Discus or no Discus...

shawnhu

shawnhu

AC Members
Oct 31, 2008
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New York City
That is the question! I've come back from a long break in keeping fish. I've had an Oscar before, and several other smaller fish. I went out and got a 46G Bowfront, and debating on how I want to stock it. I've been reading quite a bit about Discus, and love the way they look, and the personality that they have. They also seem to be very unique in the aquarium hobby, as they produce "milk"! I also understand that not everyone's water can easily give these fish a good home, but luckily, I think mine is.

There's a lot of questions I have before I jump into this. So bare with me, and here goes....

1) Are Discus better purchased as juvies or adults for my experience level?
(Specific questions regarding my experience can be asked)

2) If I wanted to later on breed these fish, what's the best set-up to go and do this? How many to guarantee a pair, and will the pair need to be isolated? How hard is it to breed them?

3) Diseases. What's the common diseases that these fish experience? How curable is most of the diseases? I am aware of the discussions on blackworms, anything else aside from tapeworms that I have to worry about?

4) I'd probably start off as a species tank to see if they will breed. If I don't have any luck, it may end up a community tank. What are some recommendations for a community, stocking number of Discus in a 46G Bow?

That's all for now, but I'm sure more will come.

-Shawn
 
Hmmm. where to start..

you could put some discus in a 46.. for a while. You definately will need a bigger tank in the not so distant future.

What are your water parameters?
HArdness. Ph.. etc...

Discus should be kept in groups, with a minimum of 5 fish, unless you pick up a proven pair somewhere. then you might be able to just have the 2 (a proven pair) in that 46 BF. Personally, I'd suggest not getting any Juvies as they require cleaner water, and several feedings per day. I'd get fish in the 2 1/2" or bigger range.

Discus dont produce milk, they have a slime coat, as do alot of fish, the fry feed from this slime coat when they are too small to eat regular foods.

You'll need to do more frequent water changes, and the water temp will have to be low-mid 80s. mine is set at 84. A little warmer for juvies. 86-88F.

Personally I would try to find a mated Pair for the 46 and leave it at that since a school of 5 will definately outgrow that tank.

The best set up to breed discus is in a bare bottom tank with a breeding cone, or flat slate, the pair should be isolated. water temp in hi 86+F range. Use an air driven sponge filter.

As for tankmates you are limited as to fish that can tolerate water as warm as 88F+
In a 46, I would say Maybe some otos, rummynose, cardinals, and maybe dwarf sidsmunki (SP?) loaches.

I really think that a 46 is too small for more than a mated pair of discus..
 
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I agree with most of what Zig has told you, except that 2.5" discus are juvies. It's the most common size at which discus babies are first offered for sale. At around 4" they are considered sub-adults. For your experience level I would recommend not getting anything under 4". But even at 4", they are still growing and need to be frequently fed. Most discus diseases are usually attributable to poor water quality, inadequate diet and purchasing fish that are already infested with internal parasites. They are IMO one of the most breathtakingly beautiful freshwater fish, and they are chock full of personality, but they do require some extra care. If you do decide to get discus, please save yourself a lot of heartache and purchase them from a reliable breeder/seller. Stay far away from the discus that most LFS carry.
 
The Zigman said:
Hmmm. where to start..

you could put some discus in a 46.. for a while. You definately will need a bigger tank in the not so distant future.

What are your water parameters?
HArdness. Ph.. etc...

NYC Water out of the tap is pH 7, SOFT, with 0 ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. I don't have a gH and kH test kit, so I am unsure of the exact parameters on those, yet.

Discus should be kept in groups, with a minimum of 5 fish, unless you pick up a proven pair somewhere. then you might be able to just have the 2 (a proven pair) in that 46 BF. Personally, I'd suggest not getting any Juvies as they require cleaner water, and several feedings per day. I'd get fish in the 2 1/2" or bigger range.

Discus dont produce milk, they have a slime coat, as do alot of fish, the fry feed from this slime coat when they are too small to eat regular foods.

You'll need to do more frequent water changes, and the water temp will have to be low-mid 80s. mine is set at 84. A little warmer for juvies. 86-88F.

Personally I would try to find a mated Pair for the 46 and leave it at that since a school of 5 will definately outgrow that tank.

I've seen some mated pairs for sale, but they are usually a lot more than what I can spend on them. I figure if I get smaller, younger ones, they can pair up and then I can plan re-homing the rest. Is that something people do?

The best set up to breed discus is in a bare bottom tank with a breeding cone, or flat slate, the pair should be isolated. water temp in hi 86+F range. Use an air driven sponge filter.

As for tankmates you are limited as to fish that can tolerate water as warm as 88F+
In a 46, I would say Maybe some otos, rummynose, cardinals, and maybe dwarf sidsmunki (SP?) loaches.

I really think that a 46 is too small for more than a mated pair of discus..
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies.

Personally, I would love to try raising Discus from an early age. I know that they breed in the hundreds sometimes, and most are culled. If anyone is culling, I'd be happy to take them in and have them as my first batch Discus to start.

More comments are always welcome!
 
Its hard to sex small discus..
they wont necessarily pair off they way that you would like. they wont breed till they are about 4inches, and theats going to be a couple of years with juvies.

Buying a bunch of juvies is risky because they require a bit of attention, and they will outgrow that 46gal tank.
 
The most common age to see your discus pair up and start spawning is just around the 1 year of age mark. And the aggression you may have seen subside over the months will come back for a while. The females mature faster than the males and although you may see the male going over the eggs and appearing to fertilize them, it may be several months before he's actually mature enough to accomplish the mission. I believe it's impossible to tell the sex of a discus that's only 2 and 1/2", and even difficult sometimes at 4 or 5". Once the spawning tubes come down, there you will see the difference between the boys and the girls. Most discus should be more than 4" at a year old. But regardless, even if you don't get super growth out of them by that age, that's when they'll start spawning!
 
Would plants help in increasing the capacity a tank can hold and with proper filtration? I understand that they require good water quality, but even at 5 fish, 10 gallons each, makes 50 gallons. Being 4 gallons short, I'm sure the Fluval 305 that I have holds 4 gallons of water =)

I would love to get a huge tank like most of you guys on here, but being in NYC, space is limited, and expensive. Any other options to make this work?
 
I would not recommend plants to help the carrying capacity of the tank.. water changes are your best bet here.


you can suffice with a 46 and 5 discus ..but this will be cramped.. it can be done if you are willing to do the work with water changes.. meaning several per week. as you have read.. juveniles will require more maint.. they will need several feedings per day and that means uneaten food will need to be removed.. for this reason many go with bare bottom tanks.
and this would be a species only tank.

start with a good source as mentioned and you reduce problems with parasites and poor stock.
 
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