Is 88F too hot for discus?

[el wadd]

I've been shopping and observing the LFS' in my area, and noticed they were running hot. 86~87 degrees.....I tried it, and I gotta tell you the hydor external heaters are tricky if you're not paying attention...Woke up this morning and temp was 91.8F. I quickly lowered the temp control on the heater(I didn't want to stress them by dumping cooler water in the tank, so I let it naturally cool off over the course of the day.

Funny thing is that my fishes colors have never been brighter. Is it safe to leave it @ 88? Discus ate like horses today when I fed them @ 88.6, tetras and corys are all still doing the same stuff, nothing seems stressed.

What exactly is the max temp for discus? 91.8 didn't seem to bother them too much....not that I want to have it that hot, just wondering.

[Lupin]

Discus can tolerate warm temperatures. 88 is okay. Most people push it there or even to 90. I'd worry about the tetras and cories if I were you. Most do not tolerate the higher temperature the discus love to thrive in. I suggest using the airpump to increase oxygen level. Warmer temp=decreased oxygen level

[el wadd]

I'm gonna leave it where it is. The tetras and cories all seem to be doing fine @88.

[el wadd]

dropped it to 87 and gonna keep an eye on the C&T's

[J double R]

Discus can tolerate warm temperatures.


discus REQUIRE warmer temps. ;)

[davexstumpe]

discus love it in the upper 80s, i'd jsut be concerned with the cories at that temp.

[foxinlady]

I have cories in with my discus at that temp and there has been no probs. They were in the tank first and I gradually increased the temp and it never bothered them. But just b/c it worked for me doesn't mean it will for everyone.

[smbjedi]

I have cories in with my discus at that temp and there has been no probs. They were in the tank first and I gradually increased the temp and it never bothered them. But just b/c it worked for me doesn't mean it will for everyone.

i agree, i keep my tank at bout 86 and the cories and tetras do great.

[TwoTankAmin]

be careful when you say "They are doing fine." While fish may appear OK at temps that are actually too high for them, where it plays out on the downside is in shortened lifespan.

As you raise tank temps in general, you tend to speed up the matabolism of many fish. The effects of this will not appear as day to day problems but in terms of longevity.

[Lupin]

discus REQUIRE warmer temps. ;)
Thanks for the correction.:) What a duff I am for using the wrong words.:irked:

[el wadd]

heh heh....does it make me Idi Amin if I don't care about a year or two off the top when it comes to corys and tetras?

I think they're kinda like the coal miners of the aquatic world. Working hard all day and night takes a few years off em', but they'll go to the grave knowing they did one hell of a job. :lipssealedsmilie:

[TwoTankAmin]

I happen to believe that when one keeps any animal in captivity, it is their responsibility to provide it with a "proper" environment. Intentionally shortening its lifespan by putting it into conditions which will do that is not only irresponsible but somewhat cruel.

[jm1212]

i would lower it to 86º

higher temps means lower O2 in the water. this is bad for the fish and the biological filter

[J double R]

with proper surface agitation, it won't make that big of a difference.. and 86-88 isnt going to see a significant change of o2 to begin with.

[Hooked Newbie]

heh heh....does it make me Idi Amin if I don't care about a year or two off the top when it comes to corys and tetras?

I think they're kinda like the coal miners of the aquatic world. Working hard all day and night takes a few years off em', but they'll go to the grave knowing they did one hell of a job. :lipssealedsmilie:

I am going to avoid any sort of personal attack here, but wanted to quote it so that more people will have the opportunity to see your stance. If you "don't care about a year or two", please take them back.

[yourchoice]

I did the same same thing bump my dial on the external while making adjustments.My Dwarf gouramis were brightest orange I ever seen them Temp 92.for maybe 12-24 hours.They are all,ok.I put a piece of tape to keep the temp dial secure in place it seems rather filmsy considering how much the heater cost.

[el wadd]

I am going to avoid any sort of personal attack here, but wanted to quote it so that more people will have the opportunity to see your stance. If you "don't care about a year or two", please take them back.

Heh Heh...come take em' from me.:silly:

Honestly. Some of you folks need to lighten up a bit. It was a joke.

I'm leaving my heater where it is, and my fish are doing fine. When I see em' sweat, I'll turn it down.:headshake2:

[Marinemom]

Discus require temps. in the range of 82-86 degrees with the higher end of that being preferable. If you go any higher then that they can survive for a while like that but it does deplete the oxygen levels in the tank for them. Certainly do not keep it any higher then 88 degrees on a consistent basis unless you are treating for some disease in the tank or your discus will suffer in the long term not to mention the other fish and any live plants you are trying to grow.

Marinemom

[jm1212]

Heh Heh...come take em' from me.:silly:

Honestly. Some of you folks need to lighten up a bit. It was a joke.

I'm leaving my heater where it is, and my fish are doing fine. When I see em' sweat, I'll turn it down.:headshake2:
:shakehead:

just because they are fine now doesnt mean that they'll be fine later

[Star_Rider]

Actually, many of the fish in the wild are subjected to far more stress than when in an aquarium(temper this with the caveat....responsible fsh keeper), they struggle with other fish for survival, changing temps(some fish spawns are triggered by cool rain fall)

when we see posted temp for a species of fish..we see what some consider optimal temp for fish keeping.

while I agree..that we take on the responsibility of being good fish keepers. we also should realize that the wild is not always better. besides the fact that many of the species we see have no concept of what wild is.
we see optimal tems for fish like betta's in the mid to upper 70's even mid 80's

oh and to stay on subject

yes dscus like warmer water..mid 80's is fine and can take temps to 90+(do add an airstone as the dssolved O2 will be lower at these higher temps)

[Miguel]

I have read that famed Discus Breeder Jack Wattley keeps his Discus in 82F water and discourages people from going over 86F. He feels that higher temps speed up the metobolism of the Discus too much and shortens thier lifespan. And this is from a world reknown breeder.

[el wadd]

87 degrees seems to be where it sits most times...sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more.

[Marinemom]

For discus, try to keep the temp. as consistent as possible. They do not like the temps. in their water to go up and down even if it is just a degree or two.

Marinemom

[el wadd]

I'm talking tenths, not whole degrees.

[pinkertd]

I keep my discus tank at 84-86. This seems to be a popular temp for juvies and sub-adult discus. In the winter months when i turn the house heat down for the day, I need 2 300 Watt heaters to maintain my tank at that temp. Now that it's summer, I have only one heater plugged in and that keeps it 84-86. I have bristlenose from peru that tolerate high temps well, neons, albino cories and a clown loach in there and they are all healthy and hungry! Panda cories are one catfish that doesn't tolerate the high temps and I've read many stories of them not living long in discus tanks. Full grown discus seem to do very well at 82, so I'll probably turn the temp down a little when mine are all grown up.

Debbi:)

[el wadd]

:) Here Here!

I'll keep an eye on the cories.