Contemplating Discus

golfproinlexky

golfproinlexky

Know just enough to be dangerous...
Dec 31, 2007
104
0
0
Kentucky
Everywhere I read there are mixed signals about keeping Discus. I am very interested in going that route, but scared due to all of the mixed signals in articles, posts, etc and then there's the cost. Are they really that hard to keep...? As you can see below I have a 55g and enjoy plants and clown loaches, but want something new. Is it possible or should I just stick with easier fish and keep on trying the plant thing?

Love to hear your thoughts! :idea:
 
well, before moving on to new things it would be best to concentrate on what you already have. while clown loaches grow slowly, they will eventually reach about a foot in length and need a much bigger tank.
 
golfproinlexky said:
Everywhere I read there are mixed signals about keeping Discus. I am very interested in going that route, but scared due to all of the mixed signals in articles, posts, etc and then there's the cost. Are they really that hard to keep...? As you can see below I have a 55g and enjoy plants and clown loaches, but want something new. Is it possible or should I just stick with easier fish and keep on trying the plant thing?

Love to hear your thoughts! :idea:
Click to expand...
Ahh...That's a question often asked by those new to discus. On the contrary, it depends on your willingness to put efforts in taking care of the discus. My first question is what size of discus do you have in mind you want to start keeping with? Do you have time to put into doing plenty of water changes? If not, then you may have to stick with adult discus where efforts are much lesser compared to the juveniles requiring plenty of feeding and water changes for optimal growth. The downside however is that adults are more expensive.

Secondly, where will you obtain the discus? I would not trust the lfs to sell you a batch unless you know fully well their sources. A lot of discus sold are often stunted, have mishapen bodies or poor in health making them rather problematic and a pain to treat with. Do you know of any local breeders in your area?

As far as water conditiosn are concerned, tapwater is fine contrary to most people's claims that it is not. As far as water changes are concerned, the general rule with discus is usually that the more water changes performed, the better as they are less forgiving to unstable water conditions compared to any other fish. A little more attention is all they need.

For tankmates, look for apistogrammas, rams, tetras, hatchetfish, pencilfish, keyholes, plecos and cories as the possible tankmates. Let us know which fish you plan to keep.
 
to answer your questons and concerns about Discus.

they kind of have a reputation for being difficult to keep..it's not quite true.

if you want show quality Discus..you will have your hands full..
the big thing about Discus is their requirements for very clean water.
this is especially true for juvenile Discus..which are best kept in a bare bottom tank with small daily water changes and several feedings per day.
Adult Discus have a bit less maintenance.
but you should still do 2 large water changes per week (IMHO).Discus are foragers and even adults I feed 3 X per day.
if you decide to go the discus route..the best thing to keep in mind is you should have good established maintenance..almost religious.
in the end you will be rewarded with beautiful fish many consider the king of fish keeping.

some things you should consider ..if you decided to go with Discus..
get them from a reputable breeder...your best chances are going to come from a good source..if you start with healthy discus..you have a better chance of success.
discus should be kept in a school.so you need a tank large enough to house several discus..4 is considered the minimum size to keep discus..but more is better..I would suggest a tank large enough to house 7-8 adult discus..75-90 Gallons.

you can start smaller with juveniles(keep 5-7 juvies in a 40-50 g growout. and keep them in a bare bottom for ease of maintenance..if you decide to go planted with juveniles know right off that it will be more difficult to maintain water quality.
there was a discussion a week or two ago regarding this same issue..it is difficult to discuss panted tanks and raising juvenile discus..something will suffer either the plants or the discus..suffice it to say that very knowledgable discus keepers do not recommend planted tanks and juvenile discus..they are best if they are kept in bare bottom which are cleaned daily.
 
Discus need very clean water, so there is a lot more water changes required. If you intend to get less expensive young discus and grow them out in a planted tank, it will be difficult. It's difficult to grow any baby fish out in a planted tank. Baby fish need lots of frequent feedings to grow properly and avoid stunting. Lots of feedings and food = lots of potential pollution for the tank. Subadult or adult discus would not be as difficult to keep in a planted tank since they don't require as many feedings per day, but you'd have to be willing to do two water changes/week at least. Discus are large fish and produce lots of ammonia which in turn equals rising nitrates. Discus don't like nitrates ever over 40. Best to keep them 20 or below. They are a social fish and like to be kept in groups. Keeping only 2 or 3 results in pecking order deaths of the low man on the totem pole. I would suggest that 4 would be the minimum to spread the aggresion around, 5 would be more ideal. I find the bigger the group, the more peaceful and content they all are.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I've been keeping fish for about 6 years now and have seen my interest go toward a planted tank and smaller fish. Keeping this in mind it sounds like going the Discus route is down the road for me....when I add a tank. For now I'll just continue to enjoy seeing pictures of other people's discus.

Thanks again for the knowledge!
 
they are worth the effort to keep them.

I've kept discus for years..they remain my favorite fish.

my ultimate plan is to have a 250 G discus display tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom