Tempted to go back to Discus

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Discus4me

Registered Member
Aug 10, 2007
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Hello all,
This is my first post here on the forum and it was prompted when I saw some pictures smbjedi posted of his Discus.

They really are beautiful and seeing those pictures really tempts me. I kept Discus for about 15 years and quit about 3 years ago. My tank, a show 90, sat empty in my living room after I shut it down. A few months ago I got back into it but this time I went with live plants and some common Cichlids.

The Discus were just so much work. If I got lazy or had to travel and I missed a water change everything went to... well you know where it went. They were also very prone to disease. It's not that they are any harder to keep than anything else it's just that they are very unforgiving of mistakes or slip ups. I must have been doing something right though because a couple of my fish paired off and I managed to breed them in a standalone 29. It was a really interesting process to watch.

At the moment I am enjoying the plants and the complete absence of NO2 and NO3 thanks to the plants. An Ehiem canister with about a cup of PhosGuard once a week is keeping phosphates and thus algie under control. It circulates through the wet/dry sump under the tank.

But..... I sure do miss the beauty of the Discus I used to keep. Its really tempting to start keeping them again. But I really do enjoy seeing the pics other have of their Discus.
 
Sorry to hear about the problems you had. I've found that discus do better when challenged. I think a lot of people try "too hard" creating a practically sterile environment for them.

I just bought 10 juvenile red turquoise from Kurt (Discushatchery on Aquabid.com) in Las Vegas. They are in a tank with 26 angels, 6 blue rams, 5 yoyo loachs, a small unknown pleco, harlequin rasboras, longfin blue leopard danios, and some male guppies. They out compete every other fish for food and most of them have plump bellies.

I find it funny how the discus will bully each other waving their bodies and ramming their heads and near locking jaws. They aren't that big either. The largest are almost silver dollar size and the smallest are about 1/4 smaller. Almost all are showing colors already.

The pic is of their parents.

Your plants need phosphate, so I'd be inclined not to use PhosGuard. www.rexgrigg.com has good information and links about dosing fertilizers for plants. His $13 fert combo pack is everything you need.

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Discus4me said:
Hello all,

The Discus were just so much work. If I got lazy or had to travel and I missed a water change everything went to... well you know where it went. They were also very prone to disease. It's not that they are any harder to keep than anything else it's just that they are very unforgiving of mistakes or slip ups.
Click to expand...

:iagree: They are a lot of regular work for sure and unforgiving of neglecting water changes. 15 years is a lot of years of discus care and devotion! Not sure I'll make 15 years of it. I do sometimes think how easy it was to keep all the various other tropicals over the last 20 years though. Nothing wrong with enjoying your tank the way it is now and admiring photos. But...if you decide to start up with discus again, please post pictures! At least mine are almost all adults now and I feel like I can relax A LITTLE! Most of my non-fish friends however think I'm crazy to be keeping the discus though.
 
I agree Nalopete hit it pretty much on the head.
I think discus sometimes get the kid glove treatment. I have actually found that they are pretty tough fish.
I lost power for 3 days last year..the discus made it thru that with no issues.
I also keep mine with angels..and found that they easily compete for food with angels.
you may also find that over the years Discus have become more adaptable as more and more are local fish and many generations removed from the wild fish that did prove to be somewhat more difficult to keep.

I have a bunch and they are my favorite fish..right up there with angels(particularly wilds)

mine are domestic cobalt reds...and tough lil guys.
 
So you keep Angels with Discus. What size tank are you using? Are you have to do the soft water thing? I have wanted Discus for forever but have not indulged for fear of killing them. I do not want that. If I bring it home I want it to live. If I don't think I have the capability of keeping it alive I leave it at the lfs.
 
They were in a 65, but it sprung a leak, so they are in a 110. I don't use soft water. Their water is right out the tap and is 7.6-7.8 pH and pretty hard.

It's much more harsh on fish to keep trying to adjust their water than to acclimate them properly aka SLOWLY to your water.

That said. I do plan to get a large RO/DI unit in the near future to cut down on water conditioner costs and have more control over my water quality. That's only because I'm planning on breeding them.
 
From what I've heard from some people....I'd find another fish to keep.
 
agreed.

I have had them for a few years.. they are not difficult to keep.

as a matter of fact..mine have been trouble free
more so than any of my other fish.

if you plan on breeding them then you may have to do some extra stuff.

I have a pair now that have spawned several times..they have lost the fry to a bn that likes them more than the parents.plus she is a tough bn and not afraid to take a hit from a pissed off cichlid.

if I moved them to a breeding tank I bet they would raise the fry .
my only real suggestion is get them from a reputable breeder. preferably local..
 
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