My girlfriend got me an early x-mas present...

I checked out this book from the library and I'm not sure what to believe as it says you don't need a very big tank for Discus, even in a community. That seems just plain wrong!
Here is the book:
61S9GZ04Y4L._AA240_.jpg


Here is the info on Discus: (written by a Cichlid expert, Mary Bailey)

Although this is an easy, hardy fish if kept properly, it is all too frequently portrayed as requiring bare tanks, dangerously high water temperatures, and special, usually unsuitable diets. The result is that many discus are short lived, highly stressed, neurotic wrecks.

What size: 6 inches in diameter

What minimum size tank?:
24X12X18 in for a pair, 36X12X18 for a community.

How warm?:
77-82 F

The tank recommendations seem VERY small....I mean I, like many fish lovers, would like to have 2-3 discus in my tank, but I think I will have to wait until I get a larger tank.

(My tank is 36X13X18)

What do you folks think of this info? It's weird, usually books have rock solid info but this seems a little strange...I don't know what to make of it.
 
gatotsu77 said:
Its addicting, no? My biggest problem is my inability to have more than my 55g tank. Its sad... but my folks have laid down the law on this one. I'm 21 and currently living at home... still hoping to change that some time soon, but even then I won't just go out and buy a whole bunch of tanks. No way in heck am I going to set up a lot of tanks in an apartment, only to have to relocate them a matter of months later. I'll just have to be patient until I own my own place, then I can really get cranking with the monster tanks. :-) Project 300g shall come to fruition! :grinyes:

Anyone else have an opinion on what I mentioned earlier about having 3-4 discus in a 55g tank as the primary inhabitants? Its a serious consideration of mine... and depending on how well this one does, I just might go for it. I've always enjoyed watching discus on youtube and the such... now I actually get to watch my own discus. I'm practically like a kid in a candy store. :silly:
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I'm in the same boat. I am going to be 21 in January and my mother won't let get a pressurized CO2 system because its "dangerous. Pretty pathetic that I have to have 4 diy co2 bottles with sugar and yeast under my tank, but I don't have a choice...if they could only see fishkeeping the way we do...
 
NJ Devils Fan said:
I'm in the same boat. I am going to be 21 in January and my mother won't let get a pressurized CO2 system because its "dangerous. Pretty pathetic that I have to have 4 diy co2 bottles with sugar and yeast under my tank, but I don't have a choice...if they could only see fishkeeping the way we do...
Click to expand...

Same thing about anything my mom doesn't understand. I want to do water cooling on my pc, but she insists that it will burn the house down. :wall: (sorry to get off topic there)

I wouldn't even tell her if I did a DIY CO2 since she would tell me there's no way in hell she'd let me do it. Why is it you have to have 4 bottles? Are they all 2 liter bottles? You must have a big friggin tank... or is it just to keep a steady supply? I did some reading on the jello method, and if I do DIY CO2, that is how I'd do it.
 
gatotsu77 said:
Same thing about anything my mom doesn't understand. I want to do water cooling on my pc, but she insists that it will burn the house down. :wall: (sorry to get off topic there)

I wouldn't even tell her if I did a DIY CO2 since she would tell me there's no way in hell she'd let me do it. Why is it you have to have 4 bottles? Are they all 2 liter bottles? You must have a big friggin tank... or is it just to keep a steady supply? I did some reading on the jello method, and if I do DIY CO2, that is how I'd do it.
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Yea, 4 2 liter bottles, I have a 72g tank and I am barely getting enough with those 4 bottle. However, I am trying a different diffusion method, so hopefully things will get better.

What makes me crazy is the fact that my mother is a dental hygienist an is around pressurized tanks at work, and nothing has ever happened. Oh well, I think I may be sneaky and just order a system and see what happens, haha. Worst case scenario, I will just set everything up one day and hide it as best as possible, then tell her months later tha it had been there the entire time.
 
NJ Devils Fan said:
Yea, 4 2 liter bottles, I have a 72g tank and I am barely getting enough with those 4 bottle. However, I am trying a different diffusion method, so hopefully things will get better.

What makes me crazy is the fact that my mother is a dental hygienist an is around pressurized tanks at work, and nothing has ever happened. Oh well, I think I may be sneaky and just order a system and see what happens, haha. Worst case scenario, I will just set everything up one day and hide it as best as possible, then tell her months later tha it had been there the entire time.
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How visible are the current bottles? If she already knows there is an air line going in, just hook up your CO2 tank to the existing line, and hide the tank wherever the current bottles are. She'll never know the difference, unless of course she watches you mix your solution every so often. :-P
 
john_matrix said:
I checked out this book from the library and I'm not sure what to believe as it says you don't need a very big tank for Discus, even in a community. That seems just plain wrong!
Here is the book:
61S9GZ04Y4L._AA240_.jpg


Here is the info on Discus: (written by a Cichlid expert, Mary Bailey)

Although this is an easy, hardy fish if kept properly, it is all too frequently portrayed as requiring bare tanks, dangerously high water temperatures, and special, usually unsuitable diets. The result is that many discus are short lived, highly stressed, neurotic wrecks.

What size: 6 inches in diameter

What minimum size tank?:
24X12X18 in for a pair, 36X12X18 for a community.

How warm?:
77-82 F

The tank recommendations seem VERY small....I mean I, like many fish lovers, would like to have 2-3 discus in my tank, but I think I will have to wait until I get a larger tank.

(My tank is 36X13X18)

What do you folks think of this info? It's weird, usually books have rock solid info but this seems a little strange...I don't know what to make of it.
Click to expand...
I actually think this seems more for a breeding purpose than keeping them long-term. The height at 18 inches is fine and is better than having a fewer inches than that. I've read that book several times in bookstores. The information is short and not seem very detailed so to get to the point, it is best followed if the discus are in breeding conditions only wherein you do need to separate them if you really want to raise the fry in the near future. Juveniles tend to be more vulnerable to diseases than adults which in this case, barebottom tanks are used to ensure the tank water does not deteriorate quickly while making tank maintenance much easier. As for temperatures, I'm just as confused why it is referred to as dangerously high unless you keep fish that won't do well at warm temperatures at all. I've kept discus before at 80-86 degrees Fahrenheit and they seem to do better than temperatures below 76 at adult stage. Adults can cope with temps lower than 80 but no lower than 76.

As for being neurotic, well, I think this is true if the tank is not designed to make the discus more comfortable. Lights should be kept subdued with black background for them to feel more secured.
 
gatotsu77 said:
Are there any other foods (other than beefheart... heard lots of stuff about that) which the discus will likely enjoy and will help vary their diet? Or can they handle a steady diet of blood worms?
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I'll respond to your question here so you can compile all your information here.;)
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1186145#post1186145

They cannot handle only bloodworms alone. There is not sufficient vitamins from that. Try earthworms, beefhearts, brine shrimps, mosquito larva and shrimps.
 
Lupin said:
I'll respond to your question here so you can compile all your information here.;)
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1186145#post1186145

They cannot handle only bloodworms alone. There is not sufficient vitamins from that. Try earthworms, beefhearts, brine shrimps, mosquito larva and shrimps.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks. :-) I was thinking about earthworms, but wasn't sure if they'd be able to digest them or not, as I know they are high in fat content. Beefheart I've read is messy, but worth it. I'll likely get a batch of live brine shrimp to see how they do with it... if they do well, I'll hatch some more myself. Think they'll munch ghost shrimp?
 
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