How Often Do You Lose Your Discus?

[YSS]

I have been keeping discus for over5 years now. Killed a lot of discus over the years. Although some of you claim that keeping discus is not difficult, I think keeping discus is a lot of work and a lot more challenging than keeping other fish. So, I thought I do a quick poll. How often do you lose your discus? Now a days, I think I lose about 2 a year. I hope to do better down the road, but that's where I am now. How about other folks here?

[Skip]

i have lost small juvies.. luckily my larger fish have done well :)

[Keith Perkins]

I voted, excluded fry from my answer.

[calihawker]

In the last 4+ years since I started keeping discus only 1. But I did have two jumpers as well, I don't gather that's the point of this thread though.

Steve

[Melissa]

I voted, excluded fry from my answer.
+1

[2075turner]

I would think it is hard to poll this as some have 1 tank, others have multiple. I have had mishaps that are beyond my control that have caused death....prime example the heater failure that boiled my fish on two different occasions, one while I was at the NADA convention and the other over a 14 hr time frame. Some things just happen in the aquarium world, same thing would have killed off any other tank as well.

Yes discus require more work and attention, but in my opinion well worth the work.

[ericatdallas]

I'm going to abstain from voting until this "crisis" I'm having with my discus is over... see my post/thread (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?89006-Ammonia-Nitrate-poisoning-Or-b-c-I-broke-QT-(yeah-I-know-better-but...)&highlight=nitrate+poisoning)in this sub-forum.

I've been overly confident about my discus and I made several mistakes all at once (I knew better too...) and now I may pay the price :(

I stopped QT, I failed my WC schedule, I failed my filter maintenance schedule, I lowered my dechlor dosage (why? who knows...) :(

[Skip]

I've been overly confident about my discus and I made several mistakes all at once (I knew better too...) and now I may pay the price :(

I stopped QT, I failed my WC schedule, I failed my filter maintenance schedule, I lowered my dechlor dosage (why? who knows...) :(

OUCH

[kaffeene]

I lost all but 1 of the first 6 I had. They were lfs fish, so I'm probably doing pretty good. I've had that one for over a year now. Not huge, but not tiny - probably about 5 inches total length.

I lost another one to jumping, and another to weird freak out and I don't know what.

So, in a year, sadly the total is: 7. I have 5 living, that counts for something? 1 from the original group and 4 from a local breeder. 2 of those I'll have had for a year on the 4th of July.

[Sean Buehrle]

My troubles with discus stopped when i quit mixing them up with any other fish. Any other water and any other equipment.
Generally they are healthy when i get them. The troubles began when i did any of the above. I killed 4 by feeding live food, for sure. That wont happen again.

I killed a few.


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[YSS]

My vote of 2 per year is based on my last two years. I lost the last one just over a month ago due to crazy bacterial infection and another one back in December while treating a picky eater. He might still be living if I didn't decide to treat it. Anyhow, I don't excercise strict QT regimen like a lot of you do, but I do my best to keep up with the water quality. And also I meant losing discus due to health issues not due to some mis-haps like heater mal-functions. Jumpers? That's tricky. Who knows why the fish jumped. May be health related may be not ...

[dean9922]

I have lost one like Steve mentioned....a jumper, and in the two years I've been back into fish keeping, I would say I have lost 2 juvies and one bigger one.

[judy]

In my last round of discus keeping about fifteen years ago, I quit when I lost the entire tank of six... because I was away and my husband just kept feeding them every time he walked past the tank ("but they came swimming to the front and were hungry!" he said).
This time round, I use little paper cups for my housesitter (my husband since passed away) to dispense food and not overfeed. Have lost none in five years (not counting young fry less than 1/2 inch) , except to sell juvies to other local discus keepers.

[Discus Origins]

I've never lost discus once they've gone thru QT.....I have killed an entire tank by adding too much muriatic acid and a whole shipment from an untrustworthy source. Other than that once they settle down, give them clean water, feed well and lots of love the discus is a hardy fish.

[YSS]

I've never lost discus once they've gone thru QT.....I have killed an entire tank by adding too much muriatic acid and a whole shipment from an untrustworthy source. Other than that once they settle down, give them clean water, feed well and lots of love the discus is a hardy fish.

In my opinion, statements like this is somewhat mis-leading. Of couse, if your fish is healthy, do everything right, and everything is going right, discus is hardy and easy. But it's not that easy to get it right like that. Just the fact that you can't buy good discus from LFS says everything about how hard it is to keep discus. Why are there so many bad discus out there? Not because discus is hardy and easy.

[Discus Origins]

In my opinion, statements like this is somewhat mis-leading. Of couse, if your fish is healthy, do everything right, and everything is going right, discus is hardy and easy. But it's not that easy to get it right like that. Just the fact that you can't buy good discus from LFS says everything about how hard it is to keep discus. Why are there so many bad discus out there? Not because discus is hardy and easy.

Misleading? I've been keeping fish for about 30 years, discus for 20 years. I've lost a total of 8 wild heckels from the one acid incidence and 8 small discus from Rainforest Farm when they all died within a day of receiving. Other than that....I've kept hundreds of hobbyist bred, LFS bought, sponsor bought discus and raised many spawns without incident. Discus is easy, for you to say they aren't is more reflective of your own experience. Yes, buy quality fish from quality suppliers and then take care of the fish. How 'hard' is it to keep discus?

[YSS]

Misleading? I've been keeping fish for about 30 years, discus for 20 years. I've lost a total of 8 wild heckels from the one acid incidence and 8 small discus from Rainforest Farm when they all died within a day of receiving. Other than that....I've kept hundreds of hobbyist bred, LFS bought, sponsor bought discus and raised many spawns without incident. Discus is easy, for you to say they aren't is more reflective of your own experience. Yes, buy quality fish from quality suppliers and then take care of the fish. How 'hard' is it to keep discus?

If you read my first post, I already stated I killed many discus. Of course my opinion is based on my own experience. But I also have kept many other fish, and to me, discus is a lot more work and more challenging than other fish. Just because one has success keeping discus with ease doesn't necessarily mean discus is easy. It's great discus are easy for you. I am trying to gauge how many think discus is easy or difficult.

[Discus Origins]

I understand where you are coming from....I just don't want to scare new hobbyists into not ever trying discus. If they realize the importance of water quality, consistent parameters, quality food then it shouldn't be difficult. There is definitely work involved, but if you know what you are getting into and take care of discus properly most of the time it should be an enjoyment and not failure.

[Northstr31]

If we are talking about young discus to adult discus, less then a year. I cooked a pair from a heater malfunction a few years ago... but if we are talking about albino discus fry...I should probably be put on trial for the death of close to 10,000 discus fry =(
Anthony

[YSS]

I understand where you are coming from....I just don't want to scare new hobbyists into not ever trying discus. If they realize the importance of water quality, consistent parameters, quality food then it shouldn't be difficult. There is definitely work involved, but if you know what you are getting into and take care of discus properly most of the time it should be an enjoyment and not failure.

I am with you! At one point I almost gave up.

[kaffeene]

I still consider myself new to discus. I put the fish from the LFS in the tank in May last year. Prior to that, I'd kept gourami, shiners, goldfish, mollies and various neons and guppies.

By far the discus take more time. I thought I knew just enough when I brought the first 6 fish home. I didn't. I picked poor looking fish. I ran into trouble and I got lucky and found here. Here wasn't enough to save stunted diseased fish. At the time, I didn't even know there was such a thing as local hobbyist breeders. I can't imagine buying another discus from the LFS.

I don't say any of this to discourage others, but its not easy. I have a single tank. I do water changes with buckets because I had to have that nifty faucet on the sink and a python won't attach. If I'd have found this site before buying the fish, I might have more than one of the original 6 left.

[hedut]

keeping discus not difficult that true :). But in my opinion keeping spotted fish is more difficult :(

[sungminee]

I have killed 2 discus due to using tapwater (and yes I used Prime to dechlo...)
They were growing very well after I have learned to make BH mix.
So..now....I have purchased a RO Water system and PPM meter for checking the water quality.
Let's see where this will get me...

[zimmjeff]

In the beginning I used to kill them all the time. I started in 1990 I thought that I knew about keeping them, until I started reading this forum. I have gotten better at it so don't give up.

[LizStreithorst]

'bout never. I did have one perfectly healthy fish up and die on me about 4 years ago, though. Perfect one day, dead the next.

[yim11]

But in my opinion keeping spotted fish is more difficult :(

That's a very interesting statement, first time I've heard that. Can you elaborate please?

[jimg]

keeping discus not difficult that true :). But in my opinion keeping spotted fish is more difficult :(

Seems funny but I would agree I lose about 1 fish every 8 months average to reoccurring white feces. the first to always get it seems to be the spotted ones. It was discussed one time and the majority seemed to think it was due to them being "juiced" more than others, most likely coincidence but seems to hold true here too.

[Gillmann]

In the past year and a half since I have gotten back into discus, lost 7 of 37. All were on the younger side, and they would have come from questionable sources - probably infected with worms/parasites. The other reason for loss would be poor practices on my part, which take time to sort out. Unfortunately, the fish pay the price. At least we live and learn, even if some fish don't.

Only lost 1 since the start of 2011.

[wendy9722]

In a years time I had lost a fair share of (5) young albinos that was around 1.5-2". I'm not sure why they died but they did. Then several months later I lost a LFS discus that I think had something going on bacteria or parasites. Not sure what but it was stuck inside my intake filter tube. I also lost about 10-12 discus due to a kitchen fire. Most of them was young too. Angels is another story. A LONG story!!!! to sum it up quickly bought a bunch of angels at the spur of the moment, didnt have the qt tank set up in time with cycling so went ahead and mixed and lost a LOT of them.

[Cevoe]

I think a further breakdown could be considered when comparing losses of grow-out sized discus over the course of a year or so, sub-adults and then adults.
In my opinion these are the levels of difficulty, with grow-outs (not including fry) being the most difficult.
It is my opinion that even stock from reputable suppliers will shake out runts, the stunted and the overall B-grade and lower examples within a controlled group.
I lost two of a group of eight over a period of a year and half and these were fish that never reached their potential and never looked 100% from early on.
These were late losses so I believe they grew to the maximum size they would ever be before the stunting caught up with them.
Adult fish and larger tanks have been much easier with no losses over that same period.
Good thread, by the way.

[gravjack]

Frankly, I'm on the cusp of chucking it. I've been at this for a year and a half. Bought all my discus from folks on this forum. Tried to learn as much as possible from my mistakes and those of others. Of 14 discus, I've lost three and have one that I'm about to give up on and euthanize. One (an adult) never ate and died despite anything I could do (some of it was wrong, which I learned from). One (an adult) spooked and rammed the cover (my only suicide so far). Another, runt of four from a vendor, developed white feces and died in spite of everything I tried, mostly based on advice from others on here. Now one of my original adults has not eaten for weeks and is fading fast. I know what started the problem, corrected it and still he refuses to eat. So I guess he's a goner. A fair amount of money, and lots of time (wc,s etc.) and I feel crummy. This is third time in my life I have had discus, and the first time with all these problems. I wish I could be like some of you and kill with impunity. Sorry for the rant.

John

[YSS]

Frankly, I'm on the cusp of chucking it. I've been at this for a year and a half. Bought all my discus from folks on this forum. Tried to learn as much as possible from my mistakes and those of others. Of 14 discus, I've lost three and have one that I'm about to give up on and euthanize. One (an adult) never ate and died despite anything I could do (some of it was wrong, which I learned from). One (an adult) spooked and rammed the cover (my only suicide so far). Another, runt of four from a vendor, developed white feces and died in spite of everything I tried, mostly based on advice from others on here. Now one of my original adults has not eaten for weeks and is fading fast. I know what started the problem, corrected it and still he refuses to eat. So I guess he's a goner. A fair amount of money, and lots of time (wc,s etc.) and I feel crummy. This is third time in my life I have had discus, and the first time with all these problems. I wish I could be like some of you and kill with impunity. Sorry for the rant.

John

I feel your pain. Like I said before, I almost gave up on discus several times, but couldn't. So far things are going better for me and I hope it will continue. The tough thing about discus is, sometimes you may be doing everything right, but still have tons of problems. I think what Pat is going through now is a great example. This is why discus in my opinion is very challegning fish to keep. I remember while back Eddie having tons of problem with his fish without a real good reason. It could happen to the best of us and the worst of us. Look what Hans had to go through and other seasoned breeders/sellers on the forum. Unfortunatey, all this challenges comes with the territory.

[jimg]

I feel your pain. Like I said before, I almost gave up on discus several times, but couldn't. So far things are going better for me and I hope it will continue. The tough thing about discus is, sometimes you may be doing everything right, but still have tons of problems. I think what Pat is going through now is a great example. This is why discus in my opinion is very challegning fish to keep. I remember while back Eddie having tons of problem with his fish without a real good reason. It could happen to the best of us and the worst of us. Look what Hans had to go through and other seasoned breeders/sellers on the forum. Unfortunatey, all this challenges comes with the territory.

I agree

[yim11]

Seems funny but I would agree I lose about 1 fish every 8 months average to reoccurring white feces. the first to always get it seems to be the spotted ones. It was discussed one time and the majority seemed to think it was due to them being "juiced" more than others, most likely coincidence but seems to hold true here too.

That would make sense, but in that case I think we would see it with other red fish and/or PB strains as well<?>

[Dudley Eirich]

I too think that discus are very difficult to keep healthy. I am fighting HITH right now. I feed good quality food (home made beefheart mix, good flake and pellets), change 75% water daily, wipe down tank twice a week, clean filters once a week. I have had them for about 10 months...raised from about quarter size. They are now about 4-6 inches and HITH struck. Not all fish have it, but most do. There were no indications of any problems prior to seeing holes, some of which are very large. Other than HITH, the fish seem happy and healthy. All fish are eating well and they aren't skittish. I have dewormed and treated with metro-laced food. I hope my problems are solved, but I am not confident. I think my water is the problem, but I age the water and treat with SAFE. Water parameters are all good. I don't know what else to do at this point.

[Dudley Eirich]

Oh, I currently have 17 fish in two 75 gallon tanks. I lost one initially when it was a quarter size, but haven't lost any in the past ten months. I, too have lost my share of fish over the many years I have kept discus, mostly due to disease. In the past, the quality of fish was undoubtedly an issue, but the fish I currently am raising have been healthy up to now.

[jimg]

That would make sense, but in that case I think we would see it with other red fish and/or PB strains as well<?>

Your probably right. I guess it's like it always seems to be the nicest or the favorite that gets sick!

[Vee]

I have mixed feelings about discus. I have a total of 7 discus - 1 LFS, the other 6 from a sponsor. From the get go, discus suffer from various diseases - white poo and flukes and even HITH. The first 2 months are the most difficult - constant medication, water changes, etc. Also, getting them to eat properly. They are the first fish I have ever owned that have hunger strikes, favorite foods, picky eaters, etc. My LFS fish that I've had for almost a year, is doing well and requires no medication and eats like a pig. However, being an LFS fish, it has a beak-like nose and is probably maxed out at 4.5 inches. The fish that I've had for 4 months are finally eating very well and are doing well. The fish I've had for 2 months are eat flake food but not with enthusiasm and pig out on the FDBW. They are suffering from HITH and I can't seem to resolve it.

Do I still like discus...YES and I'm willing to tough it out until they grow up, although this last batch may be culled (HITH is so ugly). I have 2 30 gallon QT tanks which contain my 6 discus, and my LFS fish is in a 46 gallon community tank that has all sorts of little fish that die periodically.

[YSS]

Well, just lost another one. Came back from a three day trip and found my small discus I got in April dead. There goes my quota for the year.

[YSS]

Revisiting the old thread. I lost two more fish in 2011. So, I lost 4 fish in 2011. I have a few fish that are not 100% at the moment. But they are doing ok. I am considering putting the entire tank through the heat treatment. Will see ....

[LKSDiscus]

Frankly, I'm on the cusp of chucking it. I've been at this for a year and a half. Bought all my discus from folks on this forum. Tried to learn as much as possible from my mistakes and those of others. Of 14 discus, I've lost three and have one that I'm about to give up on and euthanize. One (an adult) never ate and died despite anything I could do (some of it was wrong, which I learned from). One (an adult) spooked and rammed the cover (my only suicide so far). Another, runt of four from a vendor, developed white feces and died in spite of everything I tried, mostly based on advice from others on here. Now one of my original adults has not eaten for weeks and is fading fast. I know what started the problem, corrected it and still he refuses to eat. So I guess he's a goner. A fair amount of money, and lots of time (wc,s etc.) and I feel crummy. This is third time in my life I have had discus, and the first time with all these problems. I wish I could be like some of you and kill with impunity. Sorry for the rant.

John

I feel your pain too, I'm about there my self, I feel I have done everything right and seems to not be enough for them and I can seems to figure out what to do, my only five that I have left are still not eating and fading fast as you say about your. I'm at my wits end and very discourage. I would like to get more but afraid too. I have another tank with a collection of rainbows and congo tetra's all doing great and my son has a tank with afirican cichild and all is doing great as well. I also have angles that are thriving, I'm guessing Discus is just not for me.

[PleiadesSTi]

I have yet to lose any Discus since Oct 2011. Never had them before so fingers crossed. I keep the tank clean and have had some white poo issues. I have treated for it and now it seems like 3 of my Discus refuse to eat though they are not getting skinny or anything. I think weather fronts have a large impact on their behavior as some days they are crazy and other days they like to just hang out and stare at food. I feed a variety of flakes, pellets, and freeze dried food. If they die, they die. I'm not gonna worry my life away over a fish. My job is stressful enough so i just try to enjoy my discus.

[mdlman99]

had like 3 discus when i was like 20 years old, didnt know what the heck i was doing and lost them all. Ten years later, i have 5 juvi discus (lost 1 to God knows what).

[gerrard00]

I lost 2/6 during my first year or so of fish keeping. I made enough mistakes that I was lucky not to lose all of them. One passed one week after my 1 year anniversary:(.

[DerekFF]

I started with 10 discus and was able to keep 8 of them alive my first year. Tried my hand at breeding and all of a sudden numbers get real ugly real fast lol. Especially if you're counting culls. But was great learning experience.

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[Second Hand Pat]

For those of you who remember the "Very Suddenly Sick" thread which was a five month ordeal I lost quite a few, three Alenquer, one Uatuma Blue, two Tefe and one Nhamuda Red, so seven in all. This was my first year with wilds and at first I had a nice little wild discus honeymoon and then bam, very nasty internals which Andrew Soh helped me cure the fish with metro based meds.

Recently I lost one royal Cuipeua to columnaris (suspect was feeding blackworms) and is the fish in my avatar. I did not put live fish in my avatar and yup, call me superstitious.

On a high note the two Tefe's now breeding are survivors of the "Very Suddenly Sick". The female actually showed symptoms and recovered.

[Darrell Ward]

I lost a wild about 6 or 7 months ago. In all fairness, it was never one the most "fit" fish out of the several groups I currently have. Like everyone else who keeps living creatures, I will lose one now and then. Most will live for several years until I trade, sell, or give them away in order to make room for others. IMO, a person who routinely loses fish, has either a water, nutrition, or housekeeping problem. Of course, it's rare (thank goodness) a diesese outbreak could certainly wipe a person's stock levels out.

[DiscusBR]

I lost 1 out of 8 wild Cuipeua discus in my first year back to discus-keeping due to a bad mistake during a water change (introduced cold water in the tank). Learned a lot in the process and while treating the remaining fishes for internal parasites and flukes symptoms. I still have a long way to go, but I think reading this forum intensively and learning from one's own mistakes is the best way to prevent losses.

[RebelThunder]

I bought 10 last May and I haven't lost a single one. I just follow all the info I found here. :)