finished attempting to aquascape. So my new question is if I do get two juvies and get a 20 or 30 gallon tank would this be fine to grow them out. Bare bottom and just move to a say 50-75 gallon down the road. They are around 2-3 inches I would say and look in good health, I will take into consideration your suggestions on buying from a credible source here also.

Due to circumstances,I had two juvies in a 55gal,and it ended with one bullying the other,even in a tank that large.Didn't stop until I moved them to the 125 with about 7 others.Right now due to some thining,I've got three in a 55,and 2 are being bullied by one.They will be heading to the 125 later this week.I would say no less then 5 in a 55,or better,depending on size,10 and and then culling some as they grow.Trust me,I'm quite aware of expense's at the moment,just how I would do it in a perfect world.

[moon_knight1971]

Discus are schooling fish, they thrive in groups and are more secure. 1,2,3-4 fish won't allow for the group dynamics that Discus are instinctively accustomed to. They build and incorporate a pecking order or ladder of stronger to weaker fish. There will be a constant stress that will only be seen when the few fish fall ill. One fish will become a bully/leader and ultimately cause the remaining fish to fall ill or die.

I am just starting to see this now. Actually it started off about a month ago but has gradually gotten worse. I have a young group of 5 in a 40 gallon tank. They range from 4 - 5 inches each. I had them in this tank while I prepared their new 90 gallon tank. 1 of my Checkerboard Pigeon is on a terror right now chasing everybody! It's getting so bad I'm starting to see some ripped fins on 2 of the smaller fish. I have a 5 inch 3R that fights back and gets respect but now the 3R has started to pick on some of the smaller fish in the tank! I moved them to the 90 3 days ago and they are still going at it but at least now the smaller ones have space to flee. I'm picking up more fish from Kenny tonight and hope that more numbers will help lower the stress on the smaller ones.

[zchauvin]

Ok then let's see. To everyone's suggestions thank you. From what I have read and been told since joining a barebottom tank of at least 55 gallon minimum with no fewer than 6-8 discus is best? If I do break down and do this, can I aquascape the tank to my liking in say a year when discus are full grown?? Also I haven't had time to check link on here for purchases but what am I looking at or should expect for 6-8 juvie discus?

[moon_knight1971]

Yes you can if you're buying anything less than 5 inches big or you can just buy adults and do it like you want already.

[moon_knight1971]

Ok then let's see. To everyone's suggestions thank you. From what I have read and been told since joining a barebottom tank of at least 55 gallon minimum with no fewer than 6-8 discus is best? If I do break down and do this, can I aquascape the tank to my liking in say a year when discus are full grown?? Also I haven't had time to check link on here for purchases but what am I looking at or should expect for 6-8 juvie discus?

If you don't have a good local supplier check out the sponsors here. You want to get them as round as possible and with red eyes (unless you're getting albinos).

[zchauvin]

If you don't have a good local supplier check out the sponsors here. You want to get them as round as possible and with red eyes (unless you're getting albinos).

I'm not even sure where the sponsors on here are and how to get to them? My lfs has 2-3 inch asst. for 40 each. sound right?

[flyman767]

Home page about a 1/3 of the way down. Under Marketplace...

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forum.php

[zchauvin]

[QUOTE=flyman767;749888]Home page about a 1/3 of the way down. Under Marketplace...

150+ per fish for a 6". Quite a but more than I was looking forward to spending.

[Bill63SG]

Check out Craigs List,or put up a post in the Looking For Section here,and see if anyone knows of anyone local in your area.I'm not sure,but for that size,you should be able to find someone local for about half that,depending on the variety.2"-3" that is.

[TURQ64]

Where are you located?

[moon_knight1971]

I'm not even sure where the sponsors on here are and how to get to them? My lfs has 2-3 inch asst. for 40 each. sound right?

Really depends on the strain (type of discus) you are getting. A very loose guide line is $10 per inch but that number can increase greatly once they get over the 3 inch mark where the coloration and shape starts to become more apparent.

[bon243]

6 discus in a 55
no less

[kaceyo]

Check out Craigs List,or put up a post in the Looking For Section here,and see if anyone knows of anyone local in your area.I'm not sure,but for that size,you should be able to find someone local for about half that,depending on the variety.2"-3" that is.

I agree. If you can find a good local breeder that takes good care of their fish you can find high quality at a better price. Try Creiglst or a local aquarium club.
Also, I prefer a 29 gal for growing out small juvies, at least untill they are around 4" or slightly over. They feed better in smaller tanks and you can do large daily wc's very easily. Then you can put them in a larger tank.

[zchauvin]

Where are you located?

Louisiana

[zchauvin]

I will check out creglist and see what I can find thanks for the help

[TURQ64]

Craigslist is good if you are in a metro area, lousy if you aren't..Most of the sponsors here are in shipping range of Louisana, as well as a few on AquaBid..healthy stock to start with is primary....worth a few more dollars IMO