How do I set up a discus tank?

[amyandlars]

I was thinking of 1 day starting a discus tank. If I do it's going to 100gal long. Is this big enough for 5 discus? Does it have to discus only or can there be other smaller fish providing they have hiding spots? Any good informative Discus sites?

[Rbishop]

http://www.discushatchery.com/

http://www.discusmadness.com/

http://www.rockymountaindiscus.com/

http://www.enchanteddiscus.com/

[amyandlars]

Thanks, I like the heatcheries. If I do decide to make a discus tanks, I'll probably buy from one of those. I still have some questions, but at least this a good start.

[amyandlars]

I guess for now my biggest question is how do you know if you don't have heavy metals or something else in your water that will kill them?

Any water changes would be done with a python, is the aged water thing really necessary?

[pugwash]

Get yourself an HMA filter - removes all heavy metals, and was developed by a discus keeper in the early 90's.

BUT discus are very fussy in terms of water quality (0,0,10 desired) and environment. I investigated these heavily when setting up my tank, but ended up with CA cichlids instead.

Direct link: http://www.devotedly-discus.co.uk/acatalog/DD_HMA.html but also available on ebay.

Large schools of Cardinals, and a few C.sterbai are popular co-habitants of discus tanks, due to the warmer tank temps required (>80).

[reptileguy2727]

my discus are doing very well on well water straight out of the tap. there are test kits for heavy metals. discus arent as bad as they are considered by most. however, wild caught and high end are more sensitive. as in: if you buy some high end red melon for example, you should expect it to be more sensitive than just some random one that happens to be in a LFS. 100 gallons is more than enough for 5. you could easily add a huge school of cardinals and cories. overfiltration, water changes, and a high quality diet and they should thrive.

[lora]

Five Discus is a 100g tank is fine. Discus are not as fussy as you might think. They do like warmer water, around 82-86 degrees. They also prefer a lower ph. I don't age my water, just use it right out of the tap, with a good water conditioner like Prime. They also require really clean water, so be prepared to do at least a couple of big water changes a week. Some people swear by bare bottom tanks to make cleaning easier, but my tanks are planted. I think they feel more secure with some hiding places, but bare bottom is a must for breeding. I have some Bristlenose Plecos, Cardinal Tetras, Rummy Nose Tetras, a Siamese Algae Eater and some Apple Snails in my Discus tank and they are all fine. A good place for info is simplydiscus.com.

[VTwinFanatic]

Like mentioned before Discus arent as hard as many people think they are. People are intimidated by discus...and i was one of those about a year ago. But with regular waterchanges you'll be fine...i typicall do atleast two a week of 50-75% and use tap water and prime. My pH is about 7.0 and gdh of about 4. Discus actually are quite tolerant. I do like bare bottom tanks for my discus though...i found that prior to making my tank bare bottom that they didnt color up quite as nice as i wanted, but after going bare bottom their color brightened up and they seemed to be more active. They have hiding spots with various pieces of driftwood and tankmates of a lepord frog pleco and a pair of cockatoo apistos. W/C's are critical as is a good well balanced diet. And I realized really quickly that make sure to have your medications on hand JUST IN CASE, better to be safe than sorry. Good Luck. And 100 gals for 5 discus is plenty of room...reccomended is atleat 10 gals per discus.

[kjf91004]

The two best sites I have found are

www.discusasahobby.com

www.simplydiscus.com

Just do lots of reading before you jump in. They may not require bare bottomed species only tanks, pristine water, and 4x a day feedings to survive... but I think in order to have extra large show-quality discus it is required.

[Star_Rider]

I agree they are not as difficult as many think.
the tank raised/bred discus are more tolerant.
they do prefer warm water 82-86 and warmer for young discus.
young discus should also get fed more frequently 4 xday is normal..and this is why a bare bottom tank

but they thrive in a planted tank. plant choices are limited tho with the 'warm' water.

they get big I have some I picked up in march/april as 2" fish..they currently are bigger than my breeding pair of angels.
yes I do keep angels and discus together.
discus will chase and kill small neons..so if you add neons get the 'jumbo'(older) neons.
btw cardinals handle the water temp better as do black neons. the dither fish will help calm the discus too..they tend to be shy till they associate you with food.

you should also do 50% water changes twice a week..all you fish in that tank will love you for it.

your 100 woud be a nice discus set up..add driftwood and some plants (I would have 6-8 discus as they prefer schools). add in some cardinals :thm:

I wish my wife would let me turn the 110 into a planted discus tank