Thinking about Discus

[rich_one]

I did message poppops no reply yet but it's only been a day or 2 now, I didn't know about hans.. I will search that name out, thanks. As for the price of discus in general, that wasn't really the complaint/worry the fear came from spending that kind of money on fish from a website that I didn't know anything about.. hence why I asked if anyone here sold them =) I am not even sure that I care about the shipping prices.. i just want to get them from someone I know I can trust and someone that I will also be able to keep in contact with.. a "reputable" source as you put it.. just was looking for better ideas than random websites I might happen across, I don't mind spending money on good fish =)

Hi temptress... you have been given some excellent advice here, so I will avoid being repetitive. Here is some info on Hans, and also, there are links here that may allow you to find a Hans facility near you, depending on where you live. if you have any problems navigating around, let me know.

http://www.discus-hans-usa.com/

The guy has some awesome fish... and in fact, I learned a lot just by reading a lot about him. At any rate, good luck to you... you will love these fish... trust me! :thm:

-Rich

 

[Temptress]

Awesome! I just checked out that web page and there is a Han's dealer for fish about an hour away and 2 more that are about 1 and a half hours.. so that's not too terrible! and in the long run I could save on shipping.. this is awesome!

So I have read a little bit about how to tell a good discus.. but alot of it is watching them.. well being over an hour away I don't think this is really an option.. what are some immediate things I can watch for? I guess aside from the torn fins, spots.. obvious stuff like that.. what are these guys prone to?

 

[rich_one]

For me, the key thing was, what do they do when I approach the tank? I only picked out the ones that came forward hoping to be fed. Also, you want to avoid bulging eyes, and you want to try to get the fish that are platter shaped as possible... not football shaped. Hans has execellent stock, and most likely, the fish you see will be nice specimens. I am lucky to have a facility near me as well here in Maryland.

anyway, those are a few things I look forward... others may chime in with things they look for as well... I'm excited for you... good luck, and it will be fun watching your progress on this!

-Rich

 

[rich_one]

I was sitting here thinking about what maybe you have not been told, and something did jump out to me... be very thoughtful about where you place the tank. my advice would be to avoid placing near something like a room entrance... where, to the discus, a person can just suddenly "appear", and startle them. they can be quite jumpy and even run into the glass if startled, so you want to avoid that scenario. they would prefer to see you coming from across the room.

anyway... just something small that I thought of, that maybe you can take into account when choosing where you will display your tank.

-Rich

 

[Temptress]

Ya, I actually read that in one of the articles I read and they are going to go into my "bedroom" which is a wide open full size basement so hopefully that should take care of that =)

Also, I am wondering about being able to keep any/all the colors together.. you can right? Do they interbreed? Is that ok if they do?

 

[rich_one]

Ya, I actually read that in one of the articles I read and they are going to go into my "bedroom" which is a wide open full size basement so hopefully that should take care of that =)

Also, I am wondering about being able to keep any/all the colors together.. you can right? Do they interbreed? Is that ok if they do?

yep... unless you are just trying to keep one strain, feel free to mix and match! they will interbreed, but you will still end up with more beautiful fish... no reverting to wild type or things like that that can happen with ohter species.

 

[Temptress]

That's exactly what I was worried about! Thanks.. I mean I am a VERY long ways away from thinking about breeding but it's always good to learn things in advance =)

I am thinking about purchasing 8 SMALL discus so they can grow up together in this tank.. I want to buy them all together but from what I'm learning it's best to let the tank "stabilize" with the co2, lights, heaters, filters all running for at least 6wks before adding any fish then starting out with algae eaters first, which are going to be cories and lf bn plecos.. does this sound about right to everyone?

 

[rich_one]

That's exactly what I was worried about! Thanks.. I mean I am a VERY long ways away from thinking about breeding but it's always good to learn things in advance =)

I am thinking about purchasing 8 SMALL discus so they can grow up together in this tank.. I want to buy them all together but from what I'm learning it's best to let the tank "stabilize" with the co2, lights, heaters, filters all running for at least 6wks before adding any fish then starting out with algae eaters first, which are going to be cories and lf bn plecos.. does this sound about right to everyone?

if you are going to go with a planted tank, I strongly recommend you go with adult discus. you will almost certainly stunt the growth of the juvies in a planted tank... they are much more likely to grow out in a bare bottom tank. and, I am not sure the pleco would like how warm you have your water at for juvies... warmer water... 86 degrees or more... being better for them, imo.

if you go planted and w/ adults, then the pleco and cories sound fine to me.

 

[Temptress]

The tank is definitely going to be planted.. can I ask what it would be that stunts the growth? I think I read somewhere that it's due to a hormone that they secrete that makes them stay small when they are in captivity due to the size of their tank.. but I thought I read also that if you do plenty of water changes and have good filteration that this shouldn't be an issue? I do WC on all my tanks on saturdays and "usually" I do about 50% and on this tank I am planning to have the new magnum 350 canister filter along with 2 HOB 30-60gal filters on it.. I thought possibly about adding an undergravel filter and reversing the pump so that it blows the stuff out.. .. any ideas on this set up for discus?

I don't have a problem buying adults that's for sure.. I, personally, would actually prefer if they were adults, I just assumed they would settle in better if they were juvies.. wrong? Or is it just simply making sure I add them all at the same time so they aren't territorial already..

Thanks for all the info.. I am just soaking this all up!

 

[rich_one]

The tank is definitely going to be planted.. can I ask what it would be that stunts the growth? I think I read somewhere that it's due to a hormone that they secrete that makes them stay small when they are in captivity due to the size of their tank.. but I thought I read also that if you do plenty of water changes and have good filteration that this shouldn't be an issue? I do WC on all my tanks on saturdays and "usually" I do about 50% and on this tank I am planning to have the new magnum 350 canister filter along with 2 HOB 30-60gal filters on it.. I thought possibly about adding an undergravel filter and reversing the pump so that it blows the stuff out.. .. any ideas on this set up for discus?

I don't have a problem buying adults that's for sure.. I, personally, would actually prefer if they were adults, I just assumed they would settle in better if they were juvies.. wrong? Or is it just simply making sure I add them all at the same time so they aren't territorial already..

Thanks for all the info.. I am just soaking this all up!

well, water quality is critical for discus. the problem with a planted tank is that it is very difficult... I would say nearly impossible... to get fish waste and left over food completely removed. many people make the mistake of thinking that since it is planted, it's okay... the plants will eat the harmful stuff... typically, that is true. but not in the case of the discus. the warmer temps also make things deteriorate even faster... and the juveniles will indeed prefer warmer temps.

so, given how expensive these fish are, and I am sure you do not want to lose your money... take the safe route. get adults for your planted (they are grown already... so you cannot stunt their growth) or get the juvies and go bare botom.