How do I keep discus alive?

discus are slow eaters, they graze like cattle, I feed mine 3 times a day, Juvies get foed even more often than that. I mix up the meals I'll feed them Blood worms twice a day, and I feed them flake, and tiny sinking pellets once or twice a day, You really need to feed them more often, once a day isnt enough. Mine will not eat beef heart.
Watch them eat to see if they really are eating, the little guys arent very good at actually getting the food in their tiny mouths, and sometimes the spit it back out...

Also I keep my tank at 85F, all inhabitants are doing well... even my common pleco has adjusted to the warm water. do plenty of water changes. be sure any tank mates will tolerate this temperature.. Species only tanks are because of this reason. be careful of your tankmates and Discus are suseptical to bacteria that doesnt harm other fish. I use a UV sterilizer on my tank, but that might be a bit extreme..

My tank has 1.5 Watts per gallon of light, soon to me upgraded to 3 wpg. They dont seem to mind my current lighting. But yes they do like lower light. They also like to hide when in small numbers, say less than 5, so having lots of plants is a plus. They should be kept in gorups f 5 or more if possible, 3 is actually the worst number to keep in a tank, they will harass each other and all be stressed out. (currently I have 3 also.. I had 5, one ate an algae wafer and got plugged up and died, the other was old and very stunted.

Oh yeah, avoid algae wafers on the discus tank also...
See my dead discus thread..
 
Last edited:
dereks said:
do ya want help or not? Yes

did they look ok before they died? Yea
Did they eat? Yea
what did you feed them and how often? Beef heart, once a day
how many were there at one time? 3
What was the water temperature? 86
were they bloated...Have milky looking eyes? No, no
Click to expand...
glad to hear you wold like some assistance.

beefheart is used by many breeders but is generally not the exclusive food fed. Discus should get some variety. as mentioned they are grazers and will feed all day . they should be fed several small meals.
the temp is fine but again a bit high for adults.
but within 'normal' ranges of Discus.
at this temp tho you should make sure you have added airstones to the water to help raise dissolved O2 levels.
test for ammonia(NH3) Nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3)
how often did you change water?
discus thrive with pristine water conditions. and will benefit with several water changes per week(at least 2 with adults)
 
I don't disagree with anything posted by Zig or s_r. I'd like to add that incorrect acclimation will stress discus, sometimes not manifesting itself for days or weeks. When I get new discus, I float the bags to bring them up to the 84 degree temp of my tank. When I open the bag I add a drop or two of prime to neutralize any ammonia the fish has released into the bag. Then, for the next 30 min to an hour, I'll add a small amount of tankwater to the bag to adjust the fish to the hardness of the new water.

After introducing a new fish into a darkened QT tank, without the bag water, I leave the lights off for a day while they become adjusted. I don't feed during this day. After 30 days of QT, during which no symptoms of disease have appeared, I'll move to the display tank. If symptoms of disease appear during QT, I'll treat until symptoms disappear, then reset the 30 day QT clock.

New discus are shy fish. Sometimes it takes a couple days to weeks for them to get comfortable in the new home. Give them time, keep their home warm and very clean, feed them a varied diet of good foods and they will normally thrive.

Mark
 
The Discus I have are my first...

Getting water parameters correct Ph 6.0-6.8 and zero for everything else, high quality water filter, temp for me is 80-86F. And making sure the water is primed. Change the water 1/3-1/2 once a week and keep the chemicals correct uniform and you will do well. I have 1 55 gal tank 4 discus eventually more. And one 38 tank two discus as mates. I have had these Discus for more than a year and have been doing good other than a couple of issues. Good luck!
 
wesleydnunder said:
I don't disagree with anything posted by Zig or s_r. I'd like to add that incorrect acclimation will stress discus, sometimes not manifesting itself for days or weeks. When I get new discus, I float the bags to bring them up to the 84 degree temp of my tank. When I open the bag I add a drop or two of prime to neutralize any ammonia the fish has released into the bag. Then, for the next 30 min to an hour, I'll add a small amount of tankwater to the bag to adjust the fish to the hardness of the new water.

After introducing a new fish into a darkened QT tank, without the bag water, I leave the lights off for a day while they become adjusted. I don't feed during this day. After 30 days of QT, during which no symptoms of disease have appeared, I'll move to the display tank. If symptoms of disease appear during QT, I'll treat until symptoms disappear, then reset the 30 day QT clock.

New discus are shy fish. Sometimes it takes a couple days to weeks for them to get comfortable in the new home. Give them time, keep their home warm and very clean, feed them a varied diet of good foods and they will normally thrive.

Mark
Click to expand...

nice post Mark

I personally use drip acclimation. but a good acclimation is a start in the right direction
 
star_rider said:
nice post Mark

I personally use drip acclimation. but a good acclimation is a start in the right direction
Click to expand...

I dont use any acclimation on discus.....but then again im special :silly:

I do agree with the above for the most part. Dont focus so much on specific values (other than temp), just focus on consistency. pH doesnt matter all that much, provided that it isnt like 9.0++. Mine personally is 8.5 and I have pairs trying to spawn in it all the time. Keep the temp above 80, filters cleaned, water quality high, and they will do just fine.

-Ryan
 
what size tank? three isnt a good number for discus, they do better in larger groups. they tend to pick on eachother when they are n small numbers. how often did you change the water? did you fiddle with ph?
 
Water parameters like pH and hardness do not matter unless they are in the extremes (under 4 or over 9).

I keep my discus in hard tap water with pH of 8.2

What is important is that you NEVER have any ammonia and nitrites.

Nitrates aren't tolerated at high levels...that is over 20 ppm. Keep if under 10 ppm preferably. Get fish from a reputable breeder or dealer. You can go to Simply Discus forums and look at their sponsors.

You don't need low pH of around 6 or soft water unless you are trying to breed. Young discus actually grow better in hard water due to the mineral content. Feed small amounts 4-6 times per day to young fish. Young fish need daily water changes. Water changes is one of the most important things. Age your water so it is the same temp as tank water.

Adult discus only need to be fed twice a day and have bi-weekly water changes. Again, WC depend on how much you feed them. Overfeeding an adult is not good...it will lead to body problems like fatty livers.

Discus is easy if you start with:

1. Strong, disease free fish (go to Simply Discus forums for breeders).

2. Pre-cycled tank and NEVER any ammonia or nitrites. Negligible nitrates.

3. Change water. Change water. Change water. Granted it is the same temperature as tank water (86 F).

4. Buy older fish that are 3-4" in lots of 6-8. The younger the fish...the harder it is to raise. Young fish are more prone to disease. Good healthy adult fish are f'ing expensive (for fish).

5. 1 discus per 10 gallons.

Hope this helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom