Discus Info On Keeping, Tips Anything Useful

Hey there, so I'm looking at taking a break from guppies and platys in the new future. I am interested in changing to discus, and angels. But I am curious about em before I spend the couple 100 on em. Would love to get an education on em.

 

Ok for starters you'll want

• A 75 gallon tank (bigger is better though)
• A relatively gentle filter
• A heater set to about 86-88

That's about it from me. I've never kept discus lol. Trying to think of someone who has...

 

Are they really that much more of a challange? Or?

 

Are they really that much more of a challange? Or?

much more difficult than guppies and platies.

Angels are easier to care for than discus though.

 

Thank yahs I appreciate the quick response.

 

You can get discus cheap if they are babies but you will need to do daily water changes as they require clean prestige waters.

They’ll need bare bottom tanks if you get juvies.

They should be in groups of 5+.

I had asked a member last year about it via PM. I need to look it up and maybe see what I can dig up.

 

You can get discus cheap if they are babies but you will need to do daily water changes as they require clean prestige waters.

They’ll need bare bottom tanks if you get juvies.

They should be in groups of 5+.

I had asked a member last year about it via PM. I need to look it up and maybe see what I can dig up.

That's really useful. My plan in is to order a pack of 6 I believe there around 2" so

 

That's really useful. My plan in is to order a pack of 6 I believe there around 2" so

Here are some things that I dug up while learning how to deal with discus. The plan was to try to start one but things got in the way and I ended up not doing it. Maybe in the future.

Selecting Discus

She recommended that you buy the discus from a breeder and not from a LFS. Discus Hans or a place like kenny's discus. However since your in Canada I'm not sure if they will ship up there.

Beef hearts are what she fed exclusively and had bare bottom tanks until they reached 5inches.

For dithers: cardinal tetras, Rummy-nose, lemon tetras, harlequin rasboras, bosemanI rainbows, congo tetras.

Avoid having clown loaches as they will attack the discus for their mucus.

Best to have separate equipment to avoid cross contamination when dealing with discus.

Decorations are not needed at an early stage, the cleaner the environment the better health.

You can run HOB or sponges if you like, they are not picky.

Buy at least 5 discus.

 

I’d recommend a species only. 55 gallons is bare minimum, as I’d highly recommend at least 6 because they school/shoal. 84 is the minimum I’d keep the temperature at. I’ve found 86 to be the best temp. Cycle the tank before adding Discus.

Now the more difficult stuff, KH, GH, and PH. AI'm for a KH and GH of 40-60, and a PH of 6-7 (though the hardness is much more important).

 

yes sir, thank yah guys, so the temp is gonna be my biggest challenge which aint bad, my ph is 7.2 outta tap. ive watched a lot of joeys vids on youtube where hes in novia scotia. just a jont away. similar water qualitys to from what he says and what mine test. the tank I'm gonna be using to start may be my 55 gallon if I keep it but I may look at going to a 150 gallon for future uses. and also building a rack of 4 bowfronts maybe if I have some pair off.. just a thought. but deffently cycled take. my water qaulitys stay pretty good I do run plants and.. the beef heart is that something I can get in a can pre preped or is that a homemade deal

 

yes sir, thank yah guys, so the temp is gonna be my biggest challenge which aint bad, my ph is 7.2 outta tap. ive watched a lot of joeys vids on youtube where hes in novia scotia. just a jont away. similar water qualitys to from what he says and what mine test. the tank I'm gonna be using to start may be my 55 gallon if I keep it but I may look at going to a 150 gallon for future uses. and also building a rack of 4 bowfronts maybe if I have some pair off.. just a thought. but deffently cycled take. my water qaulitys stay pretty good I do run plants and.. the beef heart is that something I can get in a can pre preped or is that a homemade deal

Unfortunately you have to kill a cow, retrieve the heart, then clean it.

Just kidding lol, you can buy it prepped a d frozen.

 

yah I had to look into it I was curious I see some recipes and then a lot of the ones who sell discus online sell the frozen foods also

 

so I was watching a video by md fish tanks about a discus tank and I am intrigued by their behavior could I do 2-4 stendker German wonder discus which were bred to tolerate hard water with a pair of rams and cardinal tetras and Pygmy cories? Any advice on discus is appreciated I was thinking 1 gender only to make sure there’s no spawning

 

Just ended my journey with "Discus". They are "Beautiful". Maybe I'll try again.
Community Planted tanks do work, 86 ssinit is having the "Best" success.
So much so, he has earned the "Discus Guru" badge. Maybe he'll have some info about hard water.
A bunch of members decided to keep "Discus" for the first time about a year or so ago.. We formed a "Discus Gang" thread to share our trials and tribulations. Quite a bit of info, but well worth the read.
Discus Gang Updates | Discus Fish Forum | 420110

Good Luck!

 

is it open for members, I might join!

 

Discus needs to be kept in at least 5 or more since they are a shoaling species.

 

Is 5 to many in a 3 foot tank? I’m gonna grow em from 2-2.5”

 

Going to say yes in the long run. Go for at least 4 feet or longer.

 

Is 5 to many in a 3 foot tank? I’m gonna grow em from 2-2.5”

In the long run you’ll want to upgrade, I’m Assuming this is your 40 gallon? If so, I wouldn’t keep them with other fish and it shouldn’t be their permanent tank. Maybe just a grow out for 3-4.

 

Can I keep em. With tankmates while they are small then upgrade for them and give em more buddies down the road?

 

Can I keep em. With tankmates while they are small then upgrade for them and give em more buddies down the road?

I wouldn’t. They’ll need space to grow and in reality they’ll need a bigger tank sooner than later. They’ll probably be cramped with tankmates.

 

Is it something that you're willing to do? Keeping juvenile discus and later upgrading to a much larger aquarium.

 

Yeah, how fast do they grow? If it would take a couple years for em to get too large I would be easily able to do at least a 55 or a 75
Tankmates I was thinking was just like a pair of rams or something

 

is it open for members, I might join!

Sure, its not as active as it once was but I still check it for news and info.
As mentioned on ton of info, some of the recent questions/comments here have surely been addressed by members sharing. Check it out!

 

Yeah, how fast do they grow? If it would take a couple years for em to get too large I would be easily able to do at least a 55 or a 75

They’ll need a larger tank sooner than that.

 

https://www.diskuszucht-stendker.de...lter_und_Groessee_unserer_Diskusfische_en.pdf

Don't wait until they reached 4.5"-5" to move them as they may get stunted. Also, raising juvenile discus can be challenging.

 

How many years? I could do it in 1-2 years 1 minimum 2 if I was being lazy.

 

A few months probably.

 

Oh. Even if I’m starting with 2 inch fish?

The tanks is 36x18x18 like 45 gal

 

Yes.

 

The tanks is 36x18x18 like 45 gal

You’ll still need to upgrade within a few months.

 

Ok, could I just do 1-3 with tankmates? I wouldn’t be able to upgrade that fast I’d eventually get a 75-125 and move em up into it and get them friends?

 

No. They're a shoaling species, which means you need at least 5 or more. Also, a pair of discus in a 40 can fight or breed, which limits the amount of fish that can be kept.

 

Ok, could I just do 1-3 with tankmates? I wouldn’t be able to upgrade that fast I’d eventually get a 75-125 and move em up into it and get them friends?

Most fish aren’t temp compatible and the discus could be stunted. Just wait until you have a bigger tank, then get the discus.

 

Oh I might just wait on them then, they would be really cool but if I couldn’t have em in there for a long time it might not be a good idea
I don’t think I wanna do a biotope specific tank either, I wanna probably stick to SA but not exactly Orinoco

 

Discus are really expensive if your going for some really nice ones, also I thought you wanted to turn your 40 gallon into a South American tank?