beginner

[Tom15]

I'm thinking of starting a discus tank. I have a 30 gallon tank filtered with an AC 300 and will do a 50% w/c weekly. The substrate is sand and there will be several plants in the tank along with driftwood. I will get 3 discus for the tank. Is this a good setup and if it isn't what would make it better? I can't get a bigger tank so this is the only one I have. Also does anyone know any good discus breeders in the Massachusetts area?
Thank You

[bikhu]

Hi Tom,
My experience with Discus is that it is VERY important to heed the experience of those who went before us. I started out with much the same set up as you mention here. Thought that 50% weekly change would suffice... etc. I had a painful learning curve... Painful for me deadly for the fish. Daily H2O changes, Bare bottom tank, Aged water, consistent parameters, good quality and variety of foods... All the stuff that Cary, Al, April, Beth, Carol and all the others with real experience and success told me.... that is what has helped me. If you are planning on getting little guys <2" than get more than 6. This helps avoid aggression and allows everyone to get their just desserts(and entrees!) They would definitely need bare bottom tank.
If you get adults then you would probably not want more than 3 in the 30 Gal tank. Rule of thumb seems to be 10 gal per adult fish. Larger tank would give some more leniency with this but still plenty of good clean fresh aged water.
As for Massachusetts area... HI NEIGHBOR! what part of the state are you from. I am in Springfield and would be glad to introduce you to some resources. Not much luck here in MA but CT, New York and many of us can share our ordering experience from people on line. Contact me here or email or IM. all my info is on the profile.
Welcome to Simply Discus. Hope you learn to love these awesome creatures but beware... this is a highly addictive drug!!!!
Peace,
peter

[Carol_Roberts]

Peter has given you excellent advice. I would suggest an adult pair in your tank. You might be able to get by with twice a week 50% water changes (make sure your fresh change water has the same temp and pH as in the old water in the tank - you may have to "age" your water)

Juveniles do not grow well in planted tanks with substrate. IF they become ill it is very hard to treat in planted tanks with substrate. Juveniles prefer to be in groups of 6 or more. They will quickly out grow a 30 gallon tank.

Adults have their full growth, like to be pairs and 30 gallon is a perfect size tank for them.

[Tom15]

Thanks for the replys. If I get 6 juvenile discus at 2" each and raised them together what would be the chance I would get a breeding pair out of them? If I do get a pair I'll keep them in the 30 gallon tank. If I get the juveniles would 50% w/c twice a week be ok and the tank will be bare bottom with no plants? Also what would be the best food for the juveniles?

Thank You

[henryD]

Welcome to Simply Tom.

You have some very good questions. Glad to see your doing your research before buying anything.

I would suggest spending a couple of days and reading the links on this website. You will feel more comfortable and most of your questions would be answered with new questions.

As for the water change question most people believe in doing 50% w/c daily. It really depends on the size tank, how heavly it is stocked, and what kind of filtration you have.

I think one of the first thing you should do it get a water test kit and see what your water condition is like from the tap. If you are on city water a phone call to the local water company will get you a print out with all the details.

Discus requires very clean water. So it is good to find out what you are dealing with.

[Tom15]

I have a test kit and have tested the tap water. It has a pH of 7.4 - 7.6. I know this is a little high for discus and was wondering if there was any way to lower the pH without using the buffers. As for stocking I'm hoping to get 6 juveniles and raise them and hopefully get a pair and those will be the only fish in the tank. Would 3 w/c per week be sufficient for the juvenile discus?

Thank you for the replies

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Tom:
Have you read this thread?
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index...;threadid=9911
When the discus are small you can get by with every other day water changes in the 55 gallon tank. In a month or two, as they grow you will most likely need to increase the water changes.

[henryD]

Tom you also don't have to change the PH. Mine is 7.6 out of the tap and they do fine. I would check chlorine and or chlormine so you can find out if you need to treat your water or age it before water changes.

[Tom15]

I will age the water in a 30 gallon bucket for a few days before i use it in the tank. How can you make the water softer?

Thank you

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Tom:
My water is GH 11, pH 7.8, tds 260. My juvenile discus do just fine in my moderately hard water. Do you know your water numbers?

I would not let the water set around for several days. You do not want bacteria growing in it. Aging the water makes it sound like the longer the better. When in truth all you are doing is off gassing CO2 and getting the temperature the same as the tank. I can "age" my water in 3 hours.

The secret to quick aging is the amount of agitation used. If I just used an airstone in a 55 gallon container it might take 3 days to release the CO2 and stabilize the pH. I use a pond pump. The water looks like it is at a rolling boil. A heater is also in the storage container set at 84 degrees.

When your discus are mature and breeding you may have low hatch rates in hard water. Then you may need to buy an RO to remove the minerals, softening the water, allowing the eggs to hatch easier.

[bikhu]

Tom,
Where in MAssachusetts are you? Eastern? water from Quabbin is probably heavily treated and a lot of heavy metals from the pipeline by the time it reaches many towns. In Springfield mt water is very soft in fact I need to treat it like RO water to get it to hold a pH. Please look into pH swing. This was a huge factor for me in the begining. Now my water is at 7.4 and steady. The fish seem to love it. Going from lower to higher is not a big deal during acclimation but dropping stresses these guys out quite a bit.
I use a rubbermaid container and a 20 gal tank wit powerhead in each to agitate the water. Gasses off within 6 hours .. maybe more but I haven't tried.
Tell me more about where you are...

[Tom15]

bikhu: I'm located south of Boston and think the water comes from the Brockton area but I'm not sure.

If I use an air pump in the holding tank can I keep it there for a few days before I use it or would the bacteria still grow.

Thank You for the replies

[Tyler]

Tom i say you go with larger fish......little guys aren't going to grow well in a planted tank with w/c only twice a week imo. 3 to 4 adults should work just fine in that situation though.....
Welcome to the world of discus!

Tyler

[Tom15]

The tank isn't going to be planted until the fish get to be maybe 4-5". The tank will be bare bottom. Would this work or would the w/c schedule be too little? How much would an average 4-5" discus cost from a breeder?

Thank you

[Tyler]

I still think fish smaller than 4" are much better off with daily water changes.....although the bare tank would help.
4-5" sounds good for you......i think a reasonable price depending on strain would be from 50-100 each.
Good luck on whatever you choose!

Tyler