Cold Hard Facts for the Hobbyist...

[Banzai883]

12 and 14 is so true. It happened to me already lol

[DiscusDirect]

Great post AL,
Am still new at learning to care for these beautiful fishes, but I have to admit, I love it, and the cold hard facts are dead on whether it's discus or any other type of tropical fish.

[nate c]

i didnt read this whole thread but I WOULD RECOMMEND KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF THE TANK........dont overthink water parameter just give them a stable enviroment

[chuckiesmalls]

And you'll make some crazy excuse to your boss about why you must go back home (and the word fish or tank will not be part of the request!).

Non-fish people just don't understand.....sheesh

[Jinx]

I just want to say as a current discus owner and a very fond aquarium hobbyist since age 5 that I think a lot of people make discus care seem like a burden. Honestly discus are of the cichlid family. They may be moody but they are pretty hardy. I find mainly that out of all the you tube videos and countless hours of research and what not that most people really create their own problem by heavily over stocking their tank and over feeding. I have a huge rule of thumb on that with cichlids that i have learned unfortunately the hard way. I have been raising discus for 2 years and every one of my tanks has a great heater, good filtration, thick gravel bottom, mix of easy care live plants and lots of drift wood.. Yes drift wood does lower ph and it does soften water. I keep my tanks at a steady 85 F unless I think they may have an internal parasite then it is 90 F - 92 F. I have 8 discus and 2 clown loaches in my 90 and I change 5 gallons of water weekly unless I see too much algea or have a parameter issue due to accidental over feeding which hey sometimes i second guess myself when feeding. However to be quite frank I have had these 8 discus for about 2 years. I have not lost one. The store I bought them from was a mom and pop store in fort Myers who really has an awesome honest person running it. My 90 gallon has a home made wet dry with a bag of media in the bottom of sump tank that i stole from my 55 gal tank to seed my 90 bio load and jump start. Yes I did long ago and was too lazy to put the media bag back lol. I also have a back up filter on my 90 that is really meant for a 30 but who cares it is little canister filter and it is full of media and very bottom level is yes filter pads. I also have a UV sterilizer for a 50 gallon because well I be honest I hate algae and I should get a light timer because yes I fall asleep on couch and once in a while leave the lights on way too long. I am human what can I say. Anyways back to my point you can throw tons of chemicals and listen to every so called expert in every forum and 2nd guess yourself into killing your fish or do it right. I have done this myself and lost thousands of dollars worrying myself into a tither. Best thing I can say with discus is go with what you are used to and can commit to. For me a nice thick small gravel, with some plants, lots of drift wood, some fake plants in there too makes me happy and I do again 5-10 gallon water changes weekly. I feed my discus flakes, frozen blood worms, and live black worms. just like the next guy I have a lil algae but I keep it under control. I only had a worm parasite issue one time and i bought the fish like that but no chemicals I just plain turn the heat up. I did use melafix to repair a damaged tail fin on one fish which yes it does work. My chemicals I keep on hand is ample supply of stress coat water conditioner all in one because it is nice for water changes to dechlorinate and melafix that is it. I don't use RODI water because I find it ridiculous for my fish to swim in cleaner water than i drink since I drink tap water. If i can drink my tap water then my fish can swim and poo in it and my tap water come out at 7.8 almost religiously but that is why I use drift wood. As far as the water changes I toss what ever needed for dechlorination into the water let it sit while I siphon out and dump in. I try to keep temp right that is about it. I just truly find conflicting and contradicting info on every website and I think people really make discus out to be super finicky and hard to care for and that it is for the advanced Aquarium hobbyist. Well let me be honest with you it is not. I think it is more the way you stock your tank. If you like a heavily over stocked tank than yea this fish is probably not for you because then you will have to pay lots of money for CO2, chemicals, filtration, do tons of water changes and craziness then really at that point you are not enjoying the hobby.
Rule of thumb I found is no less than 55 gal tank and no less than 4-6 discus and never keep odd number because one will become the third wheel. Do not over feed. I feed mine two times a day and they are 4-5" and biggest thing about feeding is turn on lights wait til fish wake up and come out spread food across tank so everyone feeds and leave lights on for at least a couple hours because they forge around tank all day cleaning the bottom up. I have a standard regimen for mine...lights on 4:30 am then i feed mine at 5 am live or frozen food leave lights on feed again at 3 pm flake food and by 4 pm lights out. it works for my schedule what can I say fish are happy. Best I can say is everyone can tell you a billion ways to care for your animals but the best way is to do what you think is best really.

[BmoreBraap]

What a great sticky....I think I've experienced all of these within the first few months of Discus keeping!! But it helps to take a step back and realize not EVERYTHING is in your control and sometimes sh*t will happen and you will have some set backs! We all look at you experts as starting the hobby with the experience you have now when really, the experts have probably had more issues than they can count, and from those hands on experiences is how we learn and how you keep others from making those same mistakes. More like a journey than a hobby

[Greg-Florida]

Very insightful, thanks Al.

[LizStreithorst]

I can't believe that this is the first time I've read this post. It's so true. For me, the thing I love other than breeding Discus, is helping people learn these fish. Both give me great satisfaction.

[Hicgup]

#7. Water. Isaac Newton said this; What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean. I am a professional Aquaculturist by day, which I like to remind myself in part means taking care of water. One of my great joys in life is taking care of fish so that they do what is natural. Thrive, grow, and reproduce. One of the things that attracted me to cichlids decades ago was the parental care provided by the parents. And to this day, after decades of keeping and breeding discus, (and many other fish, freshwater, saltwater, cold water, and tropical) one of the most beautiful sights in the fish world for me is watching a cloud of discus fry graze on the flanks of their parents.

[brewmaster15]

Im really happy to see this thread back in the present.

one of the most beautiful sights in the fish world for me is watching a cloud of discus fry graze on the flanks of their parents.

Steve, agree 100%. I never get tired of seeing it.

Liz,

For me, the thing I love other than breeding Discus, is helping people learn these fish. Both give me great satisfaction.

You and me both!

Al

[Greg-Florida]

#7. Water. Isaac Newton said this; What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean. I am a professional Aquaculturist by day, which I like to remind myself in part means taking care of water. One of my great joys in life is taking care of fish so that they do what is natural. Thrive, grow, and reproduce. One of the things that attracted me to cichlids decades ago was the parental care provided by the parents. And to this day, after decades of keeping and breeding discus, (and many other fish, freshwater, saltwater, cold water, and tropical) one of the most beautiful sights in the fish world for me is watching a cloud of discus fry graze on the flanks of their parents.

That's poetic. Can't wait to see my own, first fry hatched in my home.

[brewmaster15]

Posted in 2010.. still very relevent today.

[Greg-Florida]

Posted in 2010.. still very relevent today.

Yes, great post and thread!
Greg

[brewmaster15]

I think this explains why hobbyists new to discus yet familar with other fish have a tough time adjusting to discus keeping.

IMG_0220.jpg

(Credits as to where this came from originally.. somewhere in the WWW)