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Hi everyone, I'm a proper noob and when reading all the experts online, should probably not try Discus so early on. Nevertheless I will give it a go. Been browsing the world wide web for several weeks, reading blogs, watching YouTube videos and getting a wealth of information on this forum. I ordered a tank setup with sump filter. This is a screenshot of the items I'm getting. I already removed item #7 (carbon cube) and #12 (UV light). Tank should be ready in about 1-2 weeks. Hope you don't mind me coming back for questions and thank you in advance for your patience in answering probably some dumb questions.
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Let’s go!!
I would keep the carbon cube. Not to run in the sump all the time, but if you get any sort of contaminant in the water, or need to remove medication quickly, you can add the carbon cube and voila, contaminant removed!
Oh, and welcome to Simply!
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Agree with Danny on the cube. Also have you keep a fish tank before? Are you considering plants (please say no for now). Are you considering keeping other fish with the discus (please say no for now). Are you considering getting all your discus at the same time (please say yes). What size discus are you considering? Do you know about quarantine? We have a whole thread on that
. Ok, that is enough for now!
PatYour Discus are talking to you...Are you listening
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This will be a pretty steep learning curve for you on 1 hand, but on the other, you won’t have to unlearn a lot of fish keeping practices that related to having kept non-discus species for any length of time.
You will find a lot of info on the web, YouTube, IG, etc. Even ppl there that say that this very forum, dedicated solely to discus, is “too narrow minded”. I promise you mate, if your goal is happy healthy discus which look fabulous, then put in to practice what you read, watch and see here from ppl who have been discus specialists for decades.
I had successfully kept & bred cichlids of all kinds, except discus, for nearly 30yrs when I switched to discus. The methodology & maintenance practices I learned here enabled me to adapt my processes to have success with discus. I encourage you to do the same. Pay careful attention to the input you receive here. Discus can be fickle, but so rewarding if you put into practice good processes and keep the main thing, your discus health, the main thing!
Now saddle up, and let’s ride!!Comment
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Thank you Pat,Agree with Danny on the cube. Also have you keep a fish tank before? Are you considering plants (please say no for now). Are you considering keeping other fish with the discus (please say no for now). Are you considering getting all your discus at the same time (please say yes). What size discus are you considering? Do you know about quarantine? We have a whole thread on that. Ok, that is enough for now!
Pat
Have not kept fish in an aquarium before but I have two family members who have aquariums and are eager to help.
I'm not planning on having other fish in the same aquarium (I plan to keep temperature around 28-30c).
I plan to have bare bottom aquarium, no plants (I have read this make is easier for beginners, to control water quality).
I plan to first have the aquarium empty for a short while to get used to the setup, testing water, etc ... .
I know I have to age the water, and the importance of testing water quality (pH, hardness, TDS, ... ).
I plan to get all Discus at the same time, probably six, from the same supplier.
I understand it's best to get all Discus at the same time to make sure they get along, rather than buy them in small batches.
I'm considering 3-4 inch in size. Would like to even get smaller but believe that would be to hard.
I don't know yet what breed of Discus I will get. I hope to have a mix of breeds. Still have to research.
I have found I believe a good supplier. It would involve shipping. Happy to share website, etc ...
I haven't delved to deep into quarantine yet. I do believe that if I get all 6 Discus from the same supplier, at the same time, I can just put them in altogether.
I'm still a bit blank right now on;
- what is best practice on setting up a sump filter.
- recommended tools for water quality testing; electronic meters or API Reef Master (have heard paper test strips are easiest but less accurate).
- and probably a few dozen other things I'm yet to learn
If you spot any errors, or things I am overlooking, please let me know.
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Hi, first your family with tanks can give you general advice regarding tanks but please refer to this forum for specific discus advice. If any of the families tanks have sumps go check them out. Personally I love sumps but these is way too hype on the media (stuff the beneficial bacteria grow on) and folks can spend a lot of money on the media. I would suggest using pop scubbies as media, it gets the job done and will save you a ton of money on the more elaborate (and expensive) media. Your setup may come with media.
Another consideration is the pump used to push water thru the sump. I do see above the pump is included in your setup. Note that when the pump is off water will drain back into the sump so it is best to know the minimum and maximum fill lines on the sump. Hopefully those levels are marked on the sump. You do not want to overflow the sump. Makes a wet mess in the cabinet. Can you post a photo of the sump?
Another thing is to read up on the nitrogen cycle and/or fishless cycle. Please read up and be sure you have a complete understanding of this process.
Many of us here in the states use the API master test kit and the GH/KH API test kits.
What are your plans on aging your water? Also find out if you need to filter your water prior to use (to make the water fish safe). Your family with tanks might help with that.
PatYour Discus are talking to you...Are you listening
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Thank you Pat.
No firm decision yet on aging. I understand it's letting water rest for 24-48 hours to release chlorine and stabilize pH, or use a product like Seachem Prime which I believe removes the need to wait 24-48 hours.
No pictures of sump yet, I ordered the entire setup from a local aquarium shop. Might take another 7-10 days.Comment
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This is partially correct. It is about pH stabilization. Municipal water supply lines are pressurized with gas. In the pipes the compressed gases change the pH of the water. When the tank is filled directly thousands of tiny micro bubbles form in the tank as the gases depressurize. This typically causes a change in pH, but can also cause gas bubble sickness in discus.
The aging process is achieved by placing your water change water into a tote of some sort, aerating & heating it for 24hrs prior to your water change.
There’s some gassing off of chlorine, but Prime should not be added until immediately before transferring the water into your tank.
The way to know if your water needs aging is to test the pH straight out of the faucet. Place 5 gallons into a bucket, aerate it for 24hrs priors. Retest the pH and if the change is >0.5 then you need to age water for each water change to avoid stressing your discus.
Prime does not serve as a replacement for this process.
Using RO water does change the need for aging, but then mixing with some aged water or remineralizing is necessary.Last edited by danotaylor; 09-24-2025, 05:01 AM.Comment
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You can start experimenting with aging your water now. You will need a way to test the ph however. You can fill a small container with tap water and drop an air stone (powered by an airpump) and let the water aerate for 24 hours. Measure the ph before and after the aging process to see if there is a change. If there is a change you will for sure need to aerate your water. You could also have dissolved gases in your water and that will need to be aged also.
I recently moved to a new house to be closer to my daughter and son-in-law. My new place has with city water and my son-in-law told me how awful the city water was so I elected to have a whole house water treatment system installed to filter the water and take care of the chlorine. So I still age my water to handle the ph change and heat the water. Since I keep wild discus I also decided to use an RO system and use that water with a bit of tap water (for the minerals). Now I do age my RO/tap water.
PatYour Discus are talking to you...Are you listening
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Still waiting for my aquarium setup but I did get two API water test kits before and will be doing some testing over the next few days. I did a trial of tap water and got these results;
pH 7.6
GH 16 dKH (286 ppm)
KH 14 dKH (250 ppm)
Looks like my first priority will be to lower the water hardness. I see using Reverse Osmosis as a solution, are there other options?Last edited by AquaholicAnonymous; 09-22-2025, 08:57 AM. Reason: Use correct terminology of KH and GH measurementsComment
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Why do you want to lower your GH?
PatYour Discus are talking to you...Are you listening
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I see that I might be creating confusion in how I share the test results. The numbers I share are the drops counted in the API GH and KH test kit.
GH 16 drops, equaling 200-400ppm.
KH 14 drops, equaling 200-400ppm.
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Hi - welcome to the forum and welcome to fish keeping & discus. You will do great because you are asking a lot of good questions beforehand. Here is my general advice to you:
Don't overthink! Simplicity is your friend. Most of us are so excited when we get started with a new hobby that we are trying to address every little thing we read somewhere.
For example, there is this perception that discus only thrive in super low GH & KH ranges. In reality, that only plays a factor if you are breading and want to see the highest number of eggs. In your case, the values you measured are perfectly acceptable. As Pat and others have said, take a tap water sample, aerate it for 24 hours and measure the ph. This will tell you if action is required (come back to the forum to ask what to do next).Comment
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