queenbobby

:;r fro
HI I NEED SOME ADVICE ON DICUS FISH plz .
i have kept other tropical fish i,.e silver sharks, plec, pictus catfish , angels etc but now i have saved and saved and saved and bought ,myself a fluval venezia corner tank 350 litre capacity about 77uk gallons. i have spent 2 painful months deliberating on whether i will be able to keep disus as i have read so much on how there too demanding but i definatley want them!!!
i have got an external fluval 405 and the alpine white gravel and mopani wood in there. i just have run out of money though!! there is no way that i can afford to buy an reverse osmosis unit. please can any one tell me if i can keep them wiithout this unit?

also i wanted to keep them with kuhli loaches and in the LFS i saw a discus tank with perruno catfish ..please advise.

i am aware of the increased temp reqiuremenst so just wondered if these other fish will be ok with the 86 temp that most p[eople advise.

my other problem is that my tank has been cycing (fishless) for 3 days and i hve got activated carbon in the filter along with the ceramic rings and white filter. is this goig to be ok.

thanks hope i hvent bored you all too much but im a bit of a perfectionist
bobby

capekate

Hello Bobby and welcome to fishlore
Kuhli loaches prefer temperatures between 70-75 and can only tolerate temps of 82* short term, so I would think that the Kuhli loaches would not be a good tank mate for your Discus.
You may want to try some other South American fish that may be more compatible with your Discus.
I have kept Discus for over a year and half with no reverse osmosis and they do just fine. They are not as hard to take care of as some may believe. The important things to remember is quality water conditions and quality foods. Below is a link for you to read up on that may be helpful.


DISCUS CARE SHEET

Jess

Welcome bobby, if you're a perfectionist, Discus are for you! Congratulations on your 90 gal tank! (did I do the conversion right?) Capekate is correct about kuhli loaches and water quality, maybe you could find a home for your kuhli loaches? I have a Yoyo Loach and a Banded Loach that are perfect with my Discus. My temp. is 86 but 84-86 is fine. The most important thing is clean water. I change mine at least twice a week. Mind you, I have a full bio load. But really clean water is more important than anything. You don't need an RO unit. Unless you have high nitrates in your tap water. Test your tap water.
I would remove your carbon. Throw it away. You only use it to remove medications. Please make sure your tank is cycled, otherwise your expensive fish won't make it.
Your ceramic rings are good, I use those too, same with your filter.
Make sure you have a gravel vac or python. Don't allow stuff to build in your gravel. This adds to the nitrates and phosphates. The stuff that algae loves!
I would highly suggest a python to remove and add water. They make water changes so much easier. Especially since you will be doing them more often.
I, like you, waited to see if I could handle raising Discus. I had a gravel bottom and ended up removing it so I could feed more heavily and have less problems cleaning. I got very small fish and wanted to grow them out. (less $ that way) I knew that feeding more often was going to cause water problems so I had to simplify the tank. Sorry to run on.
So excited for you. Please post picture when you get set up. Its so fun to see peoples tanks. Sincerely, Jess
PS the fishless cycle can take a very long time. If you can get some gravel or filter pad from a friends healthy tank. It will speed things up a lot. A fish less cycle can take weeks.
Also most people recommend at least 6 discus. Buy them at the same time if you can. They will grow together rather than introducing one at a time. I know its expensive that way. But you will have less problems that way too. You have plenty of room for 6, you're soooooo lucky. : )

Slug

Want to know a secret? Its not about the hardware, its about how willing you are to dedicate just a little extra time and TLC to them. They really arn't as hard as people say. Most of the stuff published about discus is decades old, when they were new and challening. Keep it simple, keep it stable and you will be fine. Most importantly, start with healthy fish. Starting with a "rescue" discus that you had to "save" from the LFS is always a bad thing. Don't fall into that trap. I don't run any power filters of any kind of my tanks. Sponge filters and thats it btw.

I wouldn't put either the catfish or the loaches with them.

I change my water every day, in every discus tank i have. 5 to be exact. Be sure to change at the very minimum, once a week. More is better.

Like said above, a good diet is often overlooked. Keep it healthy, keep it varied. Lots of protein is good (Beefheart, bloodworms, etc), and a good quality flake is also recommended.

Discus can get skittish, so try to steer clear of sharp objects in the tank like driftwood or rocks. Driftwoods and rocks are fine, but just make sure they arn't sharp.

Jess

Sponge filter are more for the breeder, not the person setting up a display tank don't you think? In any case they work but may not be as esthetically pleasing.
There is no problem with having a community tank with Discus. Many people on this forum who aren't breeding them have them with other fish.

Slug

Well yes, just making a point that you don't need fancy equipment. A very very simple HOB filter will work fine. Remember you don't want filterpads clogged with stuff sitting there for long.

Jess

Thats very true. You just swish them through a bucket of aquarium water, to remove gunk.

Good luck Queenbobby! : )

queenbobby

thanks for all the messages and advice its soooo apprciated
thats fine then im definatley going to get my discus yipeeeeeeeee!!!
i have removed the carbon from my filter.
so is there any smaller fish that i can cycle my tank with? to speed it ll up as i really canmt wait now!!!!!!

thanks thanks thanks


yipeee!!!!!!

Jess

Sorry, no one on Fishlore will suggest fish to cycle your tank. (what do you do with them if they aren't compatible with the fish you really want?)
There are some great articles here to help.

See Aquarium Articles at the top in the blue bar .

Find under Freshwater Aquarium Fish Beginner's Guide,
Aquarium nitrogen cycle

Then look for of the Aquarium Setups
Freshwater Aquarium Setups
How To Set Up A freshwater fish Aquarium

Hopefully these will get you going faster. Best of luck! Jess

queenbobby

what would i do without you eh??

Jess

You're welcome. : )

queenbobby

is this a possibilty?

Lucy

Hi Bobby welcome to Fish Lore.

Your question has been addressed in your another thread:

I Need Some Advice Please

Butterfly

How about I merge the two
Carol

queenbobby

sorry am i asking too much

sirdarksol

Nope. You can never ask too many questions. It was just the two separate threads that were kind of confusing people. Butterfly has combined them. You'll find an excellent answer to the "loaches and discus" question in the first response in this thread.

Butterfly

As SDS said you can never ask too many question but when the same question is addressed in more than one place the information you receive can be confusing. If all responses are in one place all your information is in one place. that's to what end I merged the two threads.
Carol

queenbobby

thx!!!

queenbobby

i went to the lfs and i saw some dead discus in the tank...... i was worried as i have started to gain the confidence that i can keep them and now i am worried that if a big aquatic centre the largest in the west mids cant get it right how can i?
are you all sure that i can use non r o water and do weekly changes of 30%?


please be honest

capekate

Hi Bobby
As noted in another post I have kept Discus for over a year and a half with no RO system and they are fine. I do water change once a week in the community tank at about 40-50% and all inhabitants are doing great and Ive had most of all of them for over a year in there.
Starting off with Discus can be tough and no doubt when they are brought into a fish store they do have their losses.

Jess

Hi,
I hate when you see fish failing like that it makes you so skeptical. I think that people would suggest to buy from a reputable breeder. If you go to the site of Simply Discus you'll find many people to talk about finding nice healthy Discus. Also on this site is Slug aka Matt, he has a beautiful group of discus right now. I'm not sure if he's shipping, but you can look him up.
I'm raising from juvies 6 discus in a 55 gal tank that gets changed 40% every 3 days or so. Basically twice a week. I don't have RO water. My guys are fine. They could use some more elbow room, but they are growing. Started at about 2" and are now about 5". I've had them since Jan. 08. They are showing signs of pairing up. Which is pretty cool. You need to test your water and find out if you have high phosphates and nitrates. That would be the only reason I can think of for going to an RO unit.
Also if you go to simplydiscus they will suggest you first grow out your guys in a barebottom tank then make a planted or community tank after they've reached adult size. When discus are young they need to be fed often to achieve a nice large size. The bare bottom allows for easy clean-up it looks a bit sterile at first but later you can build your dream tank. I made a compromise and have a potted plant with a chunk of drift wood to soften water. It seems to work. Note that I found out all this information after I had a planted full gravel aquarium. I pulled it apart. My fish were looking dark and unhealthy. Turns out there was a ton of junk in the gravel. Even with vacuuming it wasn't taking care of the surplus from heavily feeding. So we learn from our mistakes. I have the plant also for my cardinals and rummy nose that hang out in the plant to sleep at night. The drift wood if also for my loaches and small pleco (safe kind for discus). So I had to make some compromises. But things seem like they are moving along well.

attackonthebass

nice, I always wondered why discus tanks had no gravel, makes sense now.

just curious what would be the minimum size to raise 2 - 3 juvenile discus? I have a 30 gal tank that only has one fish in it and I'm thinking of getting some discus( i plan on removing the one fish and starting with just discus) . Are there any discus type(s) that are easier to raise? I've always wanted a tank, and I recently found a place near my house that sells some beautiful discus. I just don't know where to start.

thanks

Jess

I would suggest to go to simplydiscus.com read all of their information for new discus keepers. I have read there that you can put as many as 12 babies in a 30 gal. But you have to be prepared to move them out as they grow either to something larger or sell some off. Its recommended to get a group of 6 to grow out. They're more comfortable in groups. But I can also bet there are people that have just a few and have accomplished the same thing. I do know that the Wild Discus are not for the beginner.
They require close watch on water parameters. Eat differently. I read something about fruits and veggies along with the other goodies discus like. But its safe to say 10 gal per fish is a good way to go. 15 gal per fish if you can swing it. (adult fish) If you're planning on just having 2. People recommend getting a mated pair. I think because they don't need the big group and are happy with each other for company. Of course buying fish that are at least a year old are going to be more expensive. I have been told that some breeders may have pairs they are willing to sell when they are through breeding them. But I must say the process of watching them mature is very interesting, their shape can change colors define. . . Start with as much reading and research you can do. Then you'll be prepared.

queenbobby

Does This Look Ok For Discus/>? I Have Emptied The Water And The Trim Has To Be Put On ...

Attached Images

NEW SIZED TANK.jpg (18.8 KB, 26 views)

attackonthebass

thanks jess, i plan on reading for a while before i just jump into getting some fish.

they're quite expensive so i really don't want to learn the hard way how to take care of these fish. Is it easy to distinguish between male and female?

i don't know much about discus, but never the less. That tank is swwweeettt

i love the bow tanks, i just can't afford one right now

Jess

queenbobby, beautiful tank! I went to click on it hoping to get a larger image. Darn! Its a small attachment. But it looks perfect!

Jess

attachonthebass, unfortunately you can't tell male discus from female. That's one of the reasons they suggest getting at least 6. To raise the chances of getting a mated pair and to keep everyone happy and social. Good idea to read as much as possible, find healthy and good looking fish. See if you can see the parents and ask to watch them eat. You want the fish that rush forward looking for food, not the guys that cower in the corner.

queenbobby

hi can any one tell me what is the best filter media to have for discus/? i have in my fluval 405 1 white pad and ceramic ring things... is this sufficent,..what can i use to optimise the clarity of the water?

Jess

That should be fine. Mostly frequent water changes keep them happy.

queenbobby

hi been to my local fiosh store to buy some cycle for my tank alternative to stability ..and they said to put it in the water asap like today when im re filling it and wait 1 week before putting anything in i.e cardinal tetras.
also he has told me its important to put in the carbon...pls tell mewhat you think as so many people have told me to take it out!!!