View Full Version : What's more important?
Diann62
10-13-2008, 8:26 PM
So here's my dilemma. I have a 110 gallon planted tank with cardinal tetras, clown loaches and bristlenose plecos. I just got 3 pigeon blood discuses a week ago. They're very skittish and hide every time I come near them. They don't even come out for food. I'm getting more and I've heard that I need to get them the quickly. I can order some from my LFS which will arrive at the end of October, then I have to QT them for a month so they won't enter the main tank until end of November. My other option is to buy them from a guy who sells Wayne Ng discuses an hour away from me. I don't know how necessary it is to QT them since that's all he sells and he's had these for a few months now. BTW, I just got a 30 gallon QT and I'm planning on about 6 more discuses. So my question is, is it more important to quickly get the discuses into the main tank with the discuses already in there, or that doesn't matter so much, but it's more important to QT them? It would be cheaper to buy them from the LFS, but if it's more important to quickly get them into the main tank, then I'll get the more expensive fish from the distributor. I hope this question isn't confusing. I've read about the fish getting a pecking order and I don't want them to bully any new fish, although all they're doing right now is hiding in the bushes when I come down.
hirschy75
10-13-2008, 8:39 PM
Hiding will be normal for a little while but yes you need some more discus in there, the sooner the better. When you add more they will have to re-order all over again. It would be better to not worry about QT and get more in there asap
pinkertd
10-13-2008, 9:37 PM
If your first three are domestics, I would not get the Wayne Ng discus which are imported and mix them. Get more domestics.
Diann62
10-14-2008, 8:01 AM
If your first three are domestics, I would not get the Wayne Ng discus which are imported and mix them. Get more domestics.
Why does that matter? I got the pigeon blood from the LFS.
pinkertd
10-14-2008, 10:43 AM
Trust me, it matters big time. Domestics have no immunity to the "normal germs" of imports. I guess the easiest way to explain it to you would be....it's like when Americans go to Mexico and they are told not to drink the tap water there, but you do and you get sicker than heck. But Mexicans drink it every day and have no problems. I learned about this issue the hard way. No one warned me. I had three tanks of discus at the time. My show tank with domestics. My growout tank for 6 domestic juvies. And the QT tank for the imports, which was not even in the same room as the other tanks. I struggled furiously for over a month to keep my domestics alive thru this.
Diann62
10-14-2008, 11:35 AM
OK well I've decided to buy 6 or 7 more discus from the LFS and quarantine them in my 30 gallon tank. The other 3 discus will just have to wait until the QT period is over and hopefully I won't have any problems. Thanks for the help :)
Star_Rider
10-15-2008, 10:32 AM
during QT for any fish ( I keep mostly discus and angels) I treat for internal parasites.. I keep jungle anti parasite fizz tabs and levamisole Hcl on hand.
many will say do not treat unless Sx are shown.. the problem is that often parasites may not show for weeks after qt. treatment for parasites is easy and can be completed in the qt period of 4-6 weeks.
this will reduce the chance of spreading internal parasites.
this was suggested to me by several breeders i know.
sarafish
10-16-2008, 1:42 AM
Can i treat a whole aquarium for intestinal parasites or do i hav to take the suspect fish out and treat it seperatly?
Can i treat a whole aquarium for intestinal parasites or do i hav to take the suspect fish out and treat it seperatly?
With intestinal parasites, chances are good they will infect other fish already so I would consider treating the whole tank.