What do I need to have a 'good' Discus tank?

[cmartin]

I found a local breeder and I am seriously thinking about starting a Discus tank.

I would really like to do this in the right order for a change - find the fish and then get the proper tank, filter, etc.

If I wanted 5 or 7 Discus - what would the tank requirements be?

What about decorations - drift wood, coral - things to buffer the PH?

Filtration I have heard is very important - should it be one huge filter or two smaller ones?

Feeding?

Anything else that you experienced Discus keepers could tell me would be appreciated.

Any tips on "what to look for in a good breeder"?

I am learning identify problems - I have been practicing at my LFS.
When I see something different, I come home and look it up - that is exactly why I am now looking buying from a local breeder instead of a LFS!!!

This forum has been great in the past for honest and straight up advice. It has become the best source of information that I have found.
Thank you all for your help.

[12 Volt Man]

simplydiscus.com is a great site for discus.

back when I had them I used to go there alot.

Now, as far as your questions go:

a 90 gallon would make a good size for 5-7 adult discus. Many discus gurus like to recommend 15 gallons per discus, and in my experience, this works well. I had a 65 with 4 adults that I grew up from babies..

Secondly, no coral in a discus tank. It will make the pH too high for them.

Driftwood is fine - they don't mind it if the pH is on the acidic side.

In my area, most discus people do not even adjust the pH at all unless they are breeding them.

Tank raised discus do fine in normal tap water pH (7.2-7.6) but wild caught ones need it lower.

You will get a wide range of filter options, for me, I would use a Rena XP3 and a hang on tank filter like an Aquaclear, but others will give you other options. Mine is the best one though :) just kidding..

I used to feed my discus twice per day - one feeding of frozen bloodworms (hikari makes the best) and one feeding of flake/tetra colour bits. They will grow fast like this.

I also used to change water twice per week - you don't need to go crazy, but discus do well in clean water.

As far as temperature goes, 84 or 85 is good. They have better disease resistance at warmer temperatures.

hope this helps!

[jm1212]

go with something that is at least 75 gallons, preferably more. discus have the portential to get around 8 inches, so bigger is always better, especially when you are going to have a school.

a nice piece of driftwood will help lower the pH a bit and will also make the tank look more natural. wouldnt add crushed coral to your tank.

marineland's new C-Series canister filters just came out a few weeks ago. i saw them in an LFS today. the smallest one puts out 160 GPH, the middle one puts out 220 GPH, and the biggest exherts 360 GPH. you may want to check them out. it is also good to have more than one filter for optimum filtration. also, with mroe than one filter, if one should break, the other can keep the tank going until a new one is brought in. also check out Cascade, Magnum (also by marineland), and Eheim canisters.

with feeding, a veriety is always best. there are plenty of discus specialty and cichlid pellet forumulas available, along with frozen and live foods such as blood worms and brine shrimp.

if you want tankmates, peacful tetras, corydoras, and possibly rams are all good choices. rummynose tetras are commonly seen in discus tanks because they are big enough not to be eaten, are great schoolers, and like similar water conditions to the discus. rams also like the lower pH, especially german blue rams. you can keep angels with discus, but you will need to get a bigger tank than 75 gallons for space's sake.

a good breeder should have clean tanks that dont look to overcrowded (i.e. you can barley see the bottom of the tank or there doesnt look like there is any water in the tank), there shouldnt be to many dead fish, sick fish souldnt be for sale (diseases can happen to anyone, but some will sell diseased fish to customers), and the fish that are for sale should look generally healthy.

[cmartin]

Thank you 12 Volt Man - perfect.

I like the idea of two filters - if one has a problem you can still 'limp' for a little while.

Now I just have to find 'the tank' - but hey - summer yard sales and flea markets can be a gold mine if you know what you are looking for.

I am not in a rush to get this all done. The breeder has been in business for years so I know she will be there when I am ready. I just want to do it right the first time.

[cmartin]

Thanks JM1212 - I thought I would have to keep the Discus in a species tank - it would be nice to be able to add some Angels.
Thanks for the equipment reviews as well - very helpful.

[divingne1]

I recently set up another discus tank and I am really happy with the success so far. I have 4 discus, 10 neons, 6 black neons, 4 long-finned rams, 2 cory cats and a rubber lipped plecco. I feed bloodworms, discus formula, community formula and mysis shrimp (all frozen...they don't do flake or pellet for some reason). My decorations are one HUGE piece of driftwood, natural looking gravel, plastic plants and in the process of seeing if some real plants will take.

I keep temp at 84, I use black water expert and peat to keep the water soft, I keep the PH around 6.0 and I use discus essentials (a liquid type thing). I did this same system several years ago and had a ton of success with it.

I read simplydiscus.com forums but have found that unless the people know you well, they don't usually respond to your posts. Or at least that is what I have personally found. This forum has been much nicer to my issues than the recommended simplydiscus.com. They do however, provide some really good information just by reading other's posts.

[12 Volt Man]

wow. its been awhile since I have visited simplydiscus. but that is an eye opener.

thanks.

[pinkertd]

My main tank is discus and I absolutely adore them! My advice to you just starting out is to get the biggest tank you can afford. Discus do best in large groups as opposed to 2 or 3 or 4. A 75G will hold 7 adult discus comfortably, it is recommended 1 adult discus per 10 gallons. It is true that some discus will reach 7 or 8", but those usually belong to serious breeders feeding beefheart and such 6X/day. On average you can expect to have 6" adults. Stock your tank first with whatever tankmates you decide...and the suggestions here are excellent...rummynose, cardinals/neons/black tetras, german blue rams, need a few cories for cleanup duty and bristlenose plecos for algae cleanup. You need to be careful with what type of pleco you put in there because some of them take a liking to the discus' slime coat which is bad! Then decide whether you want adults or juveniles. Juvies require at least 4 heavy feedings a day and because of the messy beefheart, it is recommended to keep them in a BB tank to make it easier to keep spotless. Larger discus require less feedings, less food mess in the tank so they would be easier to keep in a graveled/planted tank. After you decide what size fish you want to go with, it is best to buy them all at one time. I believe there is a breeder in Ontario who is also a sponsor on simplydiscus. Check the sponser section there out. If so, that would be an exellent place to get your fish to ensure healthy, disease free fish. Hikari Frozen bloodworms are a must and I also add high quality flake and small discus pellets and dried tubifex worms a couple of times a week. Most discus, except wilds, don't mind a harder water and higher ph. They've never been in wild soft water. Warm temps in the 83-85 range are a necessity though, keeps them healthier at the higher temps. I wouldn't recommend angels in with the discus. Angels are piglets and will outcompete the discus for the food. I moved mine out of the tank for that reason. Good luck, you'll love them!

Debbi:)

[Weezer]

All this info is good, like posted use 2 large filters and i would go with 2 heaters as well. one heater will be working alot to keep the temp in the low 80's......:)

[12 Volt Man]

yeah, you need a fair bit of wattage to keep a big tank up that high.

for example, when I had ich in my 90 years ago, one 300w heater could not get the tank up past 82 (at least in my basement ;))

if you go with a 75 or a 90, two heaters (probably two 200W) is going to be necessary for warm waters.:)

[FishyMatty]

You will hear a lot of people say discus need temp in the high 80s to 90s. A good temp to keep adult discus is 82°-84°. If you get juveniles(4" or less) then 86° is ok, its speeds up there metabolism and will encourage them to eat more. Juveniles should be fed at least 3 times a day.
You will also hear that you need to lower your ph to 5.6-6.6
The truth is if your tap water is around neutral to as high as 7.6 and as long as you don't want to breed them or get wild discus then you will be fine. Discus come from very soft acidic water but its always better to get your fish used to your water then to try to chemically alter your water.
Another thing is discus are best kept in large groups to keep down aggression.
6 or more and another myth is how much room disc us need. When they are full grown adults they will be best kept it a 75-90 gallon tank. But juveniles can be scared and will be much more comfortable in a much smaller tank. If you got 6 two inch discus they will do much better growing them up in a 30 gallon then a 75 gallon.
As far as what to look for adults are much easier to spot a good fish because their colors will be showing full. Most young discus won't show great color so you need to pick fish that are swimming with all fins open, don't look thin or emaciated and discus that are not orange/red will get dark or black when they are sick or unhappy. Also check for the usual signs of disease.
Good luck and discus are amazing fish if you keep them happy.
Oh yea, they need really clean water but little current, you can keep plants and drift wood if you want, the drift wood will help soften your water and lower PH. As far as rocks go I would make sure to use rocks that won't raise your PH like coral.

[Rbishop]

Lots of good advice. Water changes often for the juvies. The adults will not need as many, but I find they are more active with the extra water changes.

[Weezer]

[quote=12 Volt Man;965022

for example, when I had ich in my 90 years ago:)
[/QUOTE]

:22_yikes:

[pinkertd]

Agree on the heater thing! I have two 300W heaters in my 72G, one on either end of the tank. Each heater doesn't have to work as hard to keep the temps up, they work together!

Debbi:)

[cmartin]

Thank you everyone.

Between your advice and simplediscus.com I think I have enough info to start gathering the tank, filters, heaters, etc. that I need.

I am going to check out as many local breeders as I can find.

I am excited about getting this project started - more yardsales, flea markets, and Kijiji.

How I love to shop for fish equipment - MTS all the way!

Thank you!

[Star_Rider]

plenty of good advice.

sounds like you want a planted tank??

definitely get the fish from a breeder..you wil get much better stock from there.
simply discus is a good site for reference..but as with many ..take the info with a grain of salt.

I have been raising discus for a couple years now..I have a friend who raises discus(wild Heckels)

my preference for large tanks is a sump for filtration.

I am running 1250 gph pump with extra powerheads in the tank.
you will create dead spots in the tank with driftwood and structure..which discus love.
driftwood will not lower pH much..and after awhile it won't lower pH at all.

[12 Volt Man]

:22_yikes:


lol yes, 90 drops x every other day = lots of medicine :)

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by 12 Volt Man;965022

for example, when I had ich in my 90 years ago


lol yes, 90 drops x every other day = lots of medicine :)
It looked like it said you had ick 90 years ago..I did'nt think you were that old....:)

[12 Volt Man]

LOL

I am not that old, 29, but have been pretty hardcore into fish since I was 14..:)

I wonder what the canister filters were like 90 years ago :)