Discus have fast metabolisms, especially when young. Juvies need to be fed multiple times a day (many breeders say 5x a day). They require foods that are high in fats and proteins and are messy eaters, which can pollute a tank very quickly. However, these fish are extremely sensitive to ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAtes. Ideal parameters are 0ppm ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte, which makes it difficult to raise healthy discus in planted tanks.
It's usually recommended to raise discus in a bare-bottomed tank and do a small water change after every feeding to remove any uneaten food. Once they've reached about 5" you can then transfer them into a planted tank- but weekly 50% water changes are still usually a good idea.
If you want to add discus to your current tank I'd encourage you to save up so you can buy older discus. (That's precisely what I'm doing with my 90gal ATM...)
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